Two years ago the Nordica Enforcer 110 earned the title of easiest Big Mountain ski; last year, the crown stayed in the Enforcer family but passed to a new epitome of ease, the Enforcer 104 Free, that continues to hold the throne in 20/21. (The “Free” denotes the slightly lighter wood core that’s been in the 110 since its introduction.) The Enforcer 104 Free leapfrogged to the front of our Finesse rankings by being even more maneuverable and responsive than the highly recommended ski that served as its role model.
Back-to-back runs on the 110 and 104 in 10 inches of partially tracked powder confirmed what one might suspect a priori – that the narrower ski was noticeably easier to steer no matter how you slice it. Whether pivoting your feet to make a short turn shorter or banking off a wind drift, the Enforcer 104 took less force to guide. To the obvious question – is a 104-waist width really necessary in a line that already has cornerstone models on its flanks in the original Enforcer 100 and the 110? – we have an equally obvious answer: oh, yes.
At the 104mm width, the girth of the ski is less of a liability and more of an asset as it takes less muscle power to maneuver. It still feels as stable as a mini-tanker – the overriding sensation is that your can’t be knocked off your feet no matter what you hit in the flat light that often prevails on powder days – yet it remains lively and responsive to pressure. It doesn’t just reward competence; it bestows grace.
For 20/21, Nordica has applied the lessons learned in making the latest iterations of Enforcers to the first-born of the family. The alterations include a construction change and the ability to adjust the contact points (where the rocker and camber zones meet) for each size. Core profile and sidecut are also tweaked with each length, so the new Enforcer 100 calibrates performance by size.
The biggest change in on-snow comportment between the ancestral Enforcer and the newbie is in the forgiveness and ease of use departments. Not that the old boy has been gutted – far from it. But the new kid seems to transition to its camber zone more smoothly and while it’s still lively off the edge, it’s easier to decamber in its longer lengths. It’s unusually easy to feather the edge or switch from carving to drifting to match the terrain.
The acid test for an all-terrain ski with aspirations of greatness is a powder-covered mogul field that was untouched… two hours ago. The Enforcer 100 looks at this dumpster-fire of a ski run with the preternatural calm of the Buddha. It’s not worried if you’re not. Don’t be afraid to floor it, for the 2021 Enforcer 100 still has the wood-and-metal guts of a GS race ski. Intimidation is not in its vocabulary. This is why you get an all-terrain ski in the first place.
The Blizzard Bodacious has been around long enough to collect a pension, yet it remains one of the most badass big skis you can buy, bursting with youthful exuberance. Only one other ski in the genre, Nordica’s Enforcer 115 Free, deploys two sheets of Titanal, which in a ski of the Bodacious’ gargantuan dimensions creates a crud-buster with the power of a Panzer. Once they’re pointed downhill, momentum is not the problem, but keeping up with their preferred pace can be.
Because it’s built like an all-mountain ski, its ability to hold an edge is well above average for the genre. Not that you want always to ride the edge on a ski with a 30.5m sidecut radius (186cm), but the Bodacious won’t back down even on boilerplate so you could ski it – and ski it well – in any condition. And should you get in trouble and need to pull the ripcord by straight-lining to safety, no other Powder ski is as stable at speed as this Blizzard.
Tester: Ingrid Backstrom
The first time I got on the Blaze 106 W, the off-piste conditions were borderline horrible (and I have low standards). I ventured slowly off the rock-hard, icy piste, expecting maximum teeth-shaking chatter. Instead, the Blazes held an edge. I could feel the hard ridges of frozen snow beneath the skis, but the edges were biting, and the skis felt soft enough. I could make hoppy, GS-style turns, and I loved how the Blazes made it almost effortless for me to finish the turn right under my foot, propelling me into the next turn.
On icy groomers, I could hold an edge and go for bigger turns without chatter. I was blown away by the playfulness in this softer ski. The Blaze 106 made fun skiing instantly accessible to me on tricky snow after many months of not skiing.
When I skied them for the first time in powder, they felt as light and nimble as they had been on the hard snow, while their shape and width gave them the perfect float. I was giggling with how playful they felt, and how much control I had with such minimal effort. When the sun came out and the snow got heavier, I could find my stable center position and power through the crud with a bit wider stance, the skis doing the work for me and enabling me to ski until the lifts closed—my favorite type of ski day.
Tester: Juliette Willimann
The first time I tried the prototype of the Blackops Rallybird Ti was in Chile in the summer of 2019. My first thoughts were, “Oh YEAH! This ski is just incredible. A perfect freeride ski!” After a few runs, I realized that the tail was a bit too stiff, it wouldn’t slide when I wanted it to and I need to always have a lot of energy to make the ski turn on harder snow or steep terrain. Although it made me nervous to say so, I explained during the debriefing what I was feeling. They agreed to make changes to the ski.
In October I skied again with the team on the new version of the Rallybird Ti. Half way through my first run, I stopped and said to the test boss, A.J., “BRAVO, J’adore ce ski!!” The balance, ease of turn initiation and release is amazing. I can drive the skis where I want, charge through the turn or slide. The ski is not pushed around by bumps and crud and it’s playful. The titanium makes the ski strong enough for all situations, but because it is not a full sheet, it does not overpower my turn. I can ski steeps, powder, crust, jumps and groomed pistes all with the same control.
I’m very proud to be part of the development of this ski. You’ll see me skiing on it every day!
