2025 Nordica Enforcer 99

The new Nordica Enforcer 99 isn’t up to the standard of last year’s Enforcer 100; it exceeds it. I hesitate to call it a completely different ski, for it still rewards a strong, technical skier, but there’s a newfound smoothness through every phase of the turn, whether on groomers or in a foot of fresh. I had the idyllic opportunity to catch my first runs on the Enforcer 99 early in the morning on the first day of the Mammoth Trade Fair in early February. The main runs were already riven with tracks, but the Enforcer 99 made the ride feel satin smooth. Crud is a dish best served with speed, which made the Enforcer 99 even more responsive. The longer, shallower tip rocker did a masterful job of clobbering crud with a minimum of deflection, and the more turned-up tail - a design feature borrowed from the Enforcer 104 - let go of each turn like it was releasing a fledgling bird. Nordica completely rebuilt this ski with a new Double Core design purloined from its technical skis, the powerful Dobermanns and Spitfires. Two sheets of end-to-end Titanal are sandwiched around both a wood core and a Pulse core, made from a shock-sucking elastomer. The is the foundation of the strong edge grip and unruffled ride the Enforcer 99 displays in all conditions. The second time I forayed out on the Enforcer 99 I wasn’t alone. With me was Jim Schaffner, probably the world’s foremost authority on Alpine ski boots who doesn’t work for a ski supplier, and a top-notch coach. He’s also as strong physically as he is technically, so he’s an excellent ski analyst. He doesn’t hurt that his enthusiasm for the sport is bottomless. Schaffner’s capsule report on how the Enforcer 99 handled a boot-top snowfall at Palisades Tahoe suggests a ski with a broad performance envelope. “Perfect sweet spot!!! So well balanced in fore/aft position. An excellent execution of an all-mountain tool.”