Need help! Nordica Wild Belle or Blizzard Black Pearl?

[EastCoast4NowLol]

Hi everyone, I'm brand new to Ski Diva and need some help or recommendations for skis. I've been skiing almost my entire life (30+ years), all East Coast, mainly Vermont. I love it and have no immediate plans to travel or move to the West Coast anytime soon (despite any latent desire). I'd describe myself as advanced to expert, but I think there's always room for improvement. And while I love to ski fast and really carve it, I also have two little kids that I'm teaching how to ski. As much as I'd love to rip it on every run, I'm realistic in that a big portion of my day is spent on greens and blues. I'm 5'6, 138 lbs, and I previously had 161s (Salomon). Last year I rented 156s and loved the shorter length. Based on the above info, my local ski shop is suggesting Nordica Wild Belle 84 or Blizzard Black Pearl 88s. I've seen a lot of mixed reviews on the BPs, and they're certainly wider than I'm used to, but they've been described as the ideal all mountain ski for the East Coast. I think the Nordica skis sound more my speed (literally), but they're historically a boot company, and I haven't found a ton of reviews or info about them online. I've seen a lot about Nordica Santa Anas, but those seem to be more geared toward powder and the West Coast. Funny enough, I bought Nordica boots last year and love them so much. I didn't know it was actually possible to fall in love with a ski boot, but life continues to surprise me. But again, a boot company designing skis? I have some reservations, but is that thinking antiquated? Is Nordica making great skis now? I'm open to any feedback on the models I've mentioned, or suggestions for other skis, brands, etc. Basically, I need something manageable when I'm with my kids, but can support me on faster, more advanced runs, and grow with me as I hope to continue improving my skills. My budget is around $700-1000 (bindings and skis) Thanks everyone!

 

[SnowHot]

The Wild Belle is damper and turns a little quicker. More of an on piste ski that is capable off piste.
The Black Pearl 88 is more of an off piste ski that can ski groomers.
I had the Wild Bell 84 in our demo fleet for a season which I later sold to a friend who is loving them. I've also owned many Black Pearls over the years. The current iteration of Black Pearl is a bit stronger and has a bit more feedback feeling from the snow.

. I've seen a lot about Nordica Santa Anas, but those seem to be more geared toward powder and the West Coast.

The Santa Ana, much like the Black Pearl is a line of skis that have different waist widths.
Yes the wider Santa Ana's are geared for powder and crud busting skiing, but there are SA 84 and 88 that can me more of an all mountain ski, much like Black Pearls in that waist width.

FWIW, They don't share the same mold but are built under the same roof

 

[DebbieSue]

I’m 5’5” 140, 64 yo New England Skier.
I bought older version of Wild Belle 2013/14 I think, 154 after demoing many skis incl BPs which I didn’t like. They were My first shaped ski. I’m advanced, but don’t ski fast. I love wending my way thru bumps and glades. I ski East and West but have rarely found powder. I loved the WBs, and skied them with my kids who were tweens, but as my kids got better I found they did have a stability issue at speed for my old style technique . I did not like the BPs I demoed in 2013/14, not at all. In 20/21 I demoed again and selected BP88 at 159 over Santa Ana 88 and wider? 92 and Volkl Secret all in the 158-164 range. I fully expected to choose Santa Ana having loved Wild Belle, and was caught by surprise. I knew I needed longer for stability and to keep up w my now grown kids. With excellent 3/0.5 tune by SkiMD they have allowed me to progress, esp as far as confidence in icy conditions. I don’t think it is too wide for New England. It is a very popular ski for a reason. A short Wild Belle may not be enough ski for you.

 

[SnowHot]

I bought older version of Wild Belle 2013/14 I think,

This is a frustrating thing for me at times, when manufacturers repeat a name but with very different construction.

That's one reason I have to ask someone, "Which Black Pearl?"
Or "Which Santa Ana?"

 

[MissySki]

This is a frustrating thing for me at times, when manufacturers repeat a name but with very different construction.

