2023 Nordica Enforcer 88 Unlimited

The 2023 Nordica Enforcer 88 Unlimited offers a peek into the future of all-mountain touring.  These adventurous skis have a light weight build, but are shaped and profiled just like the alpine Enforcer 88 that has been proven in resort settings time and again.  The Unlimited version of these skis offers emerging tourers and intermediate skiers the chance to get on an established shape but in a quicker and lighter construction.  

Built with a lite wood core, and Carbon Chassis, the skis are surprisingly stiff and energetic.  Nordica is able to generate a lot of pop and snap out of these skis, and they hold an edge quite well as a result.  Thanks to their long-standing reputation for building quality all-mountain skis, the Enforcer 88 Unlimited is quite a treat in both uphill and downhill formats.  With the explosion of alpine touring as its own genre over the past few years, ski companies have been quick to catch up—some building new molds and ideas, and others, like Nordica, utilizing an existing shape and profile to capture skiers who are already familiar with the brand and line.  It’s good marketing, I think, to still call it Enforcer, as that name has a ton of brand recognition, giving skiers less to contemplate and more to love.  

At 88 mm underfoot, it’s the narrowest of the Enforcer Unlimited line, and that gives it a few advantages.  For one, it’s the lightest and most uphill-oriented.  In the 179, the ski weighs 1460 grams per ski and creates a 16.5-meter turn radius.  For touring, radius isn’t as important as it is in a downhill setting, but the weight certainly comes in handy for when you’re staring at a tall and distant peak that you’re about to climb.  Touring is all about blending lighter weight for the climbs while not allowing for any poor performance on the downhills.  That’s where Enforcer Unlimited really comes in handy because it’s so embedded in the Enforcer process. Will it float like a powder ski on a deep day, likely not.  Will it carve like the dual-metal laminate Enforcer 88 regular? Nope.  Will it tour really well and not let you down on the descents?  You bet.

These hybrid-style skis are all the rage these days, and Nordica does all of us a favor by linking theirs to an already-established lineup within their brand.  The 2023 Nordica Enforcer 88 Unlimited is light, quick, and energetic, serving a lot of skiers on both uphills and downhills in a very positive manner.