Been Riding An Axis 177 for 2 1/2 years weigh 210 lbs and have only demo'ed the Prior. I found the Prior to be more lively but not as stable while carving, and a little quicker in the tighest of trees. I agree with this statement made by Sean at Donek: "I think the major difference between the Axis and 4X4 is how we weighted the powder vs carving performance. When I designed the Axis, I build a board that could go anywhere, but I looked at the frequency I felt many riders would see hard pack vs powder. I felt that the hardpack won out in most cases. As a result the Axis was designed to be a carving board that can do trees. I think the 4X4 is more of a powder/tree board for carvers. Chris might say it a bit differently, but the flex on the 4X4 is a bit softer than the Axis." Hope this helps and Thor is a great person to work with, looking foward to seeing you on the hill Buell, Kipp