The Nordica Enforcer 100 is raring to go.
Note: the 2023-2024 Nordica Enforcer 100 features new art, but it is the same ski structurally as previous year models. This review was originally published in January 2020.
Over more than half a decade, the Nordica Enforcer has built a dynasty. Powder7 Nation recently dubbed it Ski of the Decade, and it has played a large part in the recent evolution of all-mountain freeride skis—or freeride all-mountain skis if that’s how you see it. When we learned that Nordica was changing the Enforcer for 2021, we were equal parts taken aback and ultra-curious to see how differently they would ski. Would Nordica screw up its flagship ski?!
Looking for the lightweight freeride version? Check our review of the 2023 Nordica Enforcer 104 Unlimited.
Field Notes
While the new topsheets deviate quite a bit from recent Enforcer looks—and an Enforcer redesign sounds ominous—fans of the ski can rest assured. The new skis look sleek with a welcomed color splash (in one ski nerd’s opinion), and the technical changes are rather subtle. The sizes change in the new version, now landing at 172, 179, 186, and 191. Intriguingly, the skis differ slightly as they get longer. Nordica beefs up the thickness of the core materials in the longer sizes and also varies the rocker profile through the line. The goal? Make the skis match the skier in each respective size.
Inside, the 2021 Enforcer features new carbon reinforcement along with the same wood core and two sheets of metal. Carbon loads the ski with power at a lower weight than fiberglass. Nordica also brings True Tip tech to the Enforcer 100 (found in the Enforcer 88 and 104 Free), ditching the ABS sidewall from the tips and extending the wood core to reduce swing weight and, ideally, make the skis more playful, more nimble, and floatier.
Astute observers might wonder the same thing I did: Wasn’t that the point of introducing the Enforcer 104 Free a year ago? A more playful, more freeride-happy Enforcer? More on that later.
I took the new Enforcer 100 to Colorado’s Monarch Mountain for bluebird skiing two days after a storm. It was a great test environment for mixing grippy groomers with soft bumps, tree shots, and steep bowls in good snow conditions.
Groomers
One of my first questions when I read about the updates to the Enforcer was whether it would still excel on groomers (relative to most other 100mm-waisted skis in the world). Would those lighter tips bounce around? Would the skis still offer a powerful, stable ride at high speeds on groomed runs?
I carved steeper shaded groomers and their blue-square sun-kissed runouts with various speeds and turn shapes—and oh man was it fun. The Enforcer dug into long arcs with confidence and stability and linked up carves with superb smoothness and predictability. They’re loaded with potential energy (hello, middle school physics), and they love to get kinetic in short, snappy turns or Mach-speed hot laps. Of course, those comments are amplified when you talk about the narrower Enforcers, the 94 and especially the 88. I also didn’t run into any hardpack or ice, where 100mm skis with rocker and light tips get squirrely. But the Enforcer 100 has long been toward the top of the around-100mm list in these conditions, and I have no reason to believe the new version doesn’t follow suit.
All in all, the new Enforcer 100 skis groomers a lot like the old one. And considering the nature of the updates, that’s a good thing.
Bumps and Trees
If you’re going to notice a difference in the new Enforcer 100, these are probably the places it’ll happen. For a ski packed with two sheets of metal plus carbon, it is remarkably maneuverable and nimble in both tight tree alleys and moguls. That qualifier carries enough weight—literally—that I wouldn’t put an intermediate skier on the Enforcer and expect them to ski good or eat wood. It would likely be the latter. But for advanced and expert skiers, the blend of stability and power with nimbleness is a tasty cocktail. You can attack the fall line knowing you’ll be able to dodge trees or shut it down with a quick pivot. This versatility is noticeably more refined in the 2021 version versus previous ones. More than ever, this is a ski that rewards strong, aggressive skiing.
Of course, for straight up bump skiing, the Enforcer 88 and 94 are even better. But for the added versatility you get in the 100, it’s not too far behind.
Powder and Mixed Snow
Like I mentioned, Nordica’s decision to make the Enforcer 100 more freeride-y (lighter, more maneuverable, better powder performance, more playful) raised an obvious question: Isn’t that the point of the Enforcer 104 Free?
The answer: Yes…but. Rolling out six Enforcers was already a bit redundant, like making a dating app where you swipe right (“there’s an app for that”). That didn’t start with these updates to the 100. But, surprisingly, I don’t feel like the new version infringes any more than the old one on Enforcer 104 Free territory. Because rather than revamping the ski, this change refines it. The 2021 Enforcer 100 isn’t really a new character; it’s just a better version of the old one. Kind of like Gandalf the White. It seems to do everything the old one did, but better. The lighter tips probably float a little better than the old ones in powder (pretty good for a 100mm ski). The carbon reinforcement improves the skis’ power to nimbleness ratio (better than average). The new sizing is great. But if you didn’t like how the old one performed across the board, the new version isn’t a lightning rod.
Downside
Some other recent updates to popular all-mountain skis around 100mm underfoot tended in the direction of making those models more accessible to more skiers. The Volkl M6 Mantra comes to mind, which featured much more pointed changes than this update to the Enforcer. So a downside for some skiers is that the Enforcer still wants to be skied hard. It’s still not a lightweight ski. And it still aims to blend classic all-mountain performance with some newer-school flair—although not to the degree of the Enforcer 104 Free.
In other words, it’s still an Enforcer 100.
Bottom Line
Ultimately, skiers who loved the old Enforcer 100 should be big fans of the new version. It takes the dynasty-building strengths of the OG edition and tricks them out. Meanwhile, skiers new to the Enforcer are more likely than ever to enjoy it, as long as they ski at an ambitious, dedicated intermediate level or better. All is well in the Enforcer kingdom.
