By Sophia Reynolds
4Front Raven
Who the Raven is for
The Raven is aimed at riders who prioritize low weight and float for backcountry touring while keeping a playful personality on the descent. With a full rocker profile and a 104 mm waist, it’s tuned for light freeride/touring duties and powder days where skin time matters. The ski balances surfy float with enough structure to handle variable snow and open lines. If you spend most of your days on groomers or need a hard-charging big-mountain tool, this isn’t that ski — but for long approaches and surfy powder laps it excels.
On-snow character and handling
On snow the Raven feels light, lively and notably surf-like in soft snow. The generous tip (≈120–121 mm) and full rocker generate early lift and a buoyant feel in deep snow, while the 104 mm waist keeps the ski maneuverable through trees and technical terrain. The 29 m sidecut radius encourages longer, sweeping turns rather than quick snap turns. Where it’s less at home is hardpack and icy conditions: the reverse camber and lightweight build reduce aggressive edge bite compared with stiffer pure freeride skis.
Specs and construction explained
Key specs and what they mean: the tip/waist/tail (≈120/104/111–113 mm) dictate float (wide tip), turning behavior (104 mm waist) and tail release (wider tail aids surfy exits). The 29 m radius points to arcing, stable turns; effective edge (e.g., 1290 mm on 184 cm) adds stability at speed. Full rocker (reverse camber) maximizes float in powder but lowers edge hold on hard snow. Aspen/maple core plus carbon stringers save weight while adding pop. Neotip increases tip damping and durability; a sintered base improves glide. Per-ski weights (1658–1891 g) make it efficient on the uphill.
Touring and uphill performance
For uphill use the Raven is convincing: its low per-ski weights reduce fatigue and make long approaches faster. The available lengths (170–190 cm) and mount points (e.g., 860 mm on 184 cm) give options to bias the ski slightly tail-ward for stability or more centered for maneuverability. The 4-Lock skin integration is a practical feature that keeps skins secure and reduces tail-slip. Overall climbing performance is a strong point — you gain efficiency without sacrificing too much on descent performance for powder-focused days.
Comparisons and final verdict
In comparison to peers the Raven stands out for its surfy, playful personality paired with a lightweight, damped build. Compared to stiffer big-mountain skis it trades aggressive edge hold and high-speed firmness for better uphill weight and float. Against other light powder tour skis it offers a livelier feel and more pop thanks to carbon stringers, though riders who demand maximum edge grip on hard snow may prefer a stiffer alternative. For backcountry riders wanting float, efficiency and playful descents, the Raven is a top contender.
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