2026 Nordica Unleashed 120 Ski Review

For us here in Vermont, a ski like the 2026 Nordica Unleashed 120 could easily be considered overkill. However, depending on the year, like this one for example, a 120 is totally acceptable as part of a quiver, especially on the feet of stronger and more aggressive skiers. It’s all about playing the percentages for a lot of skiers, but every once in a while, it’s fun to gamble and play the long shot. What if we get 2 feet of snow? What if we end up having almost 10 straight weeks of steady accumulation? What if I get to go to Utah, Wyoming, California, or Alaska and need to bring my own skis? The answer to all of these low-odds questions will certainly lead to and point to a product like the Unleashed 120. Compared to the existing Unleashed series of skis, most notably the 114, 108, and 98, this new 120 uses a different shape and style, keeping the freestyle and twin tip character largely at bay while introducing a fresh new freeride style. Straighter, flatter, wider, and more tapered—that's the big 4 when it comes to differences here.

From a construction standpoint, we’re pretty close to where we are with the rest of the Unleashed series of skis. The new 120 uses a lighter wood core with one strip of central metal, about the width of the binding zone. Since the ski is wider, the metal takes up less of the makeup of the ski, resulting in a woodier feel that provides better flotation and a driftier mentality. In the case of the narrower 114, the Terrain Specific Metal takes up more of the ski, per volume, so it’s more engaging in a carved turn—there's simply less of that from an initiation standpoint with the 120. Even with all that volume, though, the new 120 isn’t too heavy, sitting on the scale at 2108 grams in the 190 cm length. That’s slightly lighter than the narrower and slightly shorter Unleashed 114 in the 186 cm length. The fact that it has so much darn mass and volume, though, makes it feel like a very sturdy and capable ski at higher speeds and longer turns. The flex is even and progressive—a bit stiffer in the tail for support at speed, but overall, pretty well-rounded. The uniqueness of this ski is shown in the available sizes—this is not an every persons ski—we get either a 180 or a 190—take it or leave it. In all honesty, we kinda wish there was a longer length for bigger mountains.

At a Glance:

2026 Nordica Unleashed 120 Skis

The shape and profile are where we see bigger differences between this 120 and the narrower skis in the Unleashed line. We’ve pretty much exited the “twin tip” department at this point—even the 114 is a bit strange with a twin tip shape and such a long effective edge. The 120 takes issue with that style of ski and brings its own footprint to the mix. We now see a more tapered, and somewhat directional shape with minimal freestyle inspiration. The intent here is quite clear—Unleashed 120 is more business-like and big-mountain oriented. While we did see the Unleashed 114 take part in Freeride World tour venues, I can only imagine that in deeper and more open courses, the new 120 will supplant that ski. Additionally, when it comes to wider spaces and bottomless snow, the 120 has a lot more to offer. This is in large part due to the more tapered shape, but also the straighter cut of the ski. This 120 in the 190 contains sidecut dimensions of 150/120/139 creating a 22.3-meter turn radius. The 114 in the 186, on the other hand, is 146/114/136 with a 20.4-meter arc. The camber is slightly flatter and less pronounced, so when it comes to shape, we’re certainly seeing the move to flatter, straighter, and more tapered. These structural elements contribute to the more aggressive fall-line mentality that this ski possesses. Give it room to run, get it up on edge, and you’ll be the benefactor of some serious stability and style.

This latter portion is what we’ve found to be true in terms of the Unleashed 120—this ski bombs. In a good way. Good luck keeping up with your friends and family if one of them is on a 120—this thing is fast. The better part about it is that it works so much better when it’s going fast. We talked about this a bunch this spring—Unleashed 120 is fine in our woods here in Vermont, but where it really comes alive is in open spaces when the tips are pointed down the fall line. In truth, we don’t really have a whole lot of terrain that can contain the Unleashed 120—that's more Jackson Hole’s job. Here at Stowe, you may find trails like Hayride, Liftline, and Nosedive as up for the task, but at the end of the day, they’re either not consistently steep enough or deep enough to let the Unleashed 120 to truly do its thing. During our ski test, I (Bob) took a run with my wife who was skiing on a Volkl Mantra M7. She’s a pretty fast skier but was left in the dust in the spring conditions. She asked me where the fire was and why I was going so fast, and I had to tell her that it didn’t even feel like I was moving—that's how smooth and stable these skis are. In anything broken, soft, or inconsistent, the Unleashed 120 totally smooths it out—no issues with crud, chop, corn, or any other multi-dimensional snow. This is a point-and-shoot type of ski when it’s in the open, and you’d be doing it a disservice if you tried to ski it slowly if that’s an option.

When it’s not an option, and you need to make some turns in a technical area, you should have some strong legs and a positive mindset. Sometimes, straighter skis are easy to pivot and smear, but that’s not really the case with the Unleashed 120—this ski requires focus, energy, and intent to get it to sing at lower speeds and in shorter turns. If you’re cool with that, and want to continue on this adventure, be our guest. If you are looking for easier turning and a simpler configuration on your feet, there are lighter and more mobile skis in this width range. But not many. Once you get into the 120’s, your options in terms of how light, heavy, mobile, or powerful start to diminish.

Unleashed 120 represents a good middle-range here, with it not being quite as heavy or damp as something like a Rossignol Sender Free 118 but also having more of a directional feel versus the crazy shapes and profiles of a Volkl Revolt 121. Lighter skis like the Atomic Bent Chetler 120 is an obvious foil here, comprising a more agile and creative style, while having a far more dramatic rocker profile. The 120’s increased flex is fine, as skiers are able to push through the camber and get into the fun parts of the ski. Overall, Unleashed 120 is unique here, and provides a type and style of ski that doesn’t exist many other places.

Now Available for Pre-Order:

2026 Nordica Unleashed 120 Ski Pre-Order