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Brought the Renegades to Haines not knowing what to expect. My apologies to 4FRNT for questioning portions of the design. I now think that the Renegade is the best AK/West Coast pow ski ever. They crush both my Wagner customs (142-120-134) and the 192 Atlas. So stable, so fast and so fun.
P.S. Contrary to the public opinion that AK wasn't going to shape up, Haines is going off right now.
Is the 4Frnt Renegade 186 an easy ski to ski on? This is my first winter ive been skiing powder and dooing freerideing, im 6,2 and 180 lbs.
dooing. heh.
I don't know if easy is the word.
Okey then. Is it easy to swing around and to manuver in tight areas?
Did you read this thread?
Anyhow, I'm lukewarm on the idea of this ski being an intro/beginner ski. On the other hand, I don't know that they're particularly demanding.......
yeah they are pretty easy to move around in tight places. Of course matt was skiing the 196s in tighter trees than I was.
Just saw that you were asking as a beginner. I thought they needed some strength to use well and I did get knocked backseat a few times, the rocker may have made it harder to get back into a good position. For a starting, the CRJ seems like it may be a better prospect.
Apology accepted :)Quote:
Originally Posted by DudeLebowSKI
Glad you had a good trip on the Rens, and good to hear AK is finally starting to get their share, too. Sounds like it's been a rough year up there so far.
Nearing the end of the season here, just thought I'd say I love the Renegades. Skiing them with Dukes at 87 from the tail, 5'10 200#, used them every day except for a few hard snow/early season days on my old Armada ANTs. Amazing for the variety of daily conditions (mostly soft) at Whistler, also had them out at Retallack where they were awesome in the really steep trees/pillows, always nimble at changing directions in pow. Most surprising is how they rail on groomers (sidecut matching rocker is my guess). For the first time in a while, not considering any new skis for next year.
sacre bleuQuote:
Originally Posted by gramboh
[TGRVIDEO]1562643[/TGRVIDEO]
One of my favorite 2010/11 Skis... Suprisingly versatile even on hard condtions. So much fun in the soft stuff, still capable of carrying very high speeds through variable condtions. Could be considered a one ski quiver for many. Just a couple quick turns shown here, very nimble for it's width.
Hey guys, I'm getting a minty brand spankin new pair of these tomorrow! But my question is, with your experiences, where should I mount them? I'm 5'11" 175 with a laid back style of skiing. My style will most definately change once I ski these...so where should I mount??
I'm 5'8" 172 lbs. Like I told you, I like 88 from the tail. 87 was similar but you had to concentrate on driving the tips a bit more at turn initiation. At 88 they're buttery smooth with turn initiation under your boot. Congrats on the new skis!Quote:
Originally Posted by Wasatch Ripper
Thanks^ so stoked! Been wanting a pair since last summer!
can someone post a picture of the entire rocker profile including the tail?
From Backcountryfreeskier.com (won't embed):
http://www.backcountryfreeskier.com/..._2165_28212394
http://www.backcountryfreeskier.com/..._2165_28263724
http://www.backcountryfreeskier.com/..._2165_28469451
I think they added about 1cm additional tip rocker for 2012.
It's pretty subtle, maybe not even 1 cm, but it definitely makes a noticeable difference.Quote:
Originally Posted by Maker
On another note, we started production this week. We're already way ahead of last year.
Hi 4frnt, I'm thinking about picking up a pair of these but the wooden sidewall kinda scares me. I've heard they hold up well, but based on material specs, plastic just seems to be tougher, more resilient, and obviously more waterproof. Why did you guys choose to use wood sidewalls on this ski only? Thanks!
We started using all-wood sidewalls in our prototype skis because it's a lot easier to make these than to use ABS sidewalls in one-off skis.Quote:
Originally Posted by rich_beater
What we found, though, was that the wood holds up really well to normal wear and tear. As long as the grain runs along the ski (as opposed to having end grain showing like in some wood-sidewall skis), they won't absorb too much water each day, and will dry out fine as long as you bring them inside at the end of the day. No treatment or sealing is needed.
One other thing we found (and why we use it on the Renegades) is that as you ski the skis, the wood actually hardens from getting wet and drying out over and over again. This gives you more purchase over your ski edge than ABS can give you. You won't normally notice it, but if you're trying to edge into some icy chute, you'll definitely notice it.
