Nordica Olympia Speed

[num]

The ski

Nordica Olympia Speed 154
12 m turn radius
118-70-103

The skier

Intermediate, 2nd year skier. 5'4 ~180. Likes a shorter ski, enjoys going fast on easy cruisers.

The conditions

It was a beautiful day! Conditions were varied. Some nice soft snow, ice in shady spots and slush in sunny spots and some death cookies for good measure.

Short Turns - 3
Medium Turns - 4
Long Turns - 3
Rebound - 3
Stability - 3
Forgiveness - 4
Grip - 3
Steeps n/a
Crud 3
Powder n/a
Ice 3

Tested Length Felt: Just Right
Ski Sidecut Felt: Just Right
Ski Flex Felt: Just Right
Best Described As: Balanced

This was one of those skis I went in expecting to like. I hadn't been on Nordicas before, but have heard nothing but good things about their women's line. I'd hoped to try the Firefox despite it being rated above my ability level because I figured I'm aggressive enough on the wussy terrain I like to ski() that it might be a good match, and everything I've read about them has been amazing. However, the rep didn't have any Firefoxes, and said the closest he had was the Speed. So I grabbed the Speed and off I went.

I felt that the ski was okay. No grins, but no grimaces. I expected them to be more lively, but they didn't feel totally dead. I didn't feel like they had much in the way of stability at speed, which was surprising to me given their name and reputation. Guess it just goes to show how personal a skis feeling can be.

 

[volklgirl]

This is the first one where we had totally different impressions.

Here's my review from last year:
Nordica Olympia Speed 162cm (Carver): My first surprise ski of the day. The girlie looks hide a tremendously agile ski with a snappy heart. Its forte was short to medium turns but it still hung on gamely for larger radius turns at very high speeds. It has the largest sweet spot of any ski I've ever been on - forward, middle, back - it just didn't care. This is a superb 'improving' ski because it was totally forgiving of mistakes. To sum it up: Controlled Power. The 162cm was actually a bit short at the highest speeds for me and if I was to buy this I'd go up to a 170ish. It got my highest overall rating of the day even at this short length.

I see there was a change in dimenisons ('07 was 116-70-102), I wonder if there was a construction change as well? I do recall that is was happiest on edge and tended to wander when flat.

 

[jaydog]

Sounds like a length issue. VG demoed a longer ski, and would have liked one even longer. And if I remember correctly from VG's other reviews, you two are similar in size. Lack of stability at speed generally means you need a longer or more advanced ski.

 

[num]

Yeah, I know the general rule for length but I have a personal preference toward shorter skis. There's defintiely such a thing as too short for me, but I've tried a bunch of lengths and find more grins on skis <160.

It didn't really feel squirrelly, it just didn't feel rock solid. I definitely didn't dislike this ski, it just wasn't a standout ski for me. I think it's just not my 'speed'. Heh, I can't believe I just made that pun.

 

[volklgirl]

It just occurred to me that you probably tried it the same day as the Fuego? If so, I can definitely see why the Speed wasn't a standout. The Fuego and the Firefox are just so "on", it's really hard to be impressed with any other carver after trying one of them. And the Speed seemed to be more intermediate/advanced oriented while the Fuego/Firefox are definitely aimed at advanced/expert or very high energy intermediate skiers.

 

[num]

Yep, you called it volklgirl. I tried it after the Fuego, and the Fuego rocked so hard that the Speed just didn't compare. I really wish they'd had the Firefox available. Bet that would've given me a run for my money.

Somewhat related- it says good things about the Vapor that I tried it directly after the Fuego and loved it.