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Sneak Peek: 2017 Nordica Skis – Enforcer, Santa Ana, NRGy and More

UPDATE: 2017 Enforcers and Enforcer 93s are now available!

Sometimes there’s a ski. I won’t call it a hero, ’cause, when it comes to skis, what’s a hero? But sometimes, there’s a ski–and I’m talkin’ about the Nordica Enforcer, here–sometimes, there’s a ski, well, it’s just the ski for its time and place. It fits right in there. And that’s the Enforcer.

After retiring the Enforcer for a few years, Nordica brought it back in 2015/2016 to what I’m going to call universal acclaim. More importantly, I liked it, and I hate everything. I’m not even that fond of you, to tell you the truth. The ski was 100mm underfoot, stiff, rockered, powerful, playful–and it’ll be back in 2017 without a single change. It will once again be greeted with parades and medals.

Nordica SIA 16 (4)

So that’s the big news.

The twist for next year will be the debut of a skinnier Enforcer (and a skinnier Santa Ana, which is the women’s Enforcer, and to which everything that follows also applies). The newly-svelte Enforcer 93 shaves off 7mm from the tip, waist, and tail, delivering more edge-to-edge quickness for skiers who prefer to maximize performance on groomed snow in exchange for sacrificing a bit of float in the soft stuff. East Coasters will most likely prefer this to the fatter Enforcer that we favor out West.

I’m told the Enforcer 93 won the Ski Magazine “Show Stopper” Award, but I haven’t verified that, and don’t know what it is. Interestingly, the spoken word poetry I perform about noteworthy episodes of The Amazing Race has also been considered a show stopper of sorts at several open mic events. So many things rhyme with “race”.

Nordica SIA 16 (2)

The NRGy series of freeride skis has also been tweaked, with the NRGy 107 (my favorite of them all, which is a sure sign of impending doom) being discontinued, and a new NRGy 85 emerging from Nordica’s ski laboratory to replace it–again, a nod to Eastern skiers, and their love of skinnier skis. The NRGy line also had their topsheet graphics refreshed, if that’s the kind of thing that you think you might be into.

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For lady rippers, the Belle series of all-mountains skis is now built with a balsa wood core to shave off some pounds and dial back the stiffness while maintaining a lively, energetic feel. They come in three waist widths–78mm, 84mm, and 88mm–and are quite turny, with a radius of 12-15 meters, depending on the length. For a burlier ride, women will want to move up to the Sentra series which adds two sheets of carbon to the balsa core. That extra reinforcement provides additional backbone for hard carving on hard surfaces without adding the heft of metal laminates.

Nordica SIA 16 (1)

But what if you’re not a woman? Well, I don’t see gender. I assume I’m a man because I’m always offering to fix things or build things even though I’ve never successfully done either of those. But if, like me, you think you’re probably a man, and you’re looking for an aggressive, front-side focused Nordica ski, then the GT series is your new bicycle. They range in width from 75mm to 84mm, and, depending on the model, have cores reinforced with metal titanal for dampness or prepreg carbon for a lighter feel.

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Elsewhere, powder seekers and big mountain chargers will continue to enjoy the Patron and La Nina for their 113mm waists and burly stability. Park fiends will take to the poppy Badmind, just like they’ve taken to emojis and…I don’t know, pizza, I guess? I think kids like pizza. For bumps, you’re going to want to try the Soul Rider 87, while tree skiers and all-mountain jibbers will continue to like the classic Soul Rider with its 97mm width.

That’s pretty much the whole story for Nordica’s 2017 skis: the big guns are coming back, a few skinnier options are being introduced, and the beloved NRGy 107 has been destroyed by madness, like so many of the best minds of my generation. Good night, sweet prince.

But the Enforcer abides. I don’t know about you, but I take comfort in that. It’s good knowing that ski’s out there, the Enforcer, takin’ ‘er easy for all us sinners.

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3 thoughts on “Sneak Peek: 2017 Nordica Skis – Enforcer, Santa Ana, NRGy and More
  1. Is that the new 2017 green Patron on the far left next to the new Enforcer’s in the first photo?

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