Individual Review Long-Term Review: 2016 Nordica Enforcer 100

[Read Blinn]

I demoed the a narrower version of the Rangers — didn't care for them; pingy is a good adjective.

@Philpug, I recall you not liking the E93 at 177 as much as the E100 in that length.

 

[Philpug]

I demoed the a narrower version of the Rangers — didn't care for them; pingy is a good adjective.

@Philpug, I recall you not liking the E93 at 177 as much as the E100 in that length.

Correct, I actually like the Enforcer 93 in the 185 much better.

 

[SBrown]

Correct, I actually like the Enforcer 93 in the 185 much better.

I didn't ski the Enforcer 93 in 177, but I did ski the Santa Ana 93 in that length. I much preferred the 185 Enforcer 93 to it, and that's a pretty long ski for me.

 

[toddmanley]

Great informative thread - I just picked up a pair of the Enforcer 100 in 193. Can't wait to get them on the hill...

 

[Philpug]

Great informative thread - I just picked up a pair of the Enforcer 100 in 193. Can't wait to get them on the hill...

Thanks @toddmanley, welcome to the site. BTW, how are you mounting them up?

 

[toddmanley]

My plan was to mount them up as recommended for the ski - wanted to give this setup a chance first before I think about making any changes.

 

[MAB]

Belated, but thanks for all the replies. The feedback has made for much less agonizing over my decision.I ended up getting the Enforcers in a 177 (and a flat used Atomic Automatic 117 at a ski swap, because they were so cheap I couldn't pass them up). Hopefully I will get to try them out this week with the snow we are getting in Idaho.

 

[MAB]

I got to ski my Enforcer 177s this weekend and thought I would provide an update in case others have similar sizing questions (I am 5'5", 165 lbs). I skied Saturday afternoon at Snowbasin, mostly on somewhat skied out sort of icy groomers, and Sunday at Targhee in a range of conditions, including knee-deep untracked powder, tracked out and packed powder, windblown, crud, and late afternoon icy bumped runs (and of course lots and lots of fog). The Enforcers were more than adequate in all the conditions, and I have never had another ski that I felt like dealt with such variability so well. Even in the untracked powder, I found them easy to ski and they floated better than my Live Life 110s ever did. I never wanted to go get my Automatic 117s out of the car. If it was a true powder day I would have wanted them over the Enforcer, but given that every run was different, the Enforcers were the better choice. They also held an edge much better than I expected on the icy groomers, and since they are so stable and predictable, as well as make variety of turn shapes from very tight to large and arcing easily, I don't think I will even bother bringing narrower skis with me anymore. (Of course, I am lucky because I don't encounter those conditions very often.)

As for the length, I never found them too long. And they certainly never felt too stiff. They felt shorter and much easier to turn and pivot than a pair of unrockered 169 Rossi S3s I sometimes ski. In fact, in soft bumps and and variable, tracked out powder, they are the best ski I have ever skied and were so easy and quick to turn that I felt I could have skied them longer without too much more difficulty (though I wouldn't want to). I didn't have much of a chance to get them into the trees except for a few wide-open glades, but I don't think they will be too long for tighter trees given how easy they were to ski in bumps. For people my size, I definitely would go with the 177 over the 169. The are a really fun, fairly easy (even playful?) and not too demanding ski that in a 177 are the closest thing to a one quiver ski that I have owned.

 

[Josh Matta]

The E93 and E100 tips are surprisingly float with min weirdness in variable cruddy snow that other rockered tips can suffer from.

 

[SBrown]

The E93 and E100 tips are surprisingly float with min weirdness in variable cruddy snow that other rockered tips can suffer from.

I have noticed this, as well. When I was demoing the 93s last SIA, I did ... something wrong, misjudged some terrain, something, and just hauled ass into some completely different snow than I had been in, and really and truly thought I was going to crash in a really big bad way. But... nada. Just kept skiing. Would like to make some clever remark about the tip, but probably shouldn't.

 

[Core2]

The E100's love to eat up cruddy snow. I've blasted through stuff that is taking down everyone else on the same run. I don't even bother taking them on groomers, not nasty enough for them.

 

[Sierrajim]

The E93 and E100 tips are surprisingly float with min weirdness in variable cruddy snow that other rockered tips can suffer from.

