The Soul Rider 87, and Soul Rider collection, in general is often overlooked due to the success of Nordica’s other all mountain skis, but offers really fun performance for anyone looking for an all mountain twin tip. The Soul Rider 87 is built with a wood core and carbon fiber in a sandwich construction with vertical sidewalls. There is tremendous attention to detail, as is true with all of Nordica’s skis. Camber underfoot with tip and tail rocker should provide a very fun overall feel. Whether you’re in the terrain park, cruising groomers, or playing in the trees, the Soul Rider 87 should be able to do just about anything while remaining playful and fun. Let’s see what our testers thought of it.
Michael Carroll-Sherwin definitely loved testing the Soul Rider 87. How do we know? Well he scored it 5 out of 5 for every single category, with the exception of flotation, which is really, really impressive for an all mountain twin tip. We also get a sense he loved it based on his written reaction. Michael tested the 185 cm Soul Rider 87, which is the longest length, and had a lot to say about it. “The Soul Rider series is awesome. Geared toward a higher intermediate to advanced skier, the Soul Rider 87 can be ridden by a nimble 17 year old, or a 70 year old focused on sustainable turns.” That’s a really good way to explain its performance. For some, it will be a playful, energetic ski for slashing, smearing, and buttering around the whole mountain, while for others it can be a relatively approachable, predictable all mountain ski. “Pick a Soul Rider width with the snow depth you typically ski in mind and source the adequate length. It’s that easy.”
James Stewart also tested the 185 cm Soul Rider 87 and although his scores weren’t quite as high as Michael’s, he seemed to have a great time on it. “Fun, playful, and quick edge to edge,” was how James described the Soul Rider 87. He did mention that it’s “limited by the width,” but that’s why there’s a Soul Rider 97 option. The 87 will be quicker, the 97 more capable in soft snow. James went on to further describe his experience on the Soul Rider 87, “great versatile park-capable ski, but not quite enough underfoot for an everyday all mountain ski in my opinion.” That’s totally fine, James. For some people 87 mm is plenty wide enough for daily use, while others will want to go a bit wider.
Dave Marryat “loved it!” We didn’t have to extrapolate that date, he just wrote that at the top of his test form. Dave also gave it super high scores across the board, which aligns pretty perfectly with how Michael scored it. We’re thoroughly impressed that Nordica’s all mountain twin tips are getting the high scores they are! “Strong camber with tip and tail rocker means it will carve or smear. Very versatile all over the mountain. NOT JUST A PARK SKI. Good edge to edge on the firmer snow and at almost 90 underfoot it had good float and stability in messy snow.” That touches on what we said about James’ reaction. For some skiers 87 mm is plenty!
Whether you’re a park skier looking for your next twin tip, or just an all mountain skier who wants a playful, fun ski for the whole mountain, the Soul Rider 87 should certainly not be overlooked. While some other companies outsource the construction of their all mountain twin tips and the performance suffers a bit, Nordica has produced some impressive skis that can perform at a very high level.
