Ski: 2024-2025 Icelantic Nomad 106, 188 cm
Test Location: Crested Butte Mountain Resort, CO
Days Skied: ~10
Available Lengths: 171, 176, 182, 188 cm
Blister’s Measured Tip-to-Tail Length (straight-tape pull): 185.2 cm
Stated Weight per Ski (188 cm): 1978 grams
Blister’s Measured Weight per Ski (188 cm): 2022 & 2029 grams
Stated Dimensions: 141-106-133 mm
Blister’s Measured Dimensions: 138.5-104-130 mm
Stated Sidecut Radius (188 cm): 20 meters
Measured Tip & Tail Splay (ski decambered): 69 mm / 60 mm
Measured Traditional Camber Underfoot: 5.5 mm
Core Materials: poplar + carbon stringers + fiberglass laminate
Base Material: sintered ISOSPEED 7200
Factory Recommended Mount Points:
- “Progressive Center”: -5 cm from center / 87.6 cm from tail
- “Boot Center”: -7 cm from center / 85.6 cm from tail
Boots Used: Lange Shadow LV 130, Armada AR ONE 130
Bindings Used: Tyrolia Attack 13
Intro
Icelantic’s Nomad (men’s) and Maiden (women’s) skis have been staples in the Colorado brand’s lineup for almost two decades, historically being their most popular models.
For the 2024-2025 season, Icelantic updated all of them for the first time in many years.
It can be tricky to make new changes without losing what already made a given product appealing, and we were particularly eager to try the new skis, given that we thought several of the existing models could be good fits for a wide range of skiers.
We started our testing over a year ago, and at Blister Summit 2024, we sat down with Icelantic to get the full rundown on what they changed, and why. You can check out that video below, and if you want to try Icelantic’s new 2025-2026 collection, you can do so at Blister Summit 2025.
But for now, let’s discuss how the new Nomad 106 compares to the current crop of all-mountain and freeride skis.
What Icelantic says about the Nomad 106:
“Replacing our best selling ski of all time, the Nomad 105, wasn’t going to be easy, so it was really important to us that we do this right. Our solution? Simple. Make the BEST ski we’ve ever made. We think we’ve done just that. ‘The Nomad 105 needs to have more pop?’ Check! We doubled the camber height and added carbon stringers tip to tail to exaggerate the much desired energy underfoot. ‘The Nomad 105 needs a lighter swingweight.’ Copy that! Our new FLY-cap construction does exactly that without needing to reduce surface area. ‘The Nomad 105 needs to actually be 105mm wide.’ Touché, but we raise you 1mm to a 106. We’ve packaged the familiarity of the Nomad you know and love with a lively, playful, and even more FUN ski you always knew it could be. The Nomad 106 combines the rare qualities of playfulness and dampness into a ski that delivers the freeride performance that wants to jib, drive or carve through all conditions.”
Construction
The Nomad 106 features a poplar wood core, carbon stringers above and below it, and multiple layers of fiberglass. It’s finished with a Durasurf 2001 P-Tex sidewall and sintered ISOSPEED 7200 base. Like all Icelantic skis, the Nomad 106 is both designed and manufactured in Colorado.
(For 2025-2026, the Nomad 106 will return constructionally unchanged, just with new graphics.)
Shape & Rocker Profile
Icelantic kept the shape and rocker profile of the Nomad 106 pretty similar to the ski it replaced, the Nomad 105.
The Nomad 106 features notably deep tip and tail rocker lines for a 106mm-wide ski, though it has a bit more camber underfoot relative to the Nomad 105. The Nomad 106’s shape retains the 105’s minimally tapered tips and tails, resulting in a pretty long effective edge but a fairly short contact length.
Flex Pattern
Here’s how we’d characterize the flex pattern of the Nomad 106:
Tips: 5-5.5
Shovels: 6-6.5
In Front of Toe Piece: 8-10
Underfoot: 10
Behind the Heel Piece: 9.5-8.5
Tails: 7.5-6
This is a pretty accessible flex pattern. The very ends of the tips and tails are quite soft, but they smoothly ramp up in stiffness as you move from the rockered ends to the cambered middle of the ski.
Sidecut Radius
No big changes here — the Nomad 106 has a pretty average (for its class) stated sidecut radius of 20 meters for the 188 cm length we’ve been testing.
Mount Point
The Nomad 106 comes with two recommended mount points. The “Boot Center” line is -7 cm from true center, while the “Progressive Center” is -5 cm. Both are a bit closer to center than the Nomad 105’s recommended line, and this change was partially made as a result of so many skiers opting to mount the prior Nomad 105 forward from its recommended line.
