2025 Nordica Santa Ana 92

The Nordica Santa Ana series has dominated the women’s specific all-mountain ski category season after season. After years of success, Nordica decided it was time to shake things up. Rather than doing a full revamp, the Santa Ana family received slight alterations to both the construction and shape with the intent being to reach a more refined, balanced feel without losing the well-received characteristics that we all know and love. With the same great power and level of precision, the new Santa Anas feel more energetic and versatile. For 2025, we get four models, with the Santa Ana 92 sitting right in the middle of the pack. Offering an impressive amount of versatility, this all-mountain tool packs plenty of punch while delivering dampness, predictability, and stability.

It’s safe to say the leading culprit for the well renowned performance of the Santa Ana is the construction. Contributing to its impressive degree of power and precision, the more robust build lends itself to the required skill set necessary to operate this all-mountain tool. Making some slight adjustments, Nordica set out to balance the overall feel by incorporating material underfoot that would offer a greater level of dampness. While the beech/poplar wood blend returns, though sourced through a different supplier, the addition of the Pulse Core layer is new and certainly effective. The rubberized polymer material, which is placed directly underfoot, does an incredible job of smoothing out unwanted vibrations, creating a more balanced, consistent feel. Nordica’s tried and true Terrain-Specific metal remains a staple to the build, featuring full-length metal from tip to tail and full-width metal everywhere except the mid-body and mid-tail. With greater flex and mobility where there is less metal, and more power where there is metal, this construction element goes a long way in providing the classic Santa Ana feel. Tester Lauren Simmers experienced the full range of this ski, commenting “This was a fun ski that liked to go fast! Held a turn nicely at speed with minimal chatter in the tips. Good weight to the ski.”

While the shape alteration is nothing drastic and may not be noticeable at first glance, it certainly makes a difference as far as performance. We see the overall footprint carry over from last year, with the main focus for change being in the tail. While the previous model had a directional tail shape with slight rocker, the new model has deeper tail rocker and more tail splay. Offering better maneuverability and quicker feedback, this new version feels more energetic and less committed at the finish of a turn. Whereas before, once you were locked into a turn, the ski required a much more forward stance so as not to get backseat and ultimately punished. Creating a 16.5-meter turn radius in the 167 cm length, the ski likes to make slarvy, smeary turns at moderate to fast speeds. However, with the new design and easier release point, short, energetic turns are now within its realm. At 92 mm underfoot, this waist width offers precise performance on-piste while providing enough width for soft snow conditions.

Its hard to compete with the Santa Ana line, especially if you are an advanced to expert level skier looking for precision, power and feedback. With Nordica’s reiteration to the line offering a more consistent, predictable feel with less commitment, skiers who want a high-performance ski that can tackle anything with confidence and strength but not have to be in full pilot mode all day will love this new recipe.