The 2023 Nordica Unleashed 90 is an awesome new ski for intermediate through advanced skiers who are looking for a simple, yet sophisticated twin tip for both park and all-mountain skiing. This is a bit more of a tweener ski than the Soul Rider 87 that it replaces, and that’s mostly evident in the lack of upper-end sizing. Ranging from 144 to 174 cm in length, these are more appropriate for younger adults, teens, and advancing skiers looking for a fun-loving twin tip. The Unleashed 90 is built with a full wood core and vertical sidewalls, so for the shorter sizes, the Unleashed 90 offers a whole lot for younger skiers looking for a wider, real ski for any and all applications. In the 168, the Unleashed 90 tips the scales at 1650 grams and generates a 16.6-meter turn radius. Very middle-ground stats for this ski, and that’s kind of what they’re going for here. If you stay exclusively in the park, or never at all, the Unleashed 90 is a fantastic ski. We did not have the men’s version of the ski at the test, even though it’s a structural twin to the women’s, so we’ll rely on our fantastic female testers and their feedback to paint the picture of the Unleashed 90.
ROCKER PROFILE
Rocker / Camber / Rocker
CORE MATERIALS
Carbon Fiber Glass
PREFERRED TERRAIN
All Mountain, Groomers
On the 168, Alix Klein noted the sizing as “great,” giving her highest scores of 4 out of 5 for all categories except for a lone 3 in flotation. This is a high baseline of scores, and indicates strongly that the Unleashed 90 W is a versatile ski that appeals to a wide range of skiers, conditions, and terrain. Alix notes that the Unleashed 90 W is “Surprisingly versatile and dynamic in its ability to carve tight turns and then rail large GS turns. Playful and poppy this ski is a great choice for the gnar skiing female.” We always enjoy seeing the word “surprising” in feedback from testers as that means that the company has certainly done something right to make a specific aspect of a ski stand out.
Brooke Mars noted that the skis felt a little short for her, and would likely size up to the Unleashed 90 men’s in the 174—they're identical skis other than sizing and graphics. Regardless, she gave top marks of 5 out of 5 for overall impression, forgiveness, playfulness, and stability. Interesting to see stability here, especially when she felt they were short, but that’s another feather in the cap for Nordica as their ability to make both fun-loving and high-performance twin tips becomes ever more clear. Brooke uses our magical word “surprise” for this ski as well, and we always like to point that out “I was convinced at first, I wasn’t going to like this ski. Once I hit a steeper pitch, I was pleasantly surprised how well it held an edge. I also popped over a couple piles of crud bumps and was happy they felt stable under my feet upon landing. I would love to take these skis spring skiing down superstar at Killington.”
If you’re in the intermediate to advanced realm and are looking for a fun-loving twin tip between 144 and 174 cm in length, this is the ski for you. It’s got the same pedigree and character as the wider Unleashed skis, but in a lighter and more energetic format, so much the better! There’s a lot of room for twin tips in the ~90 mm range, and these are some of the best in the business.
