Nordica Santa Ana

[Skier31]

I have skied all 3. I think the Nemesis and Sambas ski similarly. I like the rock solid edge grip and the beefy feel. Both the Nemesis and Samba do well in both powder and on the groomers.

I am not a fan of the Santa Ana's. They felt soft and did not have the edge grip that I feel in the Nemesis and Sambas.

They may do great in powder and I did not ski them in powder.

 

[laine]

Yeah, I was really torn between the Nemesis and Sambas. Is the Santa Ana intended to be all mountain? Or more of a powder ski? (Which I already have in my Star 7.)

 

[santacruz skier]

Ah you have the Star 7? Where have you skied that? Tahoe?

 

[bounceswoosh]

I am not a fan of the Santa Ana's. They felt soft and did not have the edge grip that I feel in the Nemesis and Sambas.

Huh. Interesting. I find plenty of edge grip on mine. But I haven't tried the Nemesis or Sambas. Maybe for you, the Enforcer would work better?

 

[laine]

@santacruz skier - I demoed them in Utah this past winter and loved them. So I found a pair at the end of the season - 2014 topsheet for a great price. Got them mounted at Cal Ski Company, and am really looking forward to breaking them in up in Tahoe. Though - for this coming weekend, I think I'll stick with the Nemesis. I'm not sure it will be a real powder weekend.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

I can't wait to hear @Kimmyt upcoming review of the Nordica Enforcer

 

[contesstant]

I have skied all 3. I think the Nemesis and Sambas ski similarly. I like the rock solid edge grip and the beefy feel. Both the Nemesis and Samba do well in both powder and on the groomers.

I am not a fan of the Santa Ana's. They felt soft and did not have the edge grip that I feel in the Nemesis and Sambas.

They may do great in powder and I did not ski them in powder.

Interesting! See, I am thinking I want to get on something a little less beefy than the Sambas because I am not a charging skier, more of a playful one. Oh well, I get to take the Sambas out in what will probably be close to 2 feet later in the day today so I'll really get to see how they feel in powder. I have no other options! (Powder skis might be a necessity very soon!)

 

[elemmac]

I now own the Santa Ana, and have demoed the Samba, Nemesis, and the Savory 7 (not the Star). Keep in mind I demoed the Samba and Savory in powder, the Nemesis on hardpack, and I've only skied the Santa Ana on hardpack early season conditions. Here's a quick comparison from my experiences:

Santa Ana is the softest of the three, but the softness does not take away from the stability of this ski. It just adds to the playfulness. I agree with bounceswoosh, I had absolutely no problem holding an edge with these skis.

The Samba was a great balance for an all-mountain, freeride ski. I can't speak for how well, or badly this held an edge, it was all powder (24+ inches) when I tried it. Although it was not the "ideal" powder ski, I think it did pretty well. I'm hoping to get out on these again in the future, as I walked away from the demo last winter with these as my favorite of the day.

The Nemesis I found to be the stiffest of these skis, and for me the least fun. I enjoy a very playful ski and this one just didn't have "it", whatever "it" is. I felt like it was stuck in an awkward place between being an all-mountain do-it-all ski, and a wider powder friendly ski. It held an edge great on ice, but took a lot to get it up on edge to make a carve. A more aggressive skier would probably have more fun than I did on it.

The Savory 7, I also demoed in powder. For me, it didn't have enough float, I would love to try the Star 7 at some point in similar snow conditions. I found it skied more like a carver, but had some properties to be playful and the width to cut thru chop easily.

Yeah, I was really torn between the Nemesis and Sambas. Is the Santa Ana intended to be all mountain? Or more of a powder ski? (Which I already have in my Star 7.)

Santa Ana is considered a "freeride" ski. It's in the same category as the Star 7, but that's not to say that they will ski the same. I would image the Star 7 is closer to Santa Ana's big sister the La Nina.

