The Santa Ana 110 from Nordica is the widest ski in their women’s freeride collection. This ski shares the same shape with the men’s Enforcer 110, but uses a women’s specific flex profile. It’s constructed using Nordica’s Energy 2 Titanium Balsa construction, which integrates balsa alongside poplar and beech to bring the weight down, then sandwiched between two sheets of metal, which is relatively thin compared to most titanal laminates. We also get prepreg carbon fiber in that sandwich construction, helping to boost torsional stiffness and responsiveness. It has Nordica’s classic blunt nose shape, with plenty of tip and tail rocker and camber underfoot. The Santa Ana 110 is designed to be a blast in soft snow with a blend of playfulness and stability, but let’s see what our testers thought of it. All these ladies were on a 169 cm Santa Ana 110.
Elissa DeGolyer thinks “everyone should own the Santa Ana series,” although she did continue to say that “the 110 underfoot, however, I would recommend for use on a powder day or a soft snow day.” That’s definitely where the Santa Ana 110 is at its best, although it’s no slouch on firm snow, especially for a ski this wide. “Can still perform well on groomers, but that’s what the 100 and 93 are for!” That’s a great way to put it, Elissa. The Santa Ana 110 does perform really well on groomers, but the 100 and 93 are more focused on that type of terrain. Elissa practically gave the Santa Ana 110 full 5 out of 5 scores, although forgiveness and torsional stiffness were exceptions coming in at 3 and 4 respectively.
Jenny Lawson scored it 5 out of 5 for stability and torsional stiffness, but lower for quickness, playfulness, and forgiveness, which suggests that you should be relatively aggressive and ready for the performance that comes along with two sheets of metal before you pick up a pair. Jenny thought it “felt big and relatively hard to turn, but it loved going fast!” There are definitely lighter weight skis in this waist width range, but those skis don’t match the stability of the Santa Ana 110 or its ability to plow through choppy snow conditions.
Emily Crofton agreed with Jenny in the sense that the Santa Ana 110 requires some skier input to get the most of it. “I was working hard to drive my tip and transfer the edge. While playful and stable, I felt the maneuverability was more challenging than some.” That’s good feedback from Emily. Not everything this wide will be super easy to maneuver, and there’s definitely some extra weight that comes along with the two sheets of metal.
Ann MacDonald was another tester who commented on maneuverability. She described the Santa Ana 110 as “super stable at speed, not super quick turning, but great for big GS turns in the crud and powder.” Ann did mention that the Santa Ana 110 can “rip groomers at high speeds,” although ultimately her final feedback on the ski was that it’s “an aggressive ski for girls who want a powder board for their quiver.”
The Santa Ana 110 is an awesome freeride ski that delivers a nice blend of stability, power, and playfulness. As our testers mentioned, it might not be the most maneuverable ski on the market, but those two sheets of titanal, the carbon, and the ski’s shape work together to give you awesome performance in soft snow. From powder to chopped up crud snow and everything in between, the Santa Ana 110 excels.
