It’s not entirely coincidental that the Santa Ana 98 debuted last season along with Terrain Specific Metal, Nordica’s way of doling out just the right amount of metal for each of its five Santa Ana models. The Santa Ana 98 was needed because its predecessor, the Santa Ana 100, used wall-to-wall, end-to-end sheets of Titanal, so they skied like supercharged rockets. Skiers who just wanted a ski to make powder easier were over-served.

So, unlike its sister Santa Anas, the 98 was born on a Ti diet, but just because the Santa Ana 98 doesn’t ski like an Enforcer 100, don’t think for a second that it’s been gutted.  Within the Santa Ana clan, the 98 falls on the side of the threesome that are intended to live at least part of their lives on hard snow. It wasn’t created to ski powder at the expense of competence when carving up groomers; it’s meant to live comfortably on the border of both worlds.

Every ski in this genre alleges that it’s like the mythical Super Mom who can manage the boardroom, the boudoir and the household books while learning Mandarin. They can do it all and never break a sweat. But Women’s All-Mountain West skis almost never live right on the 50/50, hard snow/soft snow border.

The Santa Ana 98 falls short of this mythic ideal, but it comes damn close. It’s an off-trail ski, through and through, but it knows what you’re asking for when it’s tipped to a high edge angle. Please don’t take offense, Dear Readers, but the Santa Ana 98 is what one might call, “bi-skiable.” It can work both sides of the mountain, if you catch my drift.

Even though it’s been re-tuned to fit a wider swath of skiers, the Santa Ana 98 still isn’t a learning tool. It can serve as an everyday driver for a skilled skier at a western resort, but it shouldn’t be the only ski for anyone below advanced ability.