Nordica's Santa Ana is designed by women for women, and the use of technologies used in them has influenced the new men's range. With excellent floatation they feel really playful - nice and stable for drop offs and jumping. In light, deeper snow they are incredibly fun to ride, but on harder crisp snow they start to lose edge hold particularly in shorter radius turns.
The Balsa Core is a Microlam construction made up of many thin balsa wood stringers stacked side by side, which provide a strong and damp metal like feeling at an extremely light weight. On picking them up they feel like the lightest skis in the category - however the construction means they are less floppy than other lightweight models, providing more confidence to charge harder. Longer, wider turns is where they perform best and they cut through crud with ease and float well through the powder.
They feature Nordica's Hammer Head Nose (picture the blunt nose of a hammerhead shark), with tip and tail rocker the low, broad tip shape that maximizes on edge snow contact while reducing unstable tip vibration. Turn initiation feels easy when skiing hard however at slower speeds they aren't quite as agile and you need to work a lot harder. They are ideal for an advanced skier who is looking to up their game, but those who want to ski all day with comfort may find them a little challenging.
Value for money is 'good' but a little pricey for the category. We loved the graphics and the ride when we were skiing them with a bit of speed and animation. The carbon reinforcements keep the skiing experience smooth and damp when chopped up.