Debating on the 161 or the 169

For your reference, I'm 5'5" and approx. 135lbs, I ski the 169 and have been very happy with it thus far.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

@elemmac

Thank you for the comparison of all 3 models. I'll demo the 161 and 168 if I can but I'd likely go with the 168. I am 5'6 and weigh a good bit more than you. My Elysians are 168 so I was figuring the 169. I like the fact that the Santa Ana holds a decent edge. As a New England skier powder days are normally the exception not the rule and I like all of my skis to be able to handle some degree of ice/hardpack cause ya never know when you might find some.

 

[Skier31]

I now own the Santa Ana, and have demoed the Samba, Nemesis, and the Savory 7 (not the Star). Keep in mind I demoed the Samba and Savory in powder, the Nemesis on hardpack, and I've only skied the Santa Ana on hardpack early season conditions. Here's a quick comparison from my experiences:

Santa Ana is the softest of the three, but the softness does not take away from the stability of this ski. It just adds to the playfulness. I agree with bounceswoosh, I had absolutely no problem holding an edge with these skis.

The Samba was a great balance for an all-mountain, freeride ski. I can't speak for how well, or badly this held an edge, it was all powder (24+ inches) when I tried it. Although it was not the "ideal" powder ski, I think it did pretty well. I'm hoping to get out on these again in the future, as I walked away from the demo last winter with these as my favorite of the day.

The Nemesis I found to be the stiffest of these skis, and for me the least fun. I enjoy a very playful ski and this one just didn't have "it", whatever "it" is. I felt like it was stuck in an awkward place between being an all-mountain do-it-all ski, and a wider powder friendly ski. It held an edge great on ice, but took a lot to get it up on edge to make a carve. A more aggressive skier would probably have more fun than I did on it.

The Savory 7, I also demoed in powder. For me, it didn't have enough float, I would love to try the Star 7 at some point in similar snow conditions. I found it skied more like a carver, but had some properties to be playful and the width to cut thru chop easily.



Santa Ana is considered a "freeride" ski. It's in the same category as the Star 7, but that's not to say that they will ski the same. I would image the Star 7 is closer to Santa Ana's big sister the La Nina.



For your reference, I'm 5'5" and approx. 135lbs, I ski the 169 and have been very happy with it thus far.

I appreciate your comparisons. I believe that there is a huge subjective component to ski reviews and do not often comment on skis. Perhaps the lack of edge grip I perceived was more due to ski being less stiff than the Nemesis. I normally prefer a stiffer ski and this helps sort that out.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

I have added the Enforcer and Nemesis to my list in case I get the chance to try them also.

 

[contesstant]

I now own the Santa Ana, and have demoed the Samba, Nemesis, and the Savory 7 (not the Star). Keep in mind I demoed the Samba and Savory in powder, the Nemesis on hardpack, and I've only skied the Santa Ana on hardpack early season conditions. Here's a quick comparison from my experiences:

Santa Ana is the softest of the three, but the softness does not take away from the stability of this ski. It just adds to the playfulness. I agree with bounceswoosh, I had absolutely no problem holding an edge with these skis.

The Samba was a great balance for an all-mountain, freeride ski. I can't speak for how well, or badly this held an edge, it was all powder (24+ inches) when I tried it. Although it was not the "ideal" powder ski, I think it did pretty well. I'm hoping to get out on these again in the future, as I walked away from the demo last winter with these as my favorite of the day.

The Nemesis I found to be the stiffest of these skis, and for me the least fun. I enjoy a very playful ski and this one just didn't have "it", whatever "it" is. I felt like it was stuck in an awkward place between being an all-mountain do-it-all ski, and a wider powder friendly ski. It held an edge great on ice, but took a lot to get it up on edge to make a carve. A more aggressive skier would probably have more fun than I did on it.

The Savory 7, I also demoed in powder. For me, it didn't have enough float, I would love to try the Star 7 at some point in similar snow conditions. I found it skied more like a carver, but had some properties to be playful and the width to cut thru chop easily.

You have not skied the Santa Ana in powder yet? I'm surprised to hear the Savory 7 didn't have enough float!
The Sambas have very good edge grip on hard pack. Not my preferred thing to ski them on, but they do hold!


