2027 Nordica Unleashed 120 Skiswith Marker Griffon 13 ID Bindings

The 2027 Nordica Unleashed 120 with Marker Griffon 13 ID Bindings was built for storm days and steep, deep big-mountain terrain. Widest ski in Nordica's freeride lineup, it wraps a lightweight poplar core around carbon and a centerline Drift Lock Metal strip. The result is a powder ski with surprising friendliness, capable of stomping serious lines without demanding the strength and aggression a wide charging ski usually requires. We paired the Unleashed 120 with the Marker Griffon 13 ID because of the Griffon’s precision and reliability for all mountain and freeride skiers. With a robust construction and all the best tech, the Griffon 13 is a popular high-performance binding choice for wider-bodied skis for good reason.

Why we like it:

Nordica's Drift Lock approach is what makes this ski work. Rather than laying down full sheets of titanal, they place a single strip of metal along the centerline and pair it with carbon stringers in the lighter wood core. You get composure and edge hold underfoot while the tips and tails stay light enough to pivot, smear, and slash exactly the way a powder ski should. Most skis this wide make you fight them; this one does not.

Who it's for:

Advanced and expert skiers chasing storm days and big-mountain terrain. This is not a daily driver and it is not the right tool for tight, technical terrain. Skiers who find themselves on a powder ski more days than not, who like big open lines, and who value float and surfability over carving precision will find a real friend here.

Highlights:

Shape is where this ski differs most from the rest of the line. A genuinely long turn radius pairs with deep, splayed tip and tail rocker for serious float and a partial twin-tip silhouette that lets you ride switch out of a drop or back out of a tight spot. Construction starts with a Lite Performance poplar core that keeps overall mass manageable beneath a 120 mm waist, with carbon stringers above and below adding pop and rebound and the Drift Lock Metal strip handling damping and stability along the binding zone. The Powder Rocker profile combines long tip rocker with a moderately rockered tail, which is what makes the ski feel less locked-in than its dimensions would suggest. Nordica calls the overall design language Freeride Flow, their term for tip and tail shapes tuned to each waist width, and here that means a drawn-out, surfy ride with plenty of taper for breaking free in deep snow. As we’ve come to expect from Marker, there’s no shortage of tech packed into the Griffon 13 binding. Marker’s Triple Pivot Elite Toe and Inter-pivot 3 Freeride Heel systems work in tandem to provide improved edge grip and control, as well as helping to mitigate vibrations for a smooth ride. A cleverly placed anti-ice rail sits on top of the toepiece and can be used to scrape off those pesky clumps of snow and ice that accumulate on the sole of your boot. With Multinorm (MN) boot compatibility, the Griffon 13 is a versatile and reliable choice for a huge range of skiers and applications.

Things to consider:

Do not buy this as a quiver of one. It is a powder specialist, and on hardpack or trails it is the wrong tool for the job; it will hold an edge but it will not carve a clean turn the way a narrower freeride ski like the Unleashed 98 does. And despite the friendly character, this is still a serious freeride ski that intermediate skiers will find to be more than they need.

Fit & sizing considerations:

Deep tip rocker shortens the effective edge and makes this ski size long, so drop a length from what you would ride in a narrower freeride ski; each option here feels roughly like the next size up in a conventional shape.