That's one reason I have to ask someone, "Which Black Pearl?"
Or "Which Santa Ana?"

Agreed! Very confusing, even for those who keep track of such things and demo etc.

 

[MissySki]

Can you do a demo day? That’d pretty quickly tell you which ski you’ll like best.

 

[Tennessee]

And yes, to answer your question, Nordica has been making some great skis for quite awhile now. I’m a fan and owner! But I have an older pair of Nordica Nemesis skis so don’t know what they would equate to in the current lineup. Like @DebbieSue I did not like the first iterations of the BP — at all. And like @SnowHot said, the BP has definitely changed a lot — as has the Santa Ana and even the Volkl Kenja. You might look at the Volkl Kenja too. It’s a great ski for a good skier. Good luck! So many good skis out there right now.

 

[EastCoast4NowLol]

Thank you all so much for your feedback! I may try to find a demo day near me before I decide on anything. In the meantime, it's reassuring to hear Nordica makes decent skis, as those are the ones I'm leaning toward over the BPs. Thank you to everyone who responded.

 

[DebbieSue]

Sunday River has a demo day coming up Dec2.
They list Blizzard, not Nordica.
It's a bit of a ride for me, but I'm thinking of heading up there if terrain survives the rain.

Demo Day | Sunday River

Your chance to try out all the new skis and snowboards!

www.sundayriver.com

 

[diymom]

And Ken Jones is having their early season demo day at Waterville on Dec. 15

Ken Jones X Waterville Valley Demo Day | Ken Jones Ski Mart

Ken Jones Ski Mart Ken Jones X Waterville Valley Demo Day. Skis, Boots, Bindings, Apparel, Accessories.

www.kenjonesskimart.com

 

[MissySki]

Sunday River has a demo day coming up Dec2.
They list Blizzard, not Nordica.
It's a bit of a ride for me, but I'm thinking of heading up there if terrain survives the rain.

Demo Day | Sunday River

Your chance to try out all the new skis and snowboards!

www.sundayriver.com

Usually Nordica is there.. though things could change, but they are usually always there. It is curious that they listed reps without something like “and more” etc. So I guess we’ll see.

P.S. Watch for terrain expansions this week. I am hoping a big one happens and they are able to get the middle of the resort open but we’ll see. Usually the demo is based out of South Ridge.. this weekend only Jordan and Locke are open, with no connection in between and very limited terrain and therefore crowding. I haven’t registered for the demo day yet as I want to see what happens this week. On the bright side, they had the mountain lit up all day yesterday blowing all the way down to the base of South Ridge and all over the place elsewhere. So fingers crossed for enough cold windows this week to continue making progress. Also hoping Monday’s storm brings more snow than rain.. we’ll see.

I’m planning to ski Friday and Saturday next week, I have plans Sunday and will not be there. Looking forward to seeing/skiing with you if you come up!

 

[MissySki]

Well, this morning Sunday River promoted the demo day on Facebook.. someone asked if it was going to be held in a different place this year and they replied, seemingly confidently, that it would be in South Ridge as usual. So I bit the bullet and signed up, hopefully they get the expected expansion to happen.

 

[tinymoose]

I'm late to the party b/c of the holiday weekend, but I demoed both a year apart, and I'd agree with a lot of the sentiment above. Wild Belle is turnier than the Black Pearl, but I'd give the BP the win as far as edge hold. It just felt a bit stiffer/had more grip. Wild Belle seemed a bit more easy-going, forgiving? Neither really wowed me in bumps but were perfectly fine. Given how you describe yourself and the amount of time you've been skiing, I'd personally lean towards the BP. I think it will be just as forgiving for hanging with the kids but give you a bit more upside if you go off and ski on your own.

 

[DebbieSue]

Well, this morning Sunday River promoted the demo day on Facebook.. someone asked if it was going to be held in a different place this year and they replied, seemingly confidently, that it would be in South Ridge as usual. So I bit the bullet and signed up, hopefully they get the expected expansion to happen.

