Freeride & Big Mountain
Eric Hjorleifson
- Freeride Skiing
- Nationality
- Canada
- Hometown
- Canmore, Alberta, Canada
- Height
- 173 cm
- Born
- 14 March 1983
- Primary discipline
- Freeride Skiing
About Eric Hjorleifson
Canadian professional freeskier known as 'Hoji,' born March 14, 1983, in Canmore, Alberta. Renowned for high-speed technical descents on steep, rock-studded terrain and yearly segments with Matchstick Productions. A prolific gear inventor: has run his own signature ski line with 4FRNT for over a decade and co-designed the Dynafit Hoji Pro Tour/Hoji Free touring boot line.
Born March 14, 1983, in Canmore, Alberta; learned to ski before age 2 and was coached out of ski racing into one of North America's first freeskiing programs by local coach Guy Mowbray. Known as a 'skier's skier' for his technical, high-speed steep-terrain lines and yearly segments with Matchstick Productions. Beyond being a longtime Arc'teryx athlete, Hjorleifson is a serious gear designer/inventor in his own right: he's had his own eponymous signature ski line with 4FRNT for over a decade (the Hoji, a 112mm do-everything freeride/touring ski, alongside the Nevar, Renegade, and Raven), and he co-designed the Dynafit Hoji Pro Tour / Hoji Free touring boot line with tech-binding inventor Fritz Barthel, engineering a new cuff-lock system to solve a longstanding touring-boot performance problem.
Sponsors: Arc'teryx; 4FRNT; Dynafit
Setup
3 items
Skis
4FRNT Hoji
- Off-piste
Hoji, 112mm
Hjorleifson's own eponymous signature ski.
112mm-underfoot do-everything freeride/touring ski, Hjorleifson's own eponymous signature model, part of his 4FRNT signature series (with the Nevar, Renegade, and Raven). Overhauled for 21/22 season with an added '4-Lock' version featuring his own signature skin system.
Boots
Dynafit Hoji Pro Tour
- Off-piste
- Boot flex
- 130
130 flex
Co-designed by Hjorleifson with Fritz Barthel.
Touring boot co-designed by Hjorleifson and tech-binding inventor Fritz Barthel, featuring a novel cuff-lock system; 130 flex, 55 degrees of cuff rotation in the related Hoji Free variant (102mm last, 1,550g size 26.5).
Jacket
Arc'teryx
- Off-piste
Model unspecified -- brand confirmed only.
Confirmed sponsor per Benchetler's official site sponsor list; no specific jacket model confirmed.
Setup verified 20 July 2026
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Hjorleifson
- https://arcteryx.com/ca/en/athletes/eric-hjorleifson
- https://4frnt.com/collections/hoji
- https://www.freeskier.com/the-effortless-style-of-eric-hjorleifson-and-4frnt-skis
- https://backcountrymagazine.com/stories/little-machine-eric-hjorleifsons-back-shop-aiming-change-high-performance-boot-design/