The Nordica Navigator 90 was a brand new ski for the 2018 season and offers alternative all mountain performance to the Enforcer collection. The Navigator uses what Nordica calls Hex Titanium Bridge. Instead of a full sheet of metal there are geometric shapes removed, leaving a bridge of metal, or metal grid, just under the topsheet of the ski. The result is the stability and smooth performance that comes along with metal, but the ski is lighter and a little softer flexing. The Navigator 90 has a tip shape inspired by the Enforcer collection with a good amount of rocker and early taper, while the tail shape is inspired by carving skis. There is no tail rocker or early taper, giving the Navigator 90 more of a preference to complete a carving turn rather than to pivot or smear your turns. We think of it as an all mountain carving ski. Let’s see if our testers agree.
David Raybould tested the 179 cm length and was clearly impressed by the Navigator 90’s carving performance. “Most race-like all mountain ski I’ve ever skied. Tail locks you in, ski doesn’t like to pivot and skid as much, but will ski bumps if you’re a good bump skier.” It does require some skier input and solid technique to release the tail edge. It’s more of a fore-aft movement than skis with more tail rocker that allow you to stay centered and pivot the ski. It does require some unweighting to get the ski to swing around if you’re not in a carve. David found carving performance to be the highlight of the Navigator 90, which makes sense as that’s a big focus for its performance. “Rails like a GS ski in soft snow. Different feel of a ski, which I personally liked.”
David Wolfgang was on the 186 cm Navigator 90 and found it to be a very precise ski. “The name says it all. This ski navigates through all conditions. A very playful, easy ski for the proficient skier who wants to cruise in style.” That’s nice feedback from David. The Navigator 90 is definitely relatively approachable and it’s a great choice for skiers who aren’t the most aggressive, but still demand a certain level of performance out of their skis. It initiates turns exceptionally well, is very responsive thanks to the shorter turn radius, and really feels great when finishing a turn thanks to that squared off tail.
Mike Thomas also tested the 186 cm length and thought the Navigator 90 was a “great ski.” Mike also noted that he really enjoyed testing the Navigator 85 and mentioned that he didn’t find a huge difference between the two of them. That makes sense because, well, there’s not a huge difference between the two. The Navigator 90 gets a little more float in soft snow, the Navigator 85 is a little quicker edge to edge, but in the long run they’re quite similar. Mike thought it would be “best for an adventurous all mountain skier who wants versatility. Can carve, can make short turns, would be good in the bumps.” It really is quite a versatile all mountain ski and its carving performance in particular almost puts it in a category that’s all its own.
For those that want a versatile all mountain ski, but don’t want to give up frontside carving performance for that versatility, the Navigator collection, and the Navigator 90 specifically, is a great option. You can lean it over on groomers and make some very precise, relatively powerful carving turns, but the width of the ski and its tip shape give it much better performance in soft snow than most dedicated carving skis. We also think the Navigator collection is a fantastic compliment to the Enforcer collection; both have their distinct personalities.