I just signed up for the demo day on Saturday. The system found my Boyne Rewards points from stays in the distant past, so I paid with those instead of $27. Made a bargain an even better bargain. Yay!

 

[MissySki]

I just signed up for the demo day on Saturday. The system found my Boyne Rewards points from stays in the distant past, so I paid with those instead of $27. Made a bargain an even better bargain. Yay!

Yay, I love when that happens with Boyne points!! That’s how I paid for most of my Blaze 86 skis/binding purchase last season. Looking forward to seeing you!

 

[elemmac]

The system found my Boyne Rewards points from stays in the distant past, so I paid with those instead of $27. Made a bargain an even better bargain. Yay!

Damn. It's gone up to $27! Maybe it's just been a while since I've partook in the event, but I feel like it was $10 for the longest time.

 

[EastCoast4NowLol]

Thank you everyone who responded, all of your feedback was so helpful! With my work schedule and everything else going on, I decided I don't have time to do a demo day this year. BUT I am really excited because today I pulled the trigger on the Nordicas!!! I kept coming back to the first response I got on here from SnowHot: that the Wild Belles are an on-piste than can go off, versus the BP which tend toward off-piste that can go on groomers. I also chatted with a few people at my local ski shop, who said the Nordicas will be easier for me to turn. Being realistic about my needs, where I'll be skiing, and that I'll be skiing mainly with two little ones, I decided the Wild Belles are the right choice for now. In a few years time, I may seek out the BPs as we all get more adventurous and head for more powder. And despite my many years of skiing, I actually think the Nordicas will be better for my ability level and how I'm used to skiing. The BPs are much wider than I'm used to, and in fact, the Wild Belles are also wider than what I previously skied on, so I think the Wild Belles will be a great transition. I'll plan to do an updated post with a review after I've skied on them a few times (in case anyone is curious to know how I fared). Thank you again! So happy I found this community.

 

[TNtoTaos]

Thank you everyone who responded, all of your feedback was so helpful! With my work schedule and everything else going on, I decided I don't have time to do a demo day this year. BUT I am really excited because today I pulled the trigger on the Nordicas!!! I kept coming back to the first response I got on here from SnowHot: that the Wild Belles are an on-piste than can go off, versus the BP which tend toward off-piste that can go on groomers. I also chatted with a few people at my local ski shop, who said the Nordicas will be easier for me to turn. Being realistic about my needs, where I'll be skiing, and that I'll be skiing mainly with two little ones, I decided the Wild Belles are the right choice for now. In a few years time, I may seek out the BPs as we all get more adventurous and head for more powder. And despite my many years of skiing, I actually think the Nordicas will be better for my ability level and how I'm used to skiing. The BPs are much wider than I'm used to, and in fact, the Wild Belles are also wider than what I previously skied on, so I think the Wild Belles will be a great transition. I'll plan to do an updated post with a review after I've skied on them a few times (in case anyone is curious to know how I fared). Thank you again! So happy I found this community.

As one who never gets to attend demo days, last year I decided to arrange my own private demo day at my favorite ski area. Since most shops will allow you to switch out demo skis several times during the day, I found out ahead of time which places had the skis I was interested in trying (a very important step, esp if you are not "average" sized -- they seldon have skis I'm interested in in the short lengths -- I'm 5'0), and then just did it that way. It's a bit more expensive, but especially if you are definitely planning to make a purchase, many shops will roll the price of the demo into the ski price, so you actually get to demo for free. (I ended-up buying a used pair of Sheeva 9's, at a great price!).

 

[MissySki]

Damn. It's gone up to $27! Maybe it's just been a while since I've partook in the event, but I feel like it was $10 for the longest time.

Are you going?

it has definitely gone up, though I don’t think it’s been $10 for awhile! Lol

 

[MissySki]

Sunday River confirmed today that South Ridge and the Chondola will open for the season Saturday. And we will be able to connect all the way to Jordan.. so that’s exciting! Just in time for demo day.