Nordica Santa Ana 97 Review

Although the namesake is familiar, the updated Santa Ana 97 is essentially a brand-new ski. Nordica built this ski around its “TSM Pulse Core,” which combines their proprietary wood core, a layer of elastomer, and a tailored sheet of metal ("Terrain Specific Metal"). This last piece is interesting because adding the same tailored sheet of metal to each ski in the lineup – which ranges from 87 mm up to 102 mm – increases the proportion of metal as the width underfoot decreases.

Older iterations of the Santa Ana were popular for their versatility and reliability across varied terrain. Still, the new Santa Ana 97 seems to crank up the performance in nearly every metric. The newly refined rocker, a lighter tip construction, and the new Pulse Core add a sense of playfulness that was always lacking in the line. Our testers all agree that this old favorite is better than ever before.

Performance Comparison

Stability at Speed

Stability has always been a metric in which the Santa Ana excels, and this version is no different. One of our testers noted that “it felt like a detuned Kastle,” which we take as a huge compliment. While this Nordica ski doesn't have quite the same brute strength as some of the Kastle, Volkl, and Stockli skis we've tested over the years, it offers plenty of stability for the average (and above average) skier.

Although the Santa Ana 97 may not be as burly as some competitors, it pairs stability at speed with a side of versatility that other skis often lack. This ski feels solid underfoot, at high speeds, in any terrain. From groomers to icy hard pack, from firm wind crust to chunky crud, and even in deep powder, we could push the speed limit with full confidence. This ski stays consistently engaged when tipped on edge, and its stability underfoot reaches all the way to the rockered front end. Despite the fairly prominent rocker in the tip, the Santa Ana 97 doesn't flap around at high speeds.

It's important to highlight some structural adjustments Nordica made to the Santa Ana 97 with the most recent overhaul. By removing some of the heavy ABS plastic and extending the wood core, designers shaved some serious weight in the tip, which our testers felt improved the responsiveness compared to previous versions. As a result, the Santa Ana 97 has the stunning ability to gently feather any turn shape.

However, we also recognized that this new design makes the tip a touch softer, which means it doesn't grip quite as tenaciously as other skis with relatively stiffer tips. If your primary goal is to blast down every run and you never make anything other than a high-speed carved turn, you will notice the softer tips upon turn initiation. For everyone else, the slight sacrifice in stability more than pays off in improved playfulness and versatility.

Carving Ability

We appreciated the ability to change the size of our carved arcs, which is a fairly unique characteristic amongst the skis we tested. Our lead tester was also pleasantly surprised by the Santa Ana 97's ability to smoothly transition between different types of turns. While it has the marked ability to “smear” a turn – also known as a flat ski pivot – it can transition to a clean carve with the very next turn.

If you can quickly adjust the size and shape of your turn to the terrain, then you can apply the right type of turn to get down the hill with speed and precision. The Santa Ana 97's ability to immediately respond to your input adds to the versatility of this ski. The responsiveness of the newly designed Pulse Core also helps make carved turns more fun. The progressive flex pattern loads smoothly and releases with a controlled rebound, allowing the skier to comfortably and confidently bounce from one turn to the next.

Turn Radius

Not only does the Santa Ana 97 have the capability to carve and hold an edge through an arc, but you can easily play with the size of this arc based on the speed and how much pressure you exert on the ski. Since speed plays a big role in this equation, our test team agrees that the advertised 17.5-meter turn radius only felt true to form in a slower speed turn.

One tester described the turn radius as “feeling quite malleable” – we could easily adjust between medium- and short-radius turns by adjusting the edge angle and how much pressure we applied to the front of the ski. We could consistently shift between a purely carved turn of about 17 meters down to about 15 meters without difficulty.

Powder Performance

The slightly softer, increasingly rockered tip on the Santa Ana 97 helped keep us afloat, even in heavier fresh snow. The new playfulness in the tail also makes it easier to exit turns – combined with the rockered tip, the new Santa Ana is particularly adept at a buttery, smeary turn that's perfect for skiing powder.

