2021-2022 Nordica Enforcer 94

Intro

In what seems to be a theme for the 20/21 season, Nordica is yet another brand that’s tweaking some staples in their lineup, namely the Enforcer and Santa Ana series of all-mountain skis.

We’ve already talked about the overall changes to those lines and posted our First Look and Flash Review of the new Enforcer 100. Now, it’s time time to discuss the new Enforcer 94, how it compares to the old Enforcer 93, and how its design compares to its competition.

What Nordica says about the Enforcer 94

“The new Enforcer 94 carves a fresh chapter for Nordica’s award-winning and best-selling Enforcer collection while continuing to build on its legendary performance. No wonder the Enforcer 94 has already emerged as a favorite among skiers who spend most of their time on trails. Thanks to its new construction and rocker-camber blend, it offers exceptional versatility, providing a forgiving ride at low speeds and unrivaled performance when it’s time to hold nothing back. The new carbon chassis coupled with a full wood core sandwiched between two sheets of metal deliver tremendous stability and response and dampen vibrations for an especially smooth ride. In addition to reducing weight, this modern design provides outstanding edge hold that inspires confidence and helps lay down powerful and precise turns. Elevate your skiing—and your expectations—with the new Enforcer 94”

There are a few points I’d highlight here.

First, I think it’s interesting that Nordica adds the note “a favorite among skiers who spend most of their time on trails.” As we’ll get into below, the Enforcer 94 does not have a super traditional shape, and looks more like most wider “all-mountain” skis than most carving / frontside-oriented skis.

I think it’s also important to focus on Nordica’s talk about versatility at high and low speeds — something we’ve been really impressed by in the past when skiing all of the Enforcer series.

Nordica also says the Enforcer 94’s tweaked construction reduces weight without losing the stability and damping for which the Enforcer series has become known. In short, the construction update mostly comes down to the laminate and tips. The Enforcer 88, 94, 100, and 104 Free all feature a tweaked carbon & fiberglass laminate designed to reduce weight and the brand’s “TrueTip” design, which basically decreases the amount of plastic used in the tip by increasing the length of the wood core, and thus reportedly decreasing swing weight.

Shape / Rocker Profile

Not much change here, apart from the Enforcer 94’s ever-so-slightly wider waist vs. the Enforcer 93.

The Enforcer 94 is still a pretty tapered ski for how narrow it is. Like the Enforcer 93 and Enforcer 88, the Enforcer 94’s tips and tails don’t taper to much of a point, but the widest points at its tips and tails are closer to the middle of the ski than skis like the Blizzard Bonafide and Volkl Mantra M5. Despite its fairly tight sidecut radius of 18.2 meters for the 186 cm length, the Enforcer 94 looks a bit “straight” due to the shape of its tips and tails.

The Enforcer 94 still has fairly deep rocker lines for a ski of its width, though its rocker profile isn’t that far off from the Bonafide and Mantra M5 and it has less rocker than some of the more playful options in this class like the Fischer Ranger 94 FR and Blizzard Rustler 9.

Flex Pattern

Here’s how we’d characterize the flex pattern of the Enforcer 94:

Tips: 6-7
Shovels: 7.5-8.5
In Front of Toe Piece: 9-10
Underfoot: 10
Behind the Heel Piece: 9.5-9
Tails: 9

This is one of the bigger differences. While the Enforcer 93 was a bit stronger than the old Enforcer 100, the Enforcer 94 is even stronger than the Enforcer 93. This difference is most noticeable in the back-half of the ski, where, like the new Enforcer 100, the Enforcer 94 is notably stronger than the ski it replaces.

Compared to the new Enforcer 100, the Enforcer 94 feels extremely similar, with the 94’s tail finishing a tiny bit stronger. Overall though, the Enforcer 94 is a very strong ski with a fairly accessible shovel.

Compared to the Volkl Mantra M5, the Enforcer 94 is a bit softer at the tip and shovel, but a bit stiffer at the end of the tail.