Very very true. With some skis, the rockered section will bend and start to absorb but there can be a jarring transistion from the compliant tip into the rest of the ski. I think there's a real simple explanation for that. The Enforcers both have the same seamless transition from conventional section to rockered section(s) that certain Blizzard skis have also offered. This allows the whole ski to absorb terrain rather than just the forebody. In some of those others, the rockered section almost feels disconnected from the rest of the ski.

 

[bbinder]

I have noticed this, as well. When I was demoing the 93s last SIA, I did ... something wrong, misjudged some terrain, something, and just hauled ass into some completely different snow than I had been in, and really and truly thought I was going to crash in a really big bad way. But... nada. Just kept skiing. Would like to make some clever remark about the tip, but probably shouldn't.

Oh, go ahead...

 

[toddmanley]

I was able to take out my new 193's last Friday up at Squaw in less than ideal conditions - windblown patches in the upper bowl, icy slopes from the rain/sleet/snow mix the night before, some powder in the trees (details here - http://snow.traceup.com/stats/u?uId=540497&vId=2067692).

Needless to say I'm so happy I pulled the trigger on these skis! They worked great on all these conditions and I know my buddy was tired of my sh!t-faced grin every time we got on the lift. A solid addition that will keep me happy for years to come.

 

[Tom K.]

I was able to take out my new 193's last Friday up at Squaw in less than ideal conditions - windblown patches in the upper bowl, icy slopes from the rain/sleet/snow mix the night before, some powder in the trees (details here - http://snow.traceup.com/stats/u?uId=540497&vId=2067692).

Needless to say I'm so happy I pulled the trigger on these skis! They worked great on all these conditions and I know my buddy was tired of my sh!t-faced grin every time we got on the lift. A solid addition that will keep me happy for years to come.

Good to hear, as I see little or no feedback on the 193 length.

If you don't mind, what's your height and weight?

 

[DanoT]

I have skied a few runs on both the Enforcer 100 and 93 in a 177cm length. The 100 was very very Blizzard Bonafide like, as expected. The 93 tracked like a Nordica with excellent edge hold, as expected, but what was not expected was the ease of turn initiation.

Conditions were soft snowpack with a couple inches of very light cut up fresh on top.

At the demo centre where I work at Sun Peaks, we are sold out of the 100 and can't get any more but we do have them for rent and available for me to ski...tomorrow, right after my 2 hour shift. And it snowed non stop all day today.

 

[Alexzn]

I liked the E93 better than E100. I liked the E100, but e93 wowed me. It's a much better carver than E100 with minimal loss in soft snow ability.

As @Sierrajim said the common trait of a good ski is the flex that seemlessly blends all design elements. Bonafide had it, the Enforcer has it as well (not surprising since the e100 is essentially a Bonafide with the Nordica top shape).

 

[Philpug]

I liked the E93 better than E100. I liked the E100, but e93 wowed me. It's a much better carver than E100 with minimal loss in soft snow ability.

As @Sierrajim said the common trait of a good ski is the flex that seemlessly blends all design elements. Bonafide had it, the Enforcer has it as well (not surprising since the e100 is essentially a Bonafide with the Nordica top shape).

I agree with your assessment comparing the 93 and the 100 but Nordica and Blizzard share nothing between these two skis other than going after sales and production space in a factory. The profiles between these two skis are very different along with the flex patterns. The Nordica has a turn radius in the upper teens and Blizzard in the low 20's.

 

[Josh Matta]

yeah a bonafide is not a E100....

The new bonafide is a 9-10/ 10th skis for me, where as the E93 or E100 is a 8/10th skis for me. Both are fun in different ways.

the nice thing about the Enforcer being slightly softer and with slightly more sidecut is that I can buy them slightly longer, and get more float and stability with out the ski being a bear in weird and tight bumps and woods. A 185 E93 or E100 is the perfect size for me at stowe, but a 187cm Bonafide is kinda of a bear and while better than either at ripping high speed turns in mixxed conditions, its not really fun and whippy though bumps and trees like my E93s are. If the going get really crudy and stiff I just go down to the bottom and Grab my El Capos.

 

[Philpug]

I don't care what anyone says, the Bonafide got progressively stiffer and beefer through it's life span. The very first Bonafide was a different ski in it's playfulness than what is offered now.