2023 Nordica Santa Ana 84

The 2023 Nordica Santa Ana 84 is a wonderful addition to the Santa Ana lineup, offering a more on-trail and front-side oriented ski that'll make some sweet carved turns on the groomers with equal ability and desire to venture off-trail and find the more adventurous zones on the mountain. Thanks to the shape, profile, and construction of these skis, intermediate through expert skiers will find all they need for true all-mountain performance. Built with Nordica's Performance wood core, the skis get their Terrain-Specific metal laminate to dampen and stiffen the ski. Additionally, they get the Carbon Chassis, which adds even more stiffness and performance without adding weight. As a result, skiers are getting a smooth and damp ride on the corduroy, and some extra power and strength in any off-piste formats. At 84 mm underfoot, and generating a 14-meter turn radius in the 158 cm length, these skis can and will turn on a dime. With a strong tail to help finish the turn, the Santa Ana 84 absolutely crushes the groomers. Fans of shorter turns and quicker edge to edge performance will totally love these skis, and if you're of the more advanced skill levels, you'll be able to access all of the performance, making quick work of the corduroy and leaving clean and round arcs in your wake. The metal laminate is wider in these skis, more so because the skis are narrower, but at any rate, the metal extends out to the edges providing that precision and power that a lot of skiers need and like for those clean carves. Since it's only one sheet, though, it does free the ski up to be lighter and more maneuverable in more adventurous skiing, so these do make great bump and tree skis for a wide range of skiers. With more tip than tail rocker, the skis do have a nice blend of on-trail kick at the end of the turn and off-trail flotation and easy initiation. The blend is what makes these skis truly great, as they accurately skirt the line between front side and all-mountain.

Abby Maurice skied the 165 and noted that the ski was both true to size and the length that she’d choose for herself. She gave the ski scores of 3 out of 5 for quickness, maneuverability, torsional stiffness, edge hold, and stability. All other scores, including overall impression, were 4’s, showing a nice and even spread on the higher-end of the score spectrum. She notes that “This ski is light and effortless. Definitely for someone who has a more playful side. I would recommend lighter and fluffier conditions. It floats and drifts nicely on softer snow. Because of its light weight and poppy feel, I would bring this ski into the glades no question. Slips a little in crud and hard packed groomers.” It’s nice, though, that a mid-80's ski can be called more drifty, making it a bit more accessible to a wide scope of skiers.

Jana Ross was on the shorter 158, and that brings the turn radius down to a pretty short radius of 14-meters. She notes that she could have sized up to the 165, but she wanted to try the shorter and turnier length. She scored the ski 5’s out of 5 for quickness, maneuverability, playfulness, and forgiveness. All 4’s the rest of the way, so like Abby, we see a consistency in scoring for this ski, Jana’s just rolls a bit higher overall. Jana comments that “This ski wants to turn. This ski will make you turn more and have fun while doing it. It felt right at home on a nice groomer. It is light and easy for you to carry to your next adventure.” It certainly seems like the theme of “turning” is strong with Jana’s experience.

As a mix of front side and all-mountain, the 2023 Nordica Santa Ana 84 strikes a very nice balance between groomer carving and off-piste adventures. By following in the footsteps of the wider and more established Santa Ana skis, the 84 offers skiers another width and build to be able to take their skiing to the next level.