2023 Nordica Unleashed 98

Fun and excitement just got a new toy in the 2023 Nordica Unleashed 98. As staunch fans of the Soul Rider skis for the past half-decade, we’ve been pretty devoted to the Nordica Twin Tip collection. Needless to say, it was somewhat disappointing to hear that Unleashed would take its place, and even further, that the 90 wouldn’t be offered in my size or with metal. Both of those fears were quickly assuaged from the moment we clicked into the Unleashed 98. This is a no-brainer choice for skiers looking for freeride and all-mountain performance with a twin tip shape. The Terrain Specific Metal laminate is a fantastic addition to these skis, especially for those who found the Soul Rider to lack some top-end stability. With a build that more closely resembles a Santa Ana 104 Free, the Unleashed 98 has a different shape and profile—giving it more of a freestyle vibe versus freeride. You can take this in the park for sure, or as we’ve pointed out time and time again, 98 mm twin tips are a whole lot of fun in the woods, bumps, and groomers as well. Adding the metal takes it to another level. In the 180, we get an 18.1-meter turn radius to go along with a weight of 1850 grams per ski. These stats are great when you consider that the ski has to be a lot of different things for a lot of different skiers.

Jeff Neagle probably put the most time on his Unleashed 98, going from a demo pair to a personal one, centrally mounted with a gold Pivot 15. Looks great, and he skis them pretty darn good, too, from the park to all-mountain carving and terrain. He calls his 180 “a little short,” but wouldn’t be a good match for 186. He scored top marks of 5’s out of 5 for overall impression and flotation. Other than a lone 3 for versatility, all of Jeff’s other scores were 4’s, so this is a pretty high baseline for a great ski. “So fun. My type of powder ski. I do like the 98 more I guess, but the 108 would make a killer freestyle powder ski. I love they boosted its stability with metal, but didn’t put so much in that it feels plainly. Butter, smear, play, but then they can handle some speed and aggressive skiing too. I will likely replace my enforcer 110 with these just because I’d benefit more from the true twin tip than I do from the additional metal in the 110. Good job Nordica!” Also on the 180, Dave Hatoff gives the skis all 4’s out of 5 across the board. His comments echo his scores, calling it a “Solid all a rounder. Does everything well. Nordica nailed it with this gear one ski quiver!”

On the 186, Harrison Gorham had all 5’s out of 5 save for a 4 for flotation. His quotes are pretty straightforward: “This ski won the test. I was not expecting such a strong and playful ski with carve ability similar to a freshly sharpened electric knife at Thanksgiving. It rips and carves anything you throw at it and has plenty of pop, strength for any park jump. RIP soul rider.” We feel the same way about the Soul Rider. Chris McClelland liked the sizing of his 186, but felt that it was a bit more powerful than he’d expected: “I wasn't expecting this one to be as bulky as it is. It's built tough and feels like it can take a lot of punishment. I was expecting something with a little more flex to it but this thing is a power house. The Unleashed 98 is considerably damp as well, which is great for icy cruddy days on the mountain. I feel like I could take this ski almost anywhere and be happy with the performance. They carry a lot of speed and offer plenty of support for aggressive all-mountain skiers looking for their next daily driver to hammer on. This is definitely more for advanced to expert skiers.”

Wherever you want to put it on the performance spectrum, we’re sure to see a lot of these on the hill this upcoming year, and that’s great news for those skiers who recognize and appreciate the wider twin tips and their all-mountain, high-performance versatility.