Weight

Another change — for our pairs of the 185 cm Enforcer 93 and 186 cm Enforcer 94, the new 94 is more than 100 grams heavier per ski. The Enforcer 94 is actually one of the heaviest skis in its class. While Nordica’s “TrueTip” construction used in the new Enforcer skis is claimed to reduce the swing weight, we’re curious to see if that construction can still make a noticeable difference, given the overall weight of the ski.

For reference, here are a number of our measured weights (per ski in grams) for some notable skis. Keep in mind the length differences to try to keep things apples-to-apples.

1629 & 1684 Elan Ripstick 96, 180 cm (17/18–19/20)
1734 & 1750 Renoun Endurance 98, 184 cm (18/19–19/20)
1758 & 1758 Head Kore 93, 180 cm (19/20–20/21)
1807 & 1840 Atomic Bent Chetler 100, 188 cm (18/19–20/21)
1863 & 1894 Blizzard Rustler 9, 180 cm (18/19–20/21)
1894 & 1980 Black Crows Daemon, 183.6 cm (17/18–19/20)
1896 & 1919 Dynastar Legend X96, 186 cm (18/19–19/20)
1921 & 1968 Head Kore 99, 188 cm (18/19–20/21)
1925 & 1937 Liberty Helix 98, 186 cm (18/19–20/21)
1928 & 1933 Moment Commander 98, 178 cm (19/20)
1931 & 1932 DPS Foundation Cassiar 94, 185 cm (18/19–19/20)
1937 & 1945 Fischer Ranger 94 FR, 184 cm (19/20–20/21)
1947 & 2022 Liberty V92, 186 cm (19/20–20/21)
1966 & 1973 Liberty Origin 96, 187 cm (18/19–20/21)
1976 & 2028 Parlor Cardinal Pro, 182 cm (19/20–20/21)
1985 & 2006 Parlor Cardinal 100, 185 cm (16/17–20/21)
1994 & 2011 Fischer Ranger 99 Ti, 181 cm (19/20–20/21)
1998 & 2044 4FRNT MSP 99, 181 cm (17/18–19/20)
1999 & 2060 Line Blade, 181 cm (20/21)
2007 & 2029 Armada Invictus 99 Ti, 187 cm (18/19–19/20)
2049 & 2065 Volkl Mantra M5, 177 cm (18/19–20/21)
2050 & 2080 ON3P Wrenegade 96, 184 cm (18/19–19/20)
2053 & 2057 Atomic Vantage 97 Ti, 188 cm (18/19–20/21)
2062 & 2063 Rossignol Experience 94 Ti, 187 cm (18/19–20/21)
2078 & 2138 Black Crows Justis, 183 cm (20/21)
2085 & 2096 Dynastar Menace 98, 181 cm (19/20–20/21)
2114 & 2133 Nordica Enforcer 93, 185 cm (16/17–19/20)
2115 & 2149 J Skis Masterblaster, 181 cm (16/17–19/20)
2124 & 2137 Blizzard Bonafide, 180 cm (17/18–19/20)
2131 & 2189 Nordica Enforcer 100, 185 cm (15/16–19/20)
2233 & 2255 Nordica Enforcer 104 Free, 186 cm (19/20–20/21)
2256 & 2284 Nordica Enforcer 94, 186 cm (20/21)
2311 & 2342 K2 Mindbender 99Ti, 184 cm (19/20–20/21)
2324 & 2359 Kastle MX99, 184 cm (18/19-19/20)
2326 & 2336 Nordica Enforcer 100, 186 cm (20/21)
2344 & 2367 J Skis Masterblaster, 187 cm (16/17–20/21)

Some Questions / Things We’re Curious About

(1) Given its heavier weight and stronger tail, how much more demanding will the Enforcer 94 feel vs. the old Enforcer 93, as well as some of its competition like the Volkl Mantra M5 and J Skis Masterblaster?

(2) When you want to go fast, will that heavier weight and stronger tail make the Enforcer 94 notably more stable and more appealing to aggressive skiers?

(3) Given that many other ~94mm-wide skis have less tapered and / or rockered designs, how will the Enforcer 94 compare on firm snow? And what about weird, inconsistent, off-piste conditions?