2022 Nordica Enforcer 104 Free

Fun, freeridey, and fast, the 2022 Nordica Enforcer 104 Free is one of the coolest skis on the market today. When it came out a few years ago, we knew it'd be an instant winner, and we have not yet been disappointed with our evaluation. These skis continue to impress, as do all of the Enforcer skis, with the 104 as a versatile freeride option for a wide variety of expert skiers. For us easterners, the 104 serves well as a snow-day ski, but it's surprising how well it performs on firmer snow as well. For western skiers, or for those who live in snowier spots, the 104 is a great daily driver/one-ski quiver as it holds up well for both flotation and lower-tide days (or weeks). Built with a wood core and two sheets of metal, these skis hold up to adverse conditions and terrain quite well, and the more dramatic and playful rocker profile allows for fantastic flotation for when the snow gets deep.

J.T. Vize skied the 186, and noted that "due to the longer rocker profile, I felt that these skied a bit short, but the stability was pretty impressive regardless." His top score of 5 out of 5 was given for flotation, with 4's running the table the rest of the way. We expect, but are still excited by, scores of this nature for skis like this, as that's exactly what Nordica is looking for when it comes to the 104. J.T. calls the 104 Free a "Jack of all trades, do not be intimidated by the underfoot. The 104 Free is extremely maneuverable and for an advanced skier vary easily tamed." I think the fact that it is a wider ski will throw off a lot of skiers, but it makes sense for this build, and is surprisingly quick for a 104, or any ski above 100 mm for that matter. Mike Anglin felt the same way about the length as J.T., with his 179 cm test length feeling short as well. Regardless, Mike gave top marks of 5 for overall impression, versatility, playfulness, quickness, maneuverability, and flotation. His low scores of 4 out of 5 went to torsional stiffness, edge hold, stability, and forgiveness, but these are still some wide-ranging high scores for sure. "The Enforcer line has been around for awhile and for a good reason. They bring the heat, and enforce the rules of downhill skiing. Send it, while making a bunch of crazy turns and grinning from ear to ear. The Enforcer 104 Free checked off all necessary 100+ waist width boxes for me, while surprising me on the forgiveness of it, and its low speed maneuverability. Loves to mix up turn shapes. Doesn't mind bumps or tight spots. The Enforcer 104 can let its guard down and open up the radius and speed with confidence when it wants to. Eats up whatever terrain you fell like throwing at it, while the pilot seat should be reserved for the intermediate to expert pro brah."

Continuing the trend of testers finding the 104 Free to feel Short, Jeffrey Siegel follows suit. He was on the 179, and noted that while it was long enough, he'd likely size up to the 186 for a personal pair. He scored top scores of 5 out of 5 for overall impression and versatility, with 4's on their heels for torsional stiffness, edge hold, quickness, maneuverability, stability, and flotation. Very high marks across the board for these sweet sticks. "I like the Enforcer line, I have a pair, but for the way I ski, they all work much better as on-piste skis than off-piste skis. They feel like they should be great in the trees, but I always feel like I’m working a bit too hard. Not with the 104 Free. As far as I’m concerned, this is the perfect Enforcer shape for versatility. I could make whatever kind of turn on wanted on this ski. And for 104 underfoot, it feels really quick. I really didn’t feel like I was giving up much performance for the versatility gains. You lose a little power out of the tail, but I didn’t find I was missing it. It’s definitely still and advanced/expert ski. It rewards chargers. I would say it’s more powerful than poppy, but maybe a heavier skier could get a little more bounce from it. I liked it in a 179cm, but I might go longer depending on who I was chasing around."

Ski companies have done such a great job over the years at making these wider skis act more like narrower skis except in the powder, at which point they revert right pack to their soft-snow loving ways, and that's just a great way to go about ski construction. The Nordica Enforcer 104 Free has a fantastic blend of a capable all-mountain ski and a freeride powder board, and that formula has made a whole lot of skiers quite happy over the years, and will continue to do so as long as they keep this train running. For those in the know, it's hopefully a long time.