Today Nordica announced an overhaul of their popular (and excellent) women’s Santa Ana skis, with the new versions being available in select retailers now, and a full release around September 2020. We have several of the new skis and Kristin Sinnott will be posting First Looks & Flash Reviews ASAP, but in the meantime, let’s quickly cover what’s new.
If you’ve read our 19/20 Winter Buyer’s Guide, Kristin & Kara Williard’s reviews of the Santa Ana 100 & Santa Ana 110, or our reviewers’ ski-quiver selections, you’ll know that many of our reviewers are big fans of the Santa Ana skis. So, what’s Nordica changing?
According to Nordica, it mostly comes down to construction. Like the men’s 20/21 Enforcer 100 and Enforcer 94, the new Santa Ana skis have a tweaked fiberglass / carbon laminate and are getting Nordica’s “True Tip” construction, which basically means that they use less ABS plastic in the tip and the wood core extends farther toward the end of the ski, designed to reduce swing weight.
But the arguably larger change is how Nordica is using metal in the new Santa Ana skis. The previous Santa Anas used two full, edge-to-edge sheets of titanal. While this was likely a big part of what made them so stable, it was also part of what made them quite heavy and, in Nordica’s words, “they could be a lot of ski for the everyday skier.”
So, for the 20/21 Santa Anas, Nordica is cutting it down to a single sheet of titanal, and they’re changing how large that sheet of metal is depending on the specific ski. Nordica is calling this technique “Terrain Specific Metal,” or TSM.
For all of the new Santa Anas (110, 104, 98, 93, & 88), the metal sheet extends edge to edge at the tip and tail, but the metal narrows as you move toward the middle of the ski (see photo above). The metal sheet then widens a bit around the bindings, but does not run edge-to-edge in the middle. Nordica says this design is meant to keep the tips and tails from deflecting too much, then allowing for more flexibility and forgiveness in front of and behind the bindings, and maintaining solid power underfoot.
Additionally, the narrower the ski, the less the metal sheet tapers in the middle. E.g., the Santa Ana 88’s metal sheet covers more of its surface area than the metal sheet in the Santa Ana 110 Free. The goal of this is to have more damping and power on firm-snow skis, but a lower swing weight and more playful feel in the wider, more soft-snow-oriented skis in the line.
The 20/21 Santa Anas are also getting some tweaks in terms of available models and lengths. The Santa Ana 104 Free is a brand-new model based on the great Enforcer 104 Free, the new Santa Ana 98 replaces the Santa Ana 100, and the 20/21 Santa Ana 93 is all-new (new lengths, molds, and shape).
For reference, here are the stated specs we have for the new Santa Ana skis:
2020-2021 Nordica Santa Ana 88
Available Lengths: 151, 158, 165, 172 cm
Stated Dimensions: (172 cm): 121-88-109 mm
Stated Sidecut Radius (for respective lengths): 13, 14, 15, 15.5 meters
2020-2021 Nordica Santa Ana 93
Available Lengths: 151, 158, 165, 172, 179 cm
Stated Dimensions (172 cm): 126.5-93-114.5 mm
Stated Sidecut Radius (for respective lengths): 13.3, 14.4, 15.5, 16.1, 17.1 meters
2020-2021 Nordica Santa Ana 98
Available Lengths: 151, 158, 165, 172, 179 cm
Stated Dimensions (172 cm): 132-98-120 mm
Stated Sidecut Radius (for respective lengths): 13.4, 14.5, 15.6, 16.3, 17.3 meters
2020-2021 Nordica Santa Ana 104 Free
Available Lengths: 158, 165, 172, 179 cm
Stated Dimensions (172 cm): 134-104-123 mm
Stated Sidecut Radius (for respective lengths): 15.5, 16, 16.5, 17.5 meters
2020-2021 Nordica Santa Ana 110 Free
Available Lengths: 161, 169, 177 cm
Stated Dimensions (177 cm): 140-110-129 mm
Stated Sidecut Radius (for respective lengths): 14.5, 15.5, 16.5 meters
Any idea how much the “Free” versions will weigh? Are they supposed to be more touring-oriented?
Nordica is not marketing them as touring skis and while we haven’t yet weighed the new Santa Ana 104 Free, it does not feel particularly light.
Can I order these in 151 length now? Santa Ana 93
Nordica said that they’re available at “select retailers” now, but they didn’t specify which retailers, so I’d recommend contacting Nordica and seeing if they you point you to the retailers that have the skis in stock.
I wish they’d make the 177cm length in the women’s. I think the jump to 179cm diminishes it’s versatility in tight spots like tight trees and bumps. I was looking forward to the female version of the Enforcer 100 177cm with less metal and lighter weight but that 179cm length is no making me happy and I may pass on it.
If I liked the 169 in the 2020 version, does it make sense to size up to 172 or down to 165 for the 2021 version? 169cm felt perfect (albeit I demoed the 88s due to very low tide on the day I was testing) but I’m not sure if the the effective edge changed from 2020 to 2021. Does it ski shorter? longer? same? I am 5’5, 128# and an aggressive skier. I am wondering what would make sense as a daily driver in the PNW. Thanks in advance!
Hi Stacy,
I was able to A/B the old 169cm and new 172cm and didn’t notice a difference in the length. I’d say if you liked the 169, the 172 should work well for you.