Enforcer 104 alternative?

[Johnny V.]

Enforcer lacking for edge grip is just not something you hear very often. It is a powerful ski with the Enforcer pedigree. I can't argue with how it feels to you...that's just surprising comment.

If I get ambitious this afternoon, I'll see what I can do with diamond stones and guides-no files with me.

 

[GregK]

I too picked up a relatively cheap pair of Enforcer 104s off KSL while we are here in SLC as the widest I own
(and brought with me) were Stormrider 88s. Skied them last Sunday at DV with fairly deep powder and they floated fine, but had no edge grip as they badly needed a base grind. Had that done locally, asked for a 1/3 base/edge and skied them yesterday again at DV. Fine on the soft stuff, but when things got scraped, they lacked again for edge grip and felt (as the OP says) kind of ponderous. My overall reactions to the skis was "Meh"-they'll work in powder, but nothing to get that "wow" feeling over. Has anyone played with fore or aft binding adjustment? I set these on the line, but they are system bindings and can be moved.

Will be easier to pivot more forward and more stable with better float moved back. Enforcer mount points are much further ahead than the very traditional Stockli ones. So try back a notch at a time to see what you think.

The Enforcer 104 could still be base high causing the lack of grip and maybe didn’t get enough passes. Check with a straight edge along the ski base.
The other thing it might more likely be is the fact that every twin tip ski has a bit of a learning curve Vs flat tailed traditional skis. The twin will feel looser when flat and when slightly tipped Vs something like a Stormrider which engages it’s full effective edge when even slightly tipped over. You can “feather”the grip more on a twin tip so it takes some practice to get used to committing tipping them more when you know you desire more grip.
The tapered tail shape on every Enforcer will not grab the same as the Stormrider/carving ski but it makes skidding and pivoting easier on or especially off piste. So an Enforcer will never have the bite on super firm snow like a carving ski but as long as the conditions allow skis to dig in a bit, Enforcers can have good grip.

 

[givethepigeye]

I too picked up a relatively cheap pair of Enforcer 104s off KSL while we are here in SLC as the widest I own
(and brought with me) were Stormrider 88s. Skied them last Sunday at DV with fairly deep powder and they floated fine, but had no edge grip as they badly needed a base grind. Had that done locally, asked for a 1/3 base/edge and skied them yesterday again at DV. Fine on the soft stuff, but when things got scraped, they lacked again for edge grip and felt (as the OP says) kind of ponderous. My overall reactions to the skis was "Meh"-they'll work in powder, but nothing to get that "wow" feeling over. Has anyone played with fore or aft binding adjustment? I set these on the line, but they are system bindings and can be moved.

I had the first year “new” enforcers. Did not like them on the line, moved them back 1.5 and totally different ski. Much love. Attached pic shows where the mount was compared to others I enjoyed pre-remount.

 

[Johnny V.]

So an Enforcer will never have the bite on super firm snow like a carving ski but as long as the conditions allow skis to dig in a bit, Enforcers can have good grip.

Yes, been a while since I've been on a ski this wide. I'll check the bases and try playing with the mounting point.

 

[BMC]

I too picked up a relatively cheap pair of Enforcer 104s off KSL while we are here in SLC as the widest I own
(and brought with me) were Stormrider 88s. Skied them last Sunday at DV with fairly deep powder and they floated fine, but had no edge grip as they badly needed a base grind. Had that done locally, asked for a 1/3 base/edge and skied them yesterday again at DV. Fine on the soft stuff, but when things got scraped, they lacked again for edge grip and felt (as the OP says) kind of ponderous. My overall reactions to the skis was "Meh"-they'll work in powder, but nothing to get that "wow" feeling over. Has anyone played with fore or aft binding adjustment? I set these on the line, but they are system bindings and can be moved.

no problems with edge grip for me with 2 side, 1 base edge angles. I’ve actually found it surprisingly good at carving.

What it isn’t is an energetic short turning pogo stick. It’s damp and stable. not to say it can’t do short turns, but it won’t have that energetic bouncing puppy style feel of some other skis in the class.

 

[ajcolorado]

Have you tried the Enforcer 100? It is quicker edge to edge than the 104 without loosing much in the way of the smooth and strong Enforcer feel. It is very versatile and reliable on and off piste. (However I do prefer for the older version E100 before they stiffened the tail. )

I tried the Rustler 10 and it is really maneuverable and much more accessible over all than the Enforcers. When the snow was soft or smooth I really liked them, but they were less predictable in variable conditions. I let them go in favor of the dampening and smoothness of heavier skis.

PS: I'm looking for an Enforcer 104 @ 179 (315 bsl) if you are interested in letting them go

 

[Tom K.]

had the first year “new” enforcers. Did not like them on the line, moved them back 1.5 and totally different ski. Much love.

Same. "Good" on the line, GREAT at -1.5.

 

[Tony S]

I too picked up a relatively cheap pair of Enforcer 104s off KSL while we are here in SLC as the widest I own
(and brought with me) were Stormrider 88s. Skied them last Sunday at DV with fairly deep powder and they floated fine, but had no edge grip as they badly needed a base grind. Had that done locally, asked for a 1/3 base/edge and skied them yesterday again at DV. Fine on the soft stuff, but when things got scraped, they lacked again for edge grip and felt (as the OP says) kind of ponderous. My overall reactions to the skis was "Meh"-they'll work in powder, but nothing to get that "wow" feeling over. Has anyone played with fore or aft binding adjustment? I set these on the line, but they are system bindings and can be moved.