Dimensions & Lengths
One unusual aspect of the previous Nomad 105 was that, for most of its longer lengths, it actually measured closer to 110 mm underfoot. The 24/25 Nomads stick to the waist widths in their names, and the Nomad 106 also features a slightly more symmetrical shape with less of a difference between the width of its tips (141 mm) and tails (133 mm).
Icelantic also updated the available lengths for many of the new Nomads, with the Nomad 106 being offered in 171, 176, 182, and 188 cm lengths.
Weight (and Comparisons)
Compared to the Nomad 105, the Nomad 106 has lost a good bit of weight. Our 188 cm Nomad 106 weighs just a little more than 2000 grams per ski, which puts it on the lighter end of the spectrum for its class (and makes it almost 200 grams lighter per ski than the 191 cm Nomad 105).
For reference, here are some of our measured weights (per ski in grams) for some notable skis. As always, keep in mind the length and width differences to try to keep things more apples-to-apples.
1735 & 1741 Elan Ripstick 96, 182 cm
1778 & 1792 Liberty Scope 104, 188 cm
1800 & 1824 Romp Zorro 100, 183 cm
1808 & 1823 Shaggy’s Ahmeek 95, 180 cm
1830 & 1860 ZAG Slap 98, 180 cm
1831 & 1844 K2 Mindbender 96C, 178 cm
1851 & 1868 Folsom Completo 100, 186 cm
1869 & 1873 Line Sakana, 181 cm
1880 & 1887 Blizzard Rustler 9, 180 cm
1883 & 1906 Season Aero, 180 cm
1893 & 1897 Salomon QST 92, 184 cm
1893 & 1925 Icelantic Nomad 100, 188 cm
1894 & 1919 RMU Apostle 96 Ti, 184 cm
1901 & 1902 Renoun Endurance 98, 184 cm
1916 & 1963 DPS Carbon Wailer 100, 184 cm
1917 & 1961 DPS Carbon Wailer 90, 184 cm
1925 & 1934 Black Crows Camox, 186 cm
1933 & 1977 Line Optic 88, 184cm
1946 & 1962 Black Crows Atris, 184 cm
1947 & 1962 Meier Wrangler, 185 cm
1951 & 1953 Elan Ripstick 106, 188 cm (21/22–23/24)
1956 & 1976 Blizzard Rustler 10, 186 cm
1976 & 2000 Line Pandora 99, 184 cm
1980 & 1981 ZAG Mata Ti, 178 cm
1997 & 2001 RMU Apostle 106 Pro, 184 cm (23/24)
1997 & 2001 ZAG Slap 104, 188 cm
1999 & 2012 RMU Apostle 106, 184 cm
1999 & 2060 Line Blade, 181 cm
2022 & 2029 Icelantic Nomad 106, 188 cm
2025 & 2090 Line Pandora 106, 183cm
2050 & 2084 K2 Mindbender 106C, 183 cm
2054 & 2063 Salomon QST 98, 189 cm
2055 & 2056 DPS Carbon Wailer 107, 184 cm
2057 & 2061 Fischer Ranger 102, 183 cm
2068 & 2178 Salomon QST 106, 181 cm
2077 & 2096 Line Optic 96, 184 cm
2097 & 2098 Rossignol Sender Soul 102, 180 cm
2110 & 2117 Fischer Ranger 108, 185 cm
2112 & 2149 J Skis Masterblaster, 181 cm
2118 & 2194 K2 Mindbender 106C, 189 cm
2171 & 2191 Wagner Summit 109, 186 cm
2182 & 2218 Nordica Enforcer 110, 185 cm (17/18–23/24)
2202 & 2209 Shaggy’s Ahmeek 105, 186 cm
2230 & 2290 Line Optic 104, 185 cm
2295 & 2344 J Skis Hotshot, 183 cm
2322 & 2322 Dynastar M-Free 108, 192 cm
FULL REVIEW
Luke Koppa (5’8”, 155 lbs / 173 cm, 70 kg): As we noted in the intro, we’ve been testing several of Icelantic’s new Nomads and Maidens for over a year at this point, in everything from deep resort pow days to crud, perfect chalk, icy groomers, and more. After all that, I think Icelantic did an impressive job when updating these new skis — here’s why:
Powder & Soft Chop
Depending on your individual perspective, the Nomad 106 could be thought of as a daily-driver all-mountain ski, something you’d only break out when there’s fresh snow to be found, or something in between.
For its size, the Nomad 106 is a very good powder ski. Its big, deeply rockered shovels plane up in deep snow better than many other ~106mm-wide skis, and it’s also quite easy to slash and slide through pow.
The old 191 cm Nomad 105 floated a bit better, given that it was actually 111 mm underfoot and longer, but the 188 cm Nomad 106 offered plenty of flotation to keep me happy on resort pow days when there were anywhere between 1 and 12 inches of fresh (2–30 cm).