This redesign makes the Santa Ana super fun to ski in tight spaces like trees and couloirs. It stays close enough to the surface for comfort, and pivots practically on a dime. Even in denser, more moisture-rich snow, the Santa Ana feathers its turns on top.

Waist Width

This new ski lost a bit of width: 1 mm underfoot, and 3 mm in the tip and tail. Yet, the Santa Ana 97 performs a bit better in deep snow than its predecessors. It seems that the changes to the layup of this ski that make it more playful than ever before have also positively affected its powder performance.

Our testers skied the Santa Ana in some punchy, crusty wind-affected pow, and the additional elastomer in the new Pulse core seems to help this ski bounce back to the surface. One of our testers commented, “I could set an edge, even in those tough snow conditions, and the ski would rebound nicely.”

Crud Performance

No one says, “I really want to ski some chunky crud today!” Rating skis on their crud performance is a bit like judging a fruitcake competition – sure, the winner might be the best of what's on offer, but it's still not something anyone will seek out. Nonetheless, crud is a fact of life ot the resort. It's the leftovers from a jubilant powder day, or the sloppy sluff after the corduroy has been churned up. Whether we like it or not, we come across crud nearly every day we're on skis.

Our rant above serves as an explanation as to why our testers haven't given out perfect scores in this metric. It's a challenging type of snow for any ski to excel in. Yet, the Santa Ana 97 combines both its power and its finesse to great success on less than stellar days – it does about as well as any ski possibly can in difficult snow conditions.

You can feather and smear the Santa Ana between turns, delicately releasing the last turn and fine-tuning initiation into the next. Or you can use its strength at speed to drive through chunder. Or you can rely on its heft to confidently keep this ski engaged as you skitter across windboard. Whatever the case, the Santa Ana 97 does a nice job smoothing out an otherwise rugged ride.

Terrain Playfulness

The Santa Ana has been a top contender in our tests for years, but it never impressed us with its playfulness. It was always reliable, stable, and fairly versatile, but lacked much pizzazz. The newest Santa Ana 97 breaks that mold. Our reviewers are delighted by the possibility that perhaps Nordica took their past criticisms to heart, turning out the most playful Santa Ana to date.

Some of the other skis we tested that score highly in this metric felt slightly skittery or teetering on the edge of control. The Santa Ana 97 offers a more mature approach to playfulness – it enjoys letting loose, yet can still follow instructions well. The rebound of this ski is predictable but not excessive, and there is nothing abrupt or uncontrolled about how this ski snaps back. It follows a beautifully progressive flex pattern through each turn, and releases each turn as smoothly as it bends within it.

The Santa Ana 97's penchant for a buttery turn makes it a very nimble ski. Because it can pivot on the base (rather than always needing to be on its edge), you can easily spin whirley-birds or make a tighter-than-normal turn through the trees. The Santa Ana doesn't feel heavy, so when we checked our notes, we were surprised that it's one of the heaviest skis in our lineup. Fortunately, getting this ski airborne isn't difficult, and that extra weight adds stability to landings. Once it's back on the snow, this ski is like a freight train roaring down the tracks.

Bumps

The Santa Ana 97 is a dreamy mogul ski, since it can flat-pivot so well. It doesn't mind maintaining a narrow stance, and we could hold zipper lines through mogul fields nearly as long as the top-performing bumps skis.

This ski was a ton of fun in the early season when obstacles abound and we're not yet in top ski form. Our testers regularly took this ski into narrow bump lines, often between rocks with only one place to execute each turn, and the Santa Ana 97 performed beautifully.

Should You Buy the Nordica Santa Ana 97?

If you're a fan of the Santa Ana line, trust us when we say that the updated Santa Ana 97 is truly new and improved. Compared to older iterations, this new model improves upon previous performance in every metric, with a novel jump in playfulness. The Santa Ana 97 is truly a quiver-killing, all-mountain machine – if you buy this ski, you really won't need another, no matter where you live.

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