Nordica didn’t change a thing about the Nemesis except how they build it.  It’s still a lightweight 98, they just set aside the Wi-Core construction they used last year and substituted the new Balsa Core CA, aiming to make what was already a favorite among our testers even lighter and stronger.

Nordica is known for their expertise at building light constructions that retain the torsional rigidity required to cut into ice and bully broken crud into submission. The Nemesis is also mild-mannered enough to allow lower skill skiers to control it at a low edge angle, making it an excellent candidate for the skier trying a ski this fat for the first time.

Another attribute that makes the Nemesis suitable for the not-quite-expert is its aptitude for shifting from carving turns to smearing them. As one of our intrepid testers applauded, “Great carve for how wide is.  Nice schmear, too.”  The carving capacity comes from its traditional camber line that doesn’t have to be hauled to a high edge angle to engage.  The schmear factor derives from a tail that will let go of the turn and plenty of width to drift on once the whole operation is sideways.

Put it all together and you have a sweet second ski for a broad range of abilities.