It’s not too often you get to ski on a ski before it hits the market — especially when the ski is still a prototype. No topsheets, no final designs, just the ski. I’ve been skiing on Nordica’s Santa Ana model — and demoed many others — for 6 years and counting now. I’m familiar with the brand and know its skis, particularly the Santa Ana, very well.
If you have skied in the Rocky Mountains in the last few years, you’ve seen the Nordica Enforcer and Santa Ana. Wildly popular for individuals and in a core of rental fleets across the West, the Enforcer and Santa Ana are among the best all-mountain skis. They are extremely versatile skis that can handle a wide range of conditions.
In short: The 2024 Nordica Enforcer and Santa Ana are excellent all-mountain skis. They marry versatility with playfulness and are an improvement over previous iterations. For the Santa Ana, you can even feel the slight changes to the terrain-specific metal. In this update, the overall ski feels more balanced thanks likely to tweaks in the metal layer.
Check out our complete test and guide to the best all mountain skis!
- Changes: New construction in Pulse wood core, and updated Terrain-Specific Metal (TSM) in the Santa Ana, new tailshape
- Materials: Full wood core, 2 sheets metal (Enforcer) or 1 sheet terrain-specific metal (Santa Ana)
- Enforcer widths (mm): 89, 94, 99, 104
- Santa Ana widths (mm): 97, 92, 97, 102
- Santa Ana lengths (cm): 150-179
- Enforcer lengths (cm): 167-191
Pros
- Updated core
- More responsive feel
- All-new size range
- Great improvement on Nordica's TSM in the Santa Ana
- New rocker shape plays up ski's strength at higher speeds
Cons
- Could use more flotation
- Not as powerful as the 102/104 Free
2024 Nordica Enforcer and Santa Ana Ski Review
For 2024, Nordica revamped the Enforcer and Santa Ana with a new core, changes to the amount of terrain-specific metal in each length for the Santa Ana model, and a new tail shape — all big changes hoping to make the ski more versatile.
As editors at GearJunkie, we got an early look at this model thanks to the “Proto” project at Nordica. Two hundred demo prototypes with mystery topsheets were mailed to ski testers across the country, ripe for testing in secret ahead of the big brand launch today.
Our initial impression? The new Santa Ana and Enforcer models are more playful, powerful, and versatile than ever.
Nordica Enforcer First Look
I hopped on the 2024 Nordica Enforcer for the first time at Copper Mountain during early season conditions. So far, I’ve had 3 days of riding on this ski. At every turn, I’ve been impressed.
Riding on the 185-length, 99-waist-width Proto model, I put the ski through its introductory paces on packed powder, bumps, and ice. My initial assessment is that this ski likes to run fast, but can still slow down and play pretty well.
The newfound playfulness — to me, significantly more than the predecessors — comes largely from a redesigned tip and tail. To put it into perspective, when I laid the ski over, it would carve well, especially for an all-mountain ski with a wide waist width. But release that edge, and the ski slips and slides enough to goof around in steep bumps.
I felt that the 185 skied significantly shorter than its length. I’m 5’8″ and 150 pounds, and I had no problem driving this relatively large ski.
I haven’t had the chance to ski the Enforcer on powder yet. But from its shape and performance on packed powder, I imagine it will do just fine. If there’s any downside, it would be a lack of flotation at the waist. But my guess is that the larger tips and tails will provide plenty of float for all but the deepest of days.
In summary, the Enforcer performs as an all-mountain ski. It should handle a broad range of conditions well, just as its predecessor. It carves really well, and I feel that it’s more fun than the previous iteration. I expect to see it continue as a popular offering in the West where it can handle almost any terrain on almost any mountain.
Nordica Santa Ana First Look
When I first clicked into the bindings on the 2024/25 Nordica Santa Anas, I felt at home. Visually, even without topsheets, I could see the familiar shape of the Nordica Santa Ana. In shape, touch, and general weight are where the similarities stopped. Immediately after two or three runs, I noticed a difference in the ride: They were easier to drive, and definitely had a more balanced feel.
They felt lighter underfoot, even though the prototype length I was skiing, the 97 underfoot, is just 1 cm away from the Santa Ana 98 I’ve been on for 3 years. (For reference, I’m 5’8″ and 125 pounds.) And it felt a lot smoother, on early-season crud, plenty of corn, and groomers. I only had one lucky day of testing out of four with 2 inches of fresh powder.
It’s always hard to name which specific change in construction or component contributes to the fit or feel of gear. But I am confident having skied on the Santa Anas for years that the TSM changes this year make the ski feel more balanced than the previous. The terrain-specific metal was good in the previous model. But it’s something worth tailoring in the future, so I’m glad Nordica did.
Had I not known this was a Santa Ana prototype or updated, I’d say it felt like a different ski. I do not say that lightly. I love my Santa Anas. The 98s are my backcountry setup; they were already a versatile, capable, all-mountain ski. Groomers or powder, peak conditions or not, I’m comfortable saying the Santa Anas are the skis I’ve skied the most in my career.
That’s why I was so wary of Nordica making changes. Could they actually make this ski better? That being said, I knew if the brand was going to make changes — not just in length but also in shape and construction to its bestselling ski — it had to be good. In essence: the bar was high.
Lo and behold, the 2024/25 Santa Anas are more balanced, smoother, and more versatile. And while Sean’s Enforcer and this Santa Ana are totally different skis, I agree with Sean that it’s more fun. This is a ski I look forward to testing and skiing on a ton more this season (and hopefully in fresh snow).
In Conclusion
If you are already a fan of Nordica skis, we don’t have to tell you twice that the latest Enforcer and Santa Ana models are absolutely worth a look. If there was anything you wished could change in the Enforcer, be it versatility or else, or the Santa Ana, like a more responsive feel and less metal between you and the snow — Nordica has listened, iterated, tested, redesigned, and made those changes.
For the upcoming season, the Nordica Enforcer will come in a 104mm, 99mm, 94mm, and 89mm waist width, in 167cm, 173cm, 179cm, 185cm, and 191cm lengths. MSRPs range from $750 to $900. It’s also the 10th anniversary of the Enforcer ski.
The 2024/25 Santa Anas will be available in four waist widths (102mm, 97mm, 92mm, and 87mm) and 155cm, 161cm, 167cm, 173cm, and 179cm lengths. The Santa Anas have the same MSRP, starting at $750. Both will be available for purchase on February 1, 2024.
For Nordica, this may be a “new dawn of all-terrain skiing.” For me and my new Santa Anas, it’s the same dawn, same day, just better.
