Nordica Olympia Firefox

[ski diva]

This is one ski I've been dying to try, and today I got lucky! My local hill (Okemo) had a Nordica demo tent set up this morning, so how could I say no?

So here we go:

Ski: Nordica Olympia Firefox, 154 cm, 120-70-103 (13m)

Me:
Advanced, 5 ft 1 in., 110 lbs.

Conditions: 3-4 inches of fresh powder on top of bullet-proof ice. Ungroomed.

I've been very intrigued by this ski since interviewing Deb Armstrong, and learning that this is what she skis. Now I know why. What a terrific ski! Conditions were mostly powder with some ice where it'd been pushed around; ungroomed. But no matter what, this ski was happy to ski it. A very stable, quick ski that can really hold an edge and has terrific rebound. Really nice in the long turns, but nice in the shorter turns, too. Didn't try it in the bumps, since there were no bumps around. But for a fun ski that really moves, this is it.

 

[SnowHot]

Does this mean that you don't need to try my Firefox at Stowe?

Nah, you'll still want to try my 162 just to see if there's a big difference!!!
I'm happy to know that you had a chance on it in normal conditions. I'm wondering what the extra length will do for the performance.

 

[Rockette]

I want to give these a shot too. I have Conquers currently which I'm very happy with.

 

[SnowHot]

I want to give these a shot too. I have Conquers currently which I'm very happy with.

IMO a few manufacturers have really stepped up to the plate and started to take female skiers seriously. Nordica is at the top of the list!!!

The other manufacturers that I think are really making a dent in the aggressive woman skier category are Elan and Blizzard.
They aren't just a dumbed down version of a unisex ski any more.

 

[SnowHot]

I skied today at Boyne Mountain.
Because I was unsure of the conditions I didn't take a lot of my ski selection with me. I did take my Elan Wave spice for my burly selection. A minor rock scrape on them from my Trip to A Basin made it an obvious choice to take out first to get an idea of how much coverage there was.

By noon I was eager to get out the Nordica Firefox (mine are 162)
These skis are amazing. One review I read said Scary Fast, and they weren't kidding.
Skier type:
Advanced, solid Level 7.
Female, 5'6" 120 lbs.
Manufacturer: Nordica
Model: Olympia Firefox
Length : 162
Category & Dimensions CARV

1=Poor 2= Fair 3=Average 4=Very Good 5=Excellent
1 2 3 4 5
Short Turns 5
Medium Turns 5
Long Turns 5
Rebound 5
Stability 4
Forgiveness 3
Grip 5
Steeps N/A
Crud 4
Powder N/A
Ice 4
Overall Impression
The ski I was on previous to the Firefox was the Wave Spice which is Burly yet extremely forgiving.
The Firefox is a nimble, high performance ski, which excels in most every category I put it through, but it demands attention and is not a ski for the faint of heart.

The conditions I skied:
Man made packed powder, by afternoon softened to spring type crud and some ice balls, and varied chop.
As long as I stayed technically strong, this ski just kept giving me positive feedback and a goofy grin.
I love this ski!!!

 

[Quiver Queen]

Loved this ski! Now it's a top contender for my next purchase, thanks in part to input about my choices from other Divas in an earlier post. I drove two hours each way just to give this ski a shot, and the trip certainly wasn't wasted.

Short, medium, and long turns all rated a "5", as did rebound and grip. Forgiveness, crud, and ice all rated a "4," tho' crud may have rated higher if I hadn't just skied the Conquerer with it setting a high benchmark for comparison. The ski was surprisingly nimble for one so muscular, but I didn't feel it had to be driven hard to ski well.

Nordic should be proud of this ski--it's a terrific example of women finally having the best equipment on the mountain.

 

[SnowHot]

QQ, I think the fact that I got off the Wave Spice and skied the FF, on a mashed potato snow day, leaned to some of the scores I gave it.

The WS allows you to get sloppy, when the conditions are sloppy, and it plows through anything, much like the conquor. When you go from that to the FF, you feel like you really have to stay on top of it in the crud. Saturday, I started on the FF on some serious ice marbles and hard pack. Can I say WOW!! Ice marbles are no fun, but the FF still kept me tracking nicely. I'm very impressed with this ski.