Santa Ana is considered a "freeride" ski. It's in the same category as the Star 7, but that's not to say that they will ski the same. I would image the Star 7 is closer to Santa Ana's big sister the La Nina.



For your reference, I'm 5'5" and approx. 135lbs, I ski the 169 and have been very happy with it thus far.

 

[bounceswoosh]

I appreciate your comparisons. I believe that there is a huge subjective component to ski reviews and do not often comment on skis. Perhaps the lack of edge grip I perceived was more due to ski being less stiff than the Nemesis. I normally prefer a stiffer ski and this helps sort that out.

I would buy that. I don't like a very stiff ski and I haven't cared for the Kaestles I demoed, which I believe are your go-to ski. Like you said, subjective.

 

[WaterGirl]

As a Nordica owner, I thought I would love the Nemisis when I was looking for a all mountain mid fat. Demoed as much as possible in the 90-100 range. Had to go off mountain to two different shops to get the both Nemisis and the Samba for a back to back comparison -- The Samba was instant love -- I did not click w/ the Nemesis.

Over Christmas will try the Santa Ana.....

 

[Kimmyt]

In the past I have demoed the Nemesis (a few years ago, may have changed not only my skiing style/ability and the construction since then) and the La Nina. Generally, I have liked Nordicas although I have never found my way to owning one. I found the Nemesis iirc to be very stable, confidence inspiring. I would almost call them damp (but not so damp that I disliked them, if you know what I mean). The La Ninas seemed like they would be fun in powder but I found that at speed they showed too much instability mostly in the amount of tip flop I was getting. I also skied them on a firmer day so that would skew my perception of their performance as those conditions are not really their wheelhouse. I would previously say that I like a stiffer ski, I used to ski the old non-rockered traditionally cambered Kiku as my all mountain ski and still ski the Aura as my bc ski. But I currently ski the Armada TST and I'm not sure where that one generally falls in the stiff/soft spectrum. I liked the Santa Ana, felt it handled all conditions very well (with the exception of true hardpack which honestly we don't get much of out here so I'm not really concerned with that side of things) but did feel that it lacked a little bit of pop and playfulness which I think the Enforcer, with its slightly stiffer construction, might give me. So anyway, yes, still planning on demoing it in the 169 length (I am 5'3" and oh lets say 125 lbs on a good day) this Saturday and will try and post a review for those interested.

 

[contesstant]

I definitely need something more playful and less chargy than the Sambas after skiing them today in a LOT of leftovers from the foot+ we got overnight. They were great for me in the shallower stuff or the totally smooth powder sections, but I REALLY struggled with how directional they are in the deeper chopped up stuff. I want to turn turn turn, they want to go go go.

Anyway, curious of the Santa Ana's, being more playful, would fit that bill? Or should I just go for a more powder-centric ski?

 

[bounceswoosh]

I definitely need something more playful and less chargy than the Sambas after skiing them today in a LOT of leftovers from the foot+ we got overnight. They were great for me in the shallower stuff or the totally smooth powder sections, but I REALLY struggled with how directional they are in the deeper chopped up stuff. I want to turn turn turn, they want to go go go.

Anyway, curious of the Santa Ana's, being more playful, would fit that bill? Or should I just go for a more powder-centric ski?

As I said in my other post, I don't think playful is the right word for the Santa Anas, but I do think they would handle crud well without requiring you to ski aggressively.

 

[Teeble]

I just remembered that the Nordica Rep (former ski racer) uses the Santa Ana's in 169s for his touring ski. He's probably about 5'10" give or take. So maybe more for north east crud (@surfsnowgirl) than powder?

That being said, I'm wondering if that's why I didn't like the Saffrons and Savorys. Has anyone enjoyed them on typical east coast conditions?

 

[Kimmyt]

I just remembered that the Nordica Rep (former ski racer) uses the Santa Ana's in 169s for his touring ski. He's probably about 5'10" give or take.

'

Woah, that seems... odd.

 

[bounceswoosh]

'

Woah, that seems... odd.

Agreed on two fronts.