This year there was a big demo day in Loveland Colorado and I got a good chance to test out a bunch of skis. Because my ski shop recently just started carrying Nordica's line up, I focused primarily on their stuff. Before I start talking about these skis, let me talk a little bit about myself and my style of skiing. I'm primarily a front-side skier, I prefer steep narrow trails with no bumps or crud. I ride the rails of my skis all the way down the hill, if I ask the ski to get on edge and it has to slide a little to stick it, then I am not happy. So, in other words, I like a really edgy responsive ski.

Terminology

Vertical Side Wall This is a kind of sidewall construction that gives a ski superior edge hold, about 99.9% of all world cup racers are on this type of edge construction. Advantages are extra torsional rigidity, and it helps to dampen the vibration of the ski. Some disadvantages are that it is significantly heavier then capped construction, it's more expensive, and it's not as durable.

Capped Sidewall Construction This is the most typical sidewall construction that a consumer will encounter. It's cheap, durable and light. Capped construction seriously reduces a ski's swing weight, so for those of us that really like to throw our skis around, it can be a good asset, but you are forced to sacrifice edge hold for it.

X Balance System This is Nordica's new binding concept included on all of their skis. It transfers weight from the back of the skis to the front allowing (or vice versa) for an easy recovery when the skis start getting away from you. This results in a ski that has a much bigger sweet spot than a ski without this binding system.

Side Cut Just in case you don't know how to read these figures, I'll break it down for you. I'll use my Equipes as an example 124-66-104. The first number is the width of the shovel of the ski, the wider it is the faster the ski will turn. The center number is the width of the waist of the ski, the bigger the number, the more float the ski will have on powder, but the slower edge to edge performance the ski will have. Traditionally about 65-68 is a frontside carver width, about 69-74 is an all mountain width, and 75+ is a powder ski, and 90+ is a big mountain ski. However, in the last 2 years or so, these figures have all gone to hell and people are taking 78mm skis on the frontside of the mountain and are finding them comparable to a 68mm ski.

Ski Reviews

Nordica Hot Rod Top Fuel

123-78-104
Upper Intermediate to Advanced Nordica Hot Rod Top Fuel Details

This ski was at home on the crud. It didn't matter how beat up the trail was, it still felt like an old Cadillac. Its duel metal laminate made it really stiff and quieted it down considerably. It was fast, with good edge hold on the groomers. While it wasn't the best ski I took on the groomers, it was the nicest ski I tried in the chop.

Edge hold: 8
Maneuverability: 7
Dampness: 10
Powder: 8
Crud: 10
Groomers: 7

Nordica Hot Rod Nitrous

123-78-104
Intermediate to Advanced Nordica Hot Rod Nitrous

Nice and springy, a lot of fun to ride. This ski pretty much spans the gap between the Top Fuel and the Modified.

Edge hold: 8
Maneuverability: 7
Dampness: 9
Powder: 8
Crud: 8
Groomers: 8

Nordica Hot Rod Modified

119-74-104
Intermediate to Advanced Nordica Hot Rod Modified Details

This ski had its own distinct personality; it was calm, fairly stiff and stable. It was fast, but not too fast, maneuverable, but not too maneuverable, it's stiff, but not too stiff. It was a good compromise between performance and stability.

Edge hold: 7
Maneuverability: 7
Dampness: 9
Powder: 8
Crud: 8
Groomers: 7

Nordica Hot Rod Eliminator

119-74-104
Beginner to Upper intermediate/relaxed advanced Nordica Hot Rod Eliminator Details

This ski was incredibly forgiving; I was really surprised how much crap and sloppy movements these things put up with. This feeling came from both its x balance binding system and the ski's easy flex. Edge to edge, this ski felt real nice. It had a fairly precise edge hold. Another thing that impressed me was how damp the ski was. During normal skiing conditions it didn't feel nervous at all, only when I got into a tuck and really opened it up did I feel it start to chatter a little, even then, it wasn't distracting. This ski would be perfect for a beginner or advanced intermediate looking for a great all mountain ski.

Edge hold: 8
Maneuverability: 7
Dampness: 7
Powder: 8
Crud: 7
Groomers: 7

Nordica Speedmachine 16.1

114-67-100
Upper Intermediate to Advanced

This is the type of ski I am the most familiar with. I road this one about a full 10 cm's longer then I feel comfortable with, but I still found this ski surprisingly docile and easy to control. I believe a lot of this extra control comes from the binding system, the X balance system made it really easy to recover when this ski threw me in the back seat. As I expected, the edge hold was great. In the back of my mind I was constantly comparing it to my Salomon Equipe. It felt a lot more traditional then it, the side cut felt wide enough for me to make long or quick turns... just not the insane turns that my Equipes are capable of. Bottom Line: I think this is one of the best high performance frontside carvers that I have ever tested, if the oversize cut of the Salomon Equipe intimidates you a little, this is the ski for you.

Edge hold: 9
Maneuverability: 7
Dampness: 10
Powder: 6
Crud: 6

Nordica SUV 12

115-70-99
Intermediate to Advanced

This was my favorite ski in Nordica's line up. It had excellent, precise edge hold, its rails felt really nice. It's wide enough to let you go through powder and crud without sinking and getting lost. It turns effortlessly, and it's incredibly damp. If it weren't for Volkl's AC4 (which felt very similar), it would have taken best in test.

Edge hold: 10
Maneuverability: 9
Dampness: 10
Powder: 8
Crud: 8
Groomers: 9

Salomon Scrambler Custom

124-85-114
Upper Intermediate to Advanced

This was one of the least favorite of the skis I tried. It felt good and damp in the crud, and turned easy enough, but it didn't offer much performance much anywhere else. As long as you have a lot of loose stuff underneath you, this ski will be good, but its edge hold isn't sufficient on ice or hard packed snow.

Edge hold: 6
Maneuverability: 6
Dampness: 8
Powder: 10
Crud: 9
Groomers: 6

Dynastar Legend 8000

116-79-105
Intermediate to Advanced

I rode this ski wanting it to suck because my shop doesn't carry Dynastar. However, It was one of the best skis I rode. It was very similar to the Apache Recon. It had vertical sidewalls under the bindings, but at the tips of the skis they used end cap technology so that the ski bends around moguls and initiates turns faster.

Edge hold: 8
Maneuverability: 9
Dampness: 9
Powder: 9
Crud: 9
Groomers: 7

K2 Apache Recon

119-78-105
Intermediate to Advanced K2 Apache Recon Details

Nice soft flex, really damp at high speeds. Great all mountain ski.

Edge hold: 8
Maneuverability: 9
Dampness: 10
Powder: 9
Crud: 9
Groomers: 7

Volkl AC4

125-82-110
Intermediate to Advanced Volkl AC4 Details

I can't say anything good enough about this ski. If you want one ski to do everything, this is it. This ski is the one ski quiver that everyone is always looking for. Despite this ski being so wide, it edged like it was 68mm under foot. I put the thing on its rails and it just glided down the slope; absolutely beautiful.

Edge hold: 9
Maneuverability: 9
Dampness: 10
Powder: 10
Crud: 9
Groomers: 9

Ski Test Loveland 2005

Contents

Ski Test December 2005 - Loveland, Colorado

Introduction