Enforcer 94 - Realskiers

2023 Nordica Enforcer 94

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Ski Stats

Sidecut 127/94/115.5

Radius 16m @ 179cm

Lengths 165,172,179,186,191

Weight 2015g @ 179cm

MSRP $799.99

FIND

Power Score: 8.79

Finesse Score: 8.83

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[mepr-hide if="rule: 3745"]The essential skill of Alpine skiing is balance. So it stands to reason that the primordial virtue of any ski is likewise balance, both in its blend of personality traits and its ability to impart the sensation of balance to its pilot. I mention these maxims because if there’s a single trait that encapsulates the brilliance of the Nordica Enforcer 94, it’s balance. The key to balance lies in the ski’s flex pattern, or how it distributes force when pressured. Even though the Enforcer 94 sports a high front rocker, it’s mercifully short, returning to a camber pocket that’s the source of its power. When loaded, all the skier notices is the tranquility emanating from the mid-section; the disconnected tip and tail never call attention to themselves. I’m not sure if the Enforcer 94 can actually confer expert status on anyone who steps into a pair, but it sure won’t hold anyone back. It’s able to maintain its balancing act in part because a lateral drift or trench-cutting carve is immediately accessible at all times. I vividly recall riding up the steep banks of Gremlin’s Gulch at Mammoth, playing with edge angle to elicit exactly the degree of engagement I wanted. Every movement felt intuitive, unforced and integrated with the flow of the mountain. A balanced terrain diet is the calling card of the entire AME genre, so naturally the Enforcer 94 can segue from frontside groomers to backside bowls without missing a beat. The camber in its baseline continues to exert control, while the sharply rockered tip and tail shorten its effective length so it’s easier to swivel on command. Of course, it lacks the buoyancy of a true Powder ski (there’s an Enforcer 115 Free for that), but its springy flex is perfect for porpoising through a foot of fresh. It’s hard to pigeonhole the Enforcer 94 as a specialist at any one thing, for it has the chameleonesque ability to be whatever its pilot wants it to be. The key to its mutability is how mindlessly simple it is to transition from a crisp edge to a friction-free drift. This facility is what makes the Enforcer 94 masterful in any terrain, from brittle hardpack to fluffy powder and every crud-junk-chowder consistency in between. [/mepr-hide]

The essential skill of Alpine skiing is balance. So it stands to reason that the primordial virtue of any ski is likewise balance, both in its blend of personality traits and its ability to impart the sensation of balance to its pilot. I mention these maxims because if there’s a single trait that encapsulates the brilliance of the Nordica Enforcer 94, it’s balance.

The key to balance lies in the ski’s flex pattern, or how it distributes force when pressured. Even though the Enforcer 94 sports a high front rocker, it’s mercifully short, returning to a camber pocket that’s the source of its power. When loaded, all the skier notices is the tranquility emanating from the mid-section; the disconnected tip and tail never call attention to themselves.

I’m not sure if the Enforcer 94 can actually confer expert status on anyone who steps into a pair, but it sure won’t hold anyone back. It’s able to maintain its balancing act in part because a lateral drift or trench-cutting carve is immediately accessible at all times. I vividly recall riding up the steep banks of Gremlin’s Gulch at Mammoth, playing with edge angle to elicit exactly the degree of engagement I wanted. Every movement felt intuitive, unforced and integrated with the flow of the mountain.

A balanced terrain diet is the calling card of the entire AME genre, so naturally the Enforcer 94 can segue from frontside groomers to backside bowls without missing a beat. The camber in its baseline continues to exert control, while the sharply rockered tip and tail shorten its effective length so it’s easier to swivel on command. Of course, it lacks the buoyancy of a true Powder ski (there’s an Enforcer 115 Free for that), but its springy flex is perfect for porpoising through a foot of fresh.

Most testers can’t resist mentioning that the Enforcer 94 is so tractable that intermediates should be able to manage it. As long as it’s sized properly, I concur. Last year, the original Enforcer 93 was run through the make-over machine and given a new number to underscore that it’s an entirely new ski, and not just an exercise in relabeling. Perhaps the biggest change in the reincarnated Enforcer 94 was that each size was treated as its own model, with a unique baseline and sidecut for each length. Adjusting the rocker/camber intersections for every length resulted in a ski that feels fully cambered, its abrupt but brief rocker zones solid and unflappable, both literally and figuratively speaking.

The Enforcer 94’s innards also were switched to Nordica’s Energy 2 Ti construction, which now permeates the Enforcer collection. Also added to the Enforcer 94 were Nordica’s True Tip Technology, that lowers swingweight by reducing the amount of ABS needed at the end of the shovel, and a carbon chassis that weighs 35% less than the fiberglass it replaces.

Theron Lee is a world-class ski tuner, a Masterfit University instructor and an active coach who happens to ski with a stance and style that couldn’t be more different from my own. So, when Theron loves a ski that I also greatly admire, I know it has a huge performance envelope. Lee’s comments on the Enforcer 94 echoed my sentiments precisely. “A great all-around ski, it skied with plenty of power yet easy to turn. Ski was smooth, stable and quick enough to the edge to make it a great in all terrain. Baseline allows it to ride over rougher terrain yet it was quiet enough at speed to be a carving ski.”

It’s hard to pigeonhole the Enforcer 94 as a specialist at any one thing, for it has the chameleonesque ability to be whatever its pilot wants it to be. The key to its mutability is how mindlessly simple it is to transition from a crisp edge to a friction-free drift. This facility is what makes the Enforcer 94 masterful in any terrain, from brittle hardpack to fluffy powder and every crud-junk-chowder consistency in between. It’s the epitome of an all-terrain tool.

We’re awarding the Enforcer 94 a Silver Skier Selection not because it’s particularly suited to the AARP population but because it’s suited to any and all members of the skiing public.