Glad you got SOMETHING a bit wider. (Was feeling for you that deep day at Sundance.) What length did you get? It's possible that the shop "detuned" the tips and tails so much that they're neutered. You, being a hard snow race guy, would feel that immediately (and not like it).

Anyway, good luck with the mount point experiment.

 

[Johnny V.]

Glad you got SOMETHING a bit wider. (Was feeling for you that deep day at Sundance.) What length did you get? It's possible that the shop "detuned" the tips and tails so much that they're neutered. You, being a hard snow race guy, would feel that immediately (and not like it).

Anyway, good luck with the mount point experiment.

Got 179s. They're fine in softer stuff, but as I said before, once the slope got scraped up, I couldn't get an edge I could trust-this was on Thursday at DV. I switched to the SR 88s at lunchtime. We just got to Steamboat and I'll try them with the changed mount point and sharper edges. Still looking for something that feels like my '18 SR 88s, but wider.

 

[tch]

Have you tried the Enforcer 100? It is quicker edge to edge than the 104 without loosing much in the way of the smooth and strong Enforcer feel. It is very versatile and reliable on and off piste. (However I do prefer for the older version E100 before they stiffened the tail. )

I tried the Rustler 10 and it is really maneuverable and much more accessible over all than the Enforcers. When the snow was soft or smooth I really liked them, but they were less predictable in variable conditions. I let them go in favor of the dampening and smoothness of heavier skis.

PS: I'm looking for an Enforcer 104 @ 179 (315 bsl) if you are interested in letting them go

I might well be interested in passing on my 179’s. Demo skis with demo bindings. PM if interested.

 

[Tony S]

Still looking for something that feels like my '18 SR 88s, but wider.

Well I think the response to that is gonna be pretty obvious.

 

[Johnny V.]

Well I think the response to that is gonna be pretty obvious.

Yeah, I know, SR102s. If I can demo them fine, but I'm not going to take a 1K + gamble without a trial. I tried that with the Stormrider 107s/183 and they skied me rather than the opposite...................

 

[pipestem]

A few skis to look up that might fit the bill (I'm kind of looking for something similar to you):
- new 2024 Rustler 9 or 10(I own the outgoing 10 model; is lighter, playful and awesome, not a high-speed charger though. New one is meant to be more charge oriented).
- 4frnt msp 99 (a ski I might be buying)
- Faction Dictator 2.0
- Salamon Stance line also of interest.

Keep us posted.

I just have endorse my MSP 99. Edge grip and turn radius are definitely not a problem.
Currently on stash sale.

 

[givethepigeye]

Same. "Good" on the line, GREAT at -1.5.

I just got another "seasoned" pair - I needed to go back to make the holes work but did about 1.25 back. Assume I would not be able to tell + been skiing a Mpro99 that mount is similar - guess we will see. Not sure will get on these before next fall but maybe.

 

[LewyM]

Ok! Thank you for all these suggestions. FWIW, I’m keeping the Brahmas for groomer/small snowfall skiing. What I want is a wider ski (102+) for deeper days off-piste where I will be skiing (realistically) crud and bumps. I like the “pivotability” of the Enforcers, but not the weight. I will be picking my way, so don’t need lotsa beef for mach schnell skiing. But my knees need some kind of suspension so nothing TOO light.

I’ll be following up on some of these. Rustler 10 intrigues me as does the Sender.
Oh, and FWIW, the 104s have been recently tuned with special attention to base flatness

How about the Dynastar M-Free 108? Or the 99 version if you want something closer to 100 underfoot. Loose, fun, easy to pivot and good suspension. Surprisingly solid and damp for a ski that is so playful. It won't engage tip to tail with great precision, but neither does the E-104 free. Similar "floaty" freeride feel, but not as "big" feeling as the Nordica. And much more bounce and pop under foot, so it has a very energetic feel.

 

[Alexzn]

Well, Stormrider 102 is the obvious solution that comes to mind. If you dont get it too long, its a pretty playful ski with a lot of carvability. Head Cores are light and capable, but stiff, so you need to drive them a bit.
A contrarian opinion is that if you have a soft snow ski, go all in on the soft snow capabilities, and get something around 110 width (especially if you are in CA or WA, where the snow is wetter and heavier), and don't worry about groomer performance.

Any wider ski will feel slower edge to edge, just because of the width and it will be more difficult to put them on a proper edge angle than a narrower ski. By that nature wider skis amplify technical flaws (to an extent). When people write about "playful chargers", they are not thinking about quickness on the groomer, it is always more about the ability to smear to shut off the speed, glaze the bump, or adjust your line mid-turn (AKA the Tahoe turn) , which is not what you are after at all. The only wide skis that I tried that have great edge hold were Stocklis and similar premium (>$1,000) brands like Kastle, Augment, etc. So the Stormrider 102 is not a silly proposition, you may even end up skiing it everyday in the West... And SR102 is not a burly ski by any means...

 

[Johnny V.]

Moved the bindings back to -1.5. They certainly skied better (A-Basin last Wed.), but changed back to my SR88s around noon, although we skied the East Wall later in the day where they would have worked better than the Stocklis. My overall reaction is "they're OK, but nothing to get excited about". I'll hang onto them at this point-not sure what our travel plans are for next year and they'll work in the event we get a "powder day" back east.