What are bigger guys' impressions of the 186 vs 196? Obviously no one's been on the 196 much, but it sounds like the 186 is still really solid. I'm 6'2", 190 and I don't want to feel like I'm on snow blades, but given this ski's reputation for stability I think I could get away with the shorter length. I spend most of my time in the trees, and want a maneuverable rocket ship type of ski that is still easy to handle at slower speeds. The 196 is appealing, but that's also a monster of a ski. So, do any of you 6'+ guys out there have a strong recommendation? Will the 186 be too short for when it comes time to open it up a bit? Halp.
Height affects fore-aft balance and weight affects your ability to bend/turn a ski. You have 20 lbs on me but I can tell you that the 186 is beyond solid for my 170 lbs frame. I don't see it being a problem at 190 lbs by any means. I think they're the stiffest skis I have ever flexed. Fore-aft-wise, they don't give out at the tips and tails so I think you'd be fine. The 186 wants to go fast. I couldn't imagine the 196 in trees. To me, the 196 is for AK duties only, but even for that I would personally rather the 186.Quote:
Originally Posted by honus
I am 6'2 180 ish, but carry alot of avy gear and safety gear. So pushing 200 and I have the 186. Very stable, fast in the trees and are a blast in utah pow. I actually skiied them on icy morning groomers on my local hill in socal and was blown away by stability, carvability and ease of use.
Only drawbacks were icy moguls (duh) and I did have a little tip dive in super heavy sierra cement. But new rocker profile looks money. If your a college guy 4frnt has a great discount program for students. Solid ski and wood sidewall is no issue.
Get them, you'll be happy
That program is no more, unfortunately.Quote:
Originally Posted by whyturn
If you've skied the 193 EHP, or similar, and have thought "I wish there was more ski here," get the 196. If not, the 186 will do you very well. I'm about your size and like the 186 better, but I know a lot of the really hard chargers on our team love the 196 even more than the 86.Quote:
Originally Posted by honus
Is the 186 Renegade easy to pivot in tight trees for a smaller guy or is it rly stiff?
Did you read the reviews?Quote:
Originally Posted by Marok
Have read a bunch of reviews but so many have difrent opinions.
yes.Quote:
Originally Posted by Marok
1234
It is really stiff, but it is easy to pivot because it is fully rockered.Quote:
Originally Posted by Marok
I'm 6'1" 180, skied the 196 a few times this past spring and had absolutely NO issues throwing it around in even the tightest spots...pivots on a dime and I have never been so impressed with a skis ability to transition from long to short radius turns. It also helps that the recommended mount is somewhat close (-5cm) to the true center...so flippy spinny stuff wasn't an issue either, fuckin' killer ski.Quote:
Originally Posted by honus
would you consider this a playful ski at all? is it something that you would want to spin off of cliffs? my daily driver is a moment m1, and i'm looking for a ski that can charge like the m1, but i dont want to wrestle a stiff ski in tight billy goating situations. could any one conpare its stifness on marshals scale? is it b squad stiff?
it's real fuckin stiff.
it is agile, but you gotta be on it, all the time.
Maybe i missed something in the Thread but is any of you skiing the Renegade with a touring binding like Duke, Barron, Fritschl?
Hoji has skied his almost exclusively with his Dynafit setup the last two years, and has converted Cody Barnhill onto the Dynafit program as well. I personally watched Eric go backflip to nose-press 360 on his Renegade/FT setup. Pretty damn impressive display of the burliness of that setup IMO.Quote:
Originally Posted by ZekeWolf
[Edit to add video proof at 4:25 http://vimeo.com/18294178 ]
Thanks but I stay away from the Dynafit. Two friends twisted their knees last year in some Alta powder(surgery for one). Might be the age though :)Quote:
Originally Posted by 4FRNT
Will use Duke or F12 Tour.
It's cool to see the "big mountain" skier rip the most corked out butter, on the stiffest skis in the line up, out of all those involved in the butter fest. Dyna's or no dyna's.Quote:
Originally Posted by 4FRNT
Have large Dukes on mine, no complaints, previous ski was EHP 193's. They are heavy and I am fat, so touring is slower than people on light setups, but fine for my sidecountry purposes. They ski awesome, can GS groomers on them.Quote:
Originally Posted by ZekeWolf
Anyone gonna trade up their 186's for the 196's?
^^^^^^Been debating this, but college deal is gone so like $800 is the current $