2021 Nordica Astral 84 Ti

It's frustrating when a great ski goes underappreciated. It means to me that there's a lot of skiers out there who are missing out on something they're likely to love. The Nordica Astral 84 fits this bill. Alongside its Navigator brethren, the Astral series just falls a bit short either in the marketing or PR department. For no discernable reason whatsoever, these skis just don't get the top billing of some other mid-80's underfoot all-mountain skis. Built with a wood core and a hexagonally shaped metal laminate, the Astral 84 is light, turny, and a ton of fun. Most companies are trying to get the most out of a partial metal laminate like the one used here, but Nordica seems to have nailed it better than most. Unchanged except for graphics for this year, skiers will get yet another chance to get on these fantastic all-mountain skis with a frontside flair. The playful tip shape combines really well with the strong torsional stiffness underfoot and the stiffer tail. This is one of those skis that our testers get on, and have pretty much nothing but compliments. One of our testers even wanted to take these to bed with her, which we don't really recommend, but whatever.

Allison Ruschp kept it more PG with her review. Mostly 5's for Alli on the 165, with a couple of 4's sprinkled in for flotation, playfulness, and forgiveness. It's amazing when a 4 is considered a low score, so we should take that with a grain of salt. Alli notes that the Astral 84 is "another ski that surprised me. The one sheet of metal makes all the difference. Easy to turn, glides in and out of turns easily. Stiffer than some other mid-80's skis with a very nice feel. The shape of the ski handles variable conditions, strong edge hold on ice, smooth ride in crud, and moderate flotation in powder." From a superficial standpoint, Alli "LOVES THIS GRAPHIC!" And in terms of intended audience, "I think this ski would be great for a range of skier abilities, and as an advanced skier, I did not feel I was overpowering it but I think an intermediate skier would love this ski." Definitely a pretty big range of skiers on the Astral for sure.

Sam Purnell also skied the 165, and as an aggressive and strong skier, we'd expect some push back against the more accessible Astral 84, but Sam was all for it! She scored 5's out of 5 for versatility and overall impression, with 4's for the rest of her scores. Sam "truly enjoyed this ski. Took it down hard groomers, bumps, and corn, and it performed well throughout. Very responsive and dependable. If you're happy with your skiing and want to have a smile on your face down every run, this is the ski for you!" Again, we're seeing that huge swath of skiers who would benefit from a fantastic ski like this, and it's just frustrating that the word doesn't get out as effectively as some of the higher tier skis that may not be appropriate for as many skiers. But I digress.

Also on the 165, Carly Monahan loved the quickness, maneuverability, playfulness, and forgiveness of the Astral 84 and scored them all 5's out of 5. 4's for the rest, so we've seen all 4's and 5's from these testers, which is a pretty sweet average. Carly calls them "playful and powerful for its weight and looks. Great for a skier who mostly sticks to groomers but also ventures into the woods or off-piste terrain occasionally. They won't wear you out on a full day on the hill, but can still hold their own when you're ready to speed things up a bit." Overall, a wonderful review, and a third tester with consistently high scores.