Stiff, wide, surfy, and incredibly fun, the 2024 Nordica Enforcer 104 Free is an excellent ski for today’s expert freeride skier. Ever since this ski first came out, we’ve been enamored with its potential as well as its execution. By taking all of the good things we’ve loved about the Enforcer 100’s shape and build, and adding to it in a playful and fun-loving manner, Nordica created what many skiers call the perfect ski. With an insane blend of smeariness, power, and overall composure, advanced and expert skiers will get all they can handle when they click into the 104 Free. It’s as sturdy and strong as it is fun and maneuverable, allowing skiers of multiple zones and applications the freedom to do as they wish out there on the hill. We’ve had friends and colleagues use this as both their western powder ski as well as an eastern daily driver. We’ve seen it used as a park ski for those who like the stability and heft, and we’ve noticed some of the highest levels of carving done on these skis on what appears to be full-on ice. There’s hardly a limitation to the ski—only the skier and their potential lack of skill or strength. It is, after all, on the demanding side of the spectrum, but it’s a good thing they released the Unlimited version of this ski as well, allowing those that aren’t quite ready for the Free to be able to experience most of what this shape and profile has to offer.

The 104 Free is built with a full performance wood core that keeps the ski stable and energetic. Adding to that energy are two carbon-infused fiberglass laminates. These layers add quite a bit of stiffness and responsiveness to the mix. If you’ve skied these and are impressed with how they rebound out of one turn and into the next, these two carbon/glass layers are the likely culprit. But they don’t stop there, Nordica still adds two layers of titanal to the mix, adding a crazy damp feel to the ski and keeping it chatter-free even on the hardest surfaces. For a 104 mm twin tip, this thing is about as smooth and powerful as it gets, and it’s all thanks to this beefy build. In the 186, it’s no featherweight, tipping the scale at 2250 grams per ski. That’s definitely on the hefty side, and when paired with the stiff and steady build, it can feel like a tough ski to drive if you’re not paying attention. That said, when you take the shaping into account, it does release some of that exclusivity, offering a bit of accessibility to skiers who may not be 100% all the time.

By implementing a relatively progressive rocker profile and taper shape to the mix, the 104 Free becomes quite a bit floatier and more playful than the build lets on. Sure, there’s still some hurdles to clear when it comes to powering the ski, but if you have the skills and desire, you can make this thing feel like a much more freeride-oriented ski in terms of shenanigans and other creative ski styles. Shaped with 40% camber and 60% rocker, the skis do have a pretty short running length, but let’s not forget that the sidecut extends beyond the rocker, so when you have this ski up on edge, the effective edge lengthens and smooths out the ski so it doesn’t feel choppy. While this doesn’t make for a particularly swively character, it does aid and assist for when speeds climb and lines get more direct and aggressive. With an 18.5-meter turn radius in the 186, this ski is a fantastic carver—willing and capable to lay down some mean and clean arcs on the groomers. It’s easily one of the best carving skis at this level out there, with or without the rocker profile, and that’s an impressive feat.

Skiers looking to challenge themselves and challenge the terrain will love the overall stability and composure of the 2024 Nordica Enforcer Free 104. This ski is about as high-performance and versatile as it gets out there, allowing for high speeds, aggressive skiing, and poised flotation. For those that like to push the boundaries of what is possible both on skis and in the mountains should take a square look at this well-rounded expert ski. If you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t heard about these skis quite yet, it would behoove you to find a pair, test them out, and see for yourself what a well-built and innovatively shaped ski can do.