As the snow gets cut up, the Nomad 106 really started to impress me. This is mostly because Icelantic made it a lot lighter than the ski it replaced, but I don’t think the Nomad 106 is significantly less stable in chop than the old Nomad 105. However, the new 106 is notably more agile and lively, making it less work to ski at slow speeds and more fun when trying to catch air or slash piles of chopped-up pow.
I prefer the wider Nomad 112 for days when we’ve gotten close to a foot of snow or more, but that’s mostly due to the Nomad 112’s slightly stronger flex pattern (a benefit in chop), rather than it offering drastically better flotation or maneuverability. The Nomad 106 is still very fun to ski fast in soft chop, especially if you’re not trying to make giant turns down the fall line. But if you’re looking for a particularly stable chop ski, I’d push you toward a heavier, stiffer setup.
Firm Chop & Crud
As fresh snow gets more tracked out and solidifies, the Nomad 106 continues to provide impressive suspension, stability, and maneuverability, given that the 188 cm version only weighs a little over 2000 grams per ski.
Again, this is far from your best choice if suspension and high-speed composure are your top priorities. There are many heavier and/or stiffer skis that work better for that.
However, if you compare the Nomad 106 to skis with similar specs, it behaves more predictably in crud than many of them. In shallower chop and crud, I think that its fairly soft tips and tails help counteract the stability losses that often come with a lighter build.
The Nomad 106 isn’t quick to immediately deflect off every bit of variable snow, especially if you keep some pressure on its big shovels. At the same time, its deep rocker lines, low swing weight, and forgiving flex pattern all make it easy to turn through challenging snow from a variety of stances.
So, the Nomad 106 is easy to ski in crud if you take it easy and make more frequent, smaller turns. But it’s also capable of pretty high speeds, provided that you take a more dynamic approach and adapt to the terrain on the fly, rather than charging straight through everything.
Moguls, Trees, & Tight Terrain
Despite being forgiving and easy to slash around, the previous 191 cm Nomad 105 could feel a bit sluggish in tight terrain; the 188 cm Nomad 106 is considerably more agile.
The Nomad 106 retains the Nomad 105’s surfy feel, allowing you to release and pivot its tails without much effort. But the Nomad 106 has a notably lower swing weight and a more lively flex pattern, both of which make it more rewarding when trying to quickly work your way through tight spots. Those same traits also make it generally less fatiguing in moguls, trees, etc.
This ski feels like it has a very large sweet spot — i.e., you don’t have to keep your weight balanced over one tiny spot on the ski for it to feel intuitive. It’s very similar to the Nomad 105 in this regard, but like that ski, the Nomad 106 isn’t your best bet if you know you like a particularly stiff setup (especially if you also prefer mount points around -10 cm or farther back).
Personally, I haven’t been left wishing for more support from the tail of the 188 cm Nomad 106, but that tail is notably more forgiving than many of the flatter-tailed, more directional all-mountain skis in this class (e.g., Icelantic’s Pioneer 109). There have been times when I wished the Nomad 106’s shovels were just a bit stiffer, but those were all when skiing deep, dense chop at the end of a resort pow day.
Groomers / On-Piste
On soft groomers, the Nomad 106 is an impressive carver, given that it’s also one of the more maneuverable and playful skis in its class. On slopes where it’s easy to get an edge in, the Nomad 106’s big shovels provide nice feedback at the start of the turn, and it can make high-edge-angle turns in what I’d call the “medium” to “medium-large” size range.
However, if you’re dealing with very firm, smooth conditions, the Nomad 106 feels more inclined to slarve turns, rather than truly carve them. I bet you could get this ski to lay down clean arcs in these conditions if you put an aggressive tune on it, but I think the stock tune makes more sense for this ski.
If you put more aggressive edge bevels on the whole ski, I have a strong hunch that the Nomad 106’s wide, deeply rockered tips and tails would feel pretty hooky in off-piste conditions. That’s where this ski really excels, so I think Icelantic is right to optimize that (via pretty detuned tips and tails), rather than on-piste precision.
Look to less rockered skis in this class if you want something that carves particularly well on firm groomers. The Nomad 106 is predictable to skid around in those conditions, but it’s much more fun to carve when the conditions are softer.
Playfulness & Mount Point
The Nomad 106 is a very playful ski that can also work quite well for skiers who have no interest in spinning, flipping, etc.
If you’re a directional skier coming from directional skis, you’ll likely find the Nomad 106 highly maneuverable, agile, lively, and forgiving. I.e., what many skiers consider “playful.”
If you spend most of your time on more center-mounted freestyle skis, the Nomad 106 might not feel quite as balanced, but it still encourages a playful skiing style. It’s easy to throw sideways, skis switch well, doesn’t take much force to bend, and produces a nice amount of energy.
