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Women's Powder Ski Reviews - 4frnt Hoji CC, Nordica La Nina, Armada ARW 116 VJJ

Snowflake2420

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Note: I'm an amateur skier and ski reviewer :)

I love women's powder skis and thought I would share the results of my personal covid ski test.

About the reviewer: I'm 5'1" 135 lbs and living in Colorado the last 6 years. I'm biased toward wider skis with rocker and progressive mount points as I'm skiing a lot of bumps and trees in Front Range Colorado and hopefully new snow.

I've skied on the Nordica La Nina (Patron) for a few years now in a 161cm length and they have been fantastic as a wide soft snow ski; my first real powder ski. I have not been able to get on the latest iteration of this ski the Nordica Santa Ana 110 and 110 Free, however, I love the La Nina so much it makes me wonder why they changed it.

These skis were all used at Loveland. The premise for "testing" all these similar but different pow skis is I'm looking for something a little stronger and supportive, but still very easy to turn in tight spots. I would occasionally feel the heavily rockered and progressively mounted 161cm La Nina get bucked forward or dive a little in deep snow and so I wanted to try out some longer and different shaped skis. I love the playfulness of the La Nina and the ease with which I can pivot, ski tight trees, and even carve on them.

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1. 4frnt Hoji CC 171 cm - I was a little nervous to go for a ski this long, however, they are fully rockered, quite light for the length and width, and have a progressive mount point. They are the stiffest of this group and have a relatively straight shape. Despite this they are very easy to pivot, especially when mounted at the recommended line -5 cm from center. These skis definitely encouraged me to ski a straighter line and with a more upright centered stance. For me this was imagining doing powder wiggles vs. really driving them and throwing the skis around like I might with cambered skis. When skiing on an exposed pitch that was a mixture of soft windblown snow to very firm the hojis had no problem staying balanced and slicing through the varied snow. I felt much more comfortable letting the ski go. With that said this ski is not a freight train you are merely attempting to ride, it's very well balanced in it's composure, but not a lot of work. The Hojis also surprisingly hold an edge quite well. The day's initial conditions were dust on crust and the Hojis did fine and were not sliding around on the hard stuff.

2. Nordica La Nina 169 cm - A longer version of my favorite. I could immediately feel they were more ski, but not overwhelming. They still had the easy to turn playfulness from the shorter version and definitely gave me the added stability I wanted. I like the rocker camber profile on this ski as I still get a lot of pop and can easily smear them, but also run over just about anything. This is a winner and can't wait to take them out on a legit powder day. I also find it interesting when these skis came out they were considered light at over 8 lbs per pair flat.

3. Armada ARW 116 VJJ 165 cm - Unsurprisingly these were the "floatiest" of the group and I was skiing them during the softest part of the day. However, it was very noticeable, while "easy to ski" my legs were absorbing many more bumps vs. the ski. Also I noticed while skiing down a short steep section to a flat I got the forward buck again. I also was able to ski these in more variable conditions (wind effected) and they wanted to hook up a lot more and not release out of the turn compared to the La Nina or Hoji. The ARWs have very little tail taper. These were also tougher to get on edge and carve compared to the La Nina. The ARWs also slid around much more in firm conditions and bumps. These definitely have a fun factor, but are a very focused powder tool.
 
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Snowflake2420

Snowflake2420

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EDIT: Was able to take the Hoji CC out on a good powder day ~12 inches in the last 24 hours. They were wonderful and quite easy in low angle terrain, but I still felt like I had skis on my feet. I don't think I've mastered them in steeper terrain, but still relatively easy to move around.

While the Armadas are very fun and playful I don't think they really fill a niche in my quiver that the Hoji and La Nina don't have covered.
 

Tony S

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I love seeing thoughtful unpretentious reviews from people who aren't the usual 6' 190lb male suspects. :thumb:

My sense is that the La Niña is a classic - maybe even more than the Patron. I almost bought one a few years ago with that "wolf in sheep's clothing" graphic.
 
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Snowflake2420

Snowflake2420

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Update:

I was able to demo the WNDR Alpine Intention 110 Reverse Camber 164cm and the Moment Bella 162cm.

Both skis I've really been interested in trying. The snow conditions were a little weird with heavier wet snow ~5 inches on a frozen surface, especially on steeper slopes. I started with the Intention and it was almost like I couldn't feel the ski at all. Immediately I knew this length was too short. It actually lacked some of the surfiness I'd expect from a reverse camber ski. I could also tell they were lighter and more backcountry oriented getting knocked around easily in the heavy chop.

The Bella did better, but again the ski just felt too short for the conditions. It handled the chop better, but not great. These felt light compared to the La Ninas I usually ski about a pound difference. The Bella was quite intuitive and easy to turn something I value when I'm skiing steep bumps, but for trying to let them run they did not want to blast through crud.

Lastly I got on the 4frnt Hojis again as a comparison point. The Hojis straighter and longer shape did much better in the heavy snow and chop. I also got the surfy feel I was missing on the other skis.

I was really surprised by my experience as I tend to love heavily rockered wide skis on the turny side. Perhaps it was the conditions, but I felt like I was working harder and using leg strength to keep these tracking.
 

chasinghorizons

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Update:

I was able to demo the WNDR Alpine Intention 110 Reverse Camber 164cm and the Moment Bella 162cm.
Oh wow I wish you'd been able to try the 172 Moment Bella and the 171 WNDR Intention... Those are both skis I'm very interested in atm and we have similar stats. I wonder how much of the extra stability with the Hojis was just due to the extra length...
 
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Snowflake2420

Snowflake2420

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Oh wow I wish you'd been able to try the 172 Moment Bella and the 171 WNDR Intention... Those are both skis I'm very interested in atm and we have similar stats. I wonder how much of the extra stability with the Hojis was just due to the extra length...

I'm definitely more comfortable longer skis despite having small legs haha and I think the longer lengths on those skis in particular would have helped because they are so light.

I think there is a reason the Hoji CC is not offered below 170 cm given the shape, rocker etc.
 

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