If my skiing buddy gets a text from me out of the blue, there’s a solid 80% chance it’s “What if I bought a Santa Ana 104 Free?” I don’t personally own it, but I’ve spent 3 years taking it out from our shop fleet, wondering what life would be like if I did own it. Would I be one of the skiers you see from the lift and aspire to be. Would Nordica all of a sudden ask to sponsor me solely because I own a pair of their boots and 2 sets of their skis? Probably not. But after years of contemplation, I would finally be a Nordica Girl.

So why have I spent years thinking about this ski? So glad that you asked! It’s damp and stable but quite easy to maneuver all at the same time. The terrain specific metal combined with the playful rockered shape allows me to pivot and slash while busting through crud, and the 104 width keeps me floating in powder just enough. It’s confidence inspiring in most conditions and makes me feel like a better skier. The only downside for me is that I do like a flatter tail on firm snow to lock into turns more, but that’s the compromise you make with the maneuverability of a rockered tail. It's still a ski that can rip groomers at the end of a day while blasting All Time Low, and that's all I really need from it. All in all, it feels like a natural extension of my legs and is the ski I pull out when I see a little snow in the forecast, and I don’t know what the conditions will turn out to be. Now excuse me, I need to text my skiing buddy about my ski quiver!