Personally, I got along great with the standard “Boot Center” line (-7 cm from true center). Mounted there, the Nomad 106 lets me ski with a centered or forward stance, doesn’t feel unwieldy in the air, and generally lets me ski how I want to ski. If you’re a very directional skier, it might be worth considering mounting it back from that line by a centimeter or so, but I think the majority of folks who will like this ski will also like its -7 cm “Boot Center” recommended line.
Length
For reference, I’m 5’8”, 155 lbs (173 cm, 70 kg), and I tend to get along well with ~105mm-wide all-mountain skis in lengths from 180-192 cm. The 188 cm Nomad 106 definitely feels like the right length for me.
If you’re caught between lengths, I’d be more inclined to size up than down, given that the Nomad 106 has deep rocker lines and fairly soft tips and tails. (See our video and article on How to Think About Ski Length for more detailed advice.)
Who’s It For?
Sometimes, we can answer this question with a single, highly specific demographic. That’s not the case for the Nomad 106.
Rather, let’s first focus on who the Nomad 106 is not for. The first group would be directional skiers who know they like a strong and heavy setup that’s very stable at high speeds in rough snow. The Nomad 106 also isn’t ideal if you want a wider all-mountain ski that you can still carve hard on very firm groomers.
If you don’t fall into those groups, you might want to consider this ski. The Nomad 106 is easy to ski in most conditions and terrain, with a notably maneuverable and agile ride in tight spots. That makes it viable for beginners and intermediates learning to head off piste, but it’s also damp and strong enough to be skied quite aggressively in soft or fairly smooth snow — especially if you ski with a more dynamic, playful style. And it’s plenty capable as an all-mountain freestyle ski, particularly if you prefer a fairly soft flex pattern but still like to drive the shovels of your skis when the going gets rough.
Aside from icy pistes, the Nomad 106 feels at home in most conditions and terrain, making it a worthy 1-ski-quiver contender for those in higher-snow locales, or as a versatile but soft-snow-oriented setup at other mountains.
Bottom Line
Over the years, we’ve written many reviews of updated versions of products that we thought were already pretty dialed. Many of them end with us emphasizing the benefits of not trying to fix what isn’t broken.
This isn’t one of those reviews. With the new Nomad 106, Icelantic managed to make it more agile and energetic than its predecessor, the Nomad 105, but they did so without drastically reducing its suspension and high-speed composure.
The end result is a highly maneuverable and playful all-mountain ski with broad potential appeal. It’s difficult to put the Nomad 106 in a situation where it feels wildly out of place, and it can be enjoyed whether you’re casually slipping through tight trees, boosting off cliffs, slashing through pow, or carving fresh corduroy.
Our Deep Dives, Winter Buyer’s Guide, & Flash Reviews
BLISTER+ members and those who purchase our Digital Access Pass can check out the Deep Dive comparisons linked below, where we compare a given ski, bike, etc. to a whole bunch of other comparable products in its class. Don’t have access? Get our Digital Access Pass to read all of our Deep Dive comparisons, as well as our Flash Reviews, where we provide our initial impressions as soon as we start testing gear.
Or, even better, become a BLISTER+ member to get that + the best worldwide Outdoor Injury Insurance, exclusive deals and discounts on skis, personalized gear recommendations from us, access to our annual Winter Buyer’s Guide, and much more.
On that note, you can also get our thoughts on this ski and 300+ others in our 2024-2025 Blister Winter Buyer’s Guide. BLISTER+ members already have access, or you can purchase the guide on its own to get the the print copy + digital version at no extra cost, or the digital-only edition.
Deep Dive: Icelantic Nomad 106
We compare the Nomad 106 to the previous Nomad 105, current Nomad 112, Nomad 100, J Skis Hotshot, Salomon QST 106, Nordica Unleashed 108, Moment Wildcat 108, 4FRNT Devastator, Armada ARV 106, Dynastar M-Free 108, K2 Reckoner 110, Fischer Ranger 108, Rossignol Sender Soul 102, ZAG Slap 104, Blizzard Rustler 10, Black Crows Atris, RMU Apostle 106, Shaggy’s Ahmeek 105, Armada Declivity X 102, Line Optic 104, DPS Wailer 107, & Line Pandora 106.
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2024-2025 Blister Digital Winter Buyer’s Guide
350+ skis, 65 boots, and 280+ pages of honest, accurate product reviews and comparisons. Order our 24/25 Winter Buyer’s Guide or become a BLISTER+ member to read the Digital Guide NOW.
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Flash Review: 24/25 Icelantic Nomad 106
We’ve been spending a lot of time on Icelantic’s overhauled Nomad skis — check out our thoughts on the updates, and the new Nomad 106 in particular.
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Thanks for the review I was waiting for!