Last tested
2023
Status:ongoing
2024

Santa Ana 88

Pro's choice Lady
Santa Ana is the line for the most demanding, ambitious skiers — the perfect balance of performance on both the ascent and the descent
In brief
Suitable for
demand, expert skiers
Not suitable for
easygoing and beginner skiers
Also suitable for
race skiers new to the world of touring
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  • Buyer’s Guide reviews
  • In words
  • Technical specifications

Buyer’s Guide reviews

Positioning
Handling
New school ski-tourer
Suggested curve arc
Long radius
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On-snow performance
Hard / packed
Powder
Wind-blown / crust
Damp / wet
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The charts show our impressions from testing
Product info
Category average
Trip purpose
Height difference / Engagement
Performance / Line
Skiing / Slope
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Recommended use
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Recommended level
Technical Level
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
High level
Weight
lightmedianheavy
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In words

Intro
Santa Ana is the line for touring and freetouring that's the counterpart to Nordica's Enforcer Unlimited line for men. It encompasses waist widths from 84 to 104 mm. It's designed to be an all-mountain ski that's lightweight but stiff, enabling you to go long distances and have fun on the descent, even at higher speeds. Its poplar-wood core, which extends to the tip and is carbon-fiber reinforced, creates the right compromise between stiffness and handling. And those few extra grams compared, say, to the Wayback 89 make it much more stable on the descent.
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On the snow
If your goal is to take on big climbs to ski straight down the open slopes, then this is the ski for you. But know that, to use it, you really need to be able to ski well. It's essential to know how to start the turn and to have excellent control of the ski. The Santa Ana 88 is only as stable as the skier who wears it, but we should acknowledge the company's efforts to make it less twitchy than previous versions. It performs best on hard terrain and on groomers. At high speeds, it gives you a sense of confidence that's difficult to get from such a lightweight ski. It's an icebreaker on crust and floats well in fresh snow. It takes a bit more attention on steep slopes, but it's a joy on the ascent because of its light weight. A ski created for the most ambitious, demanding skiers who live by the motto "go big or go home".
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Lab
Concave, not corrected at tip and tail after 10 runs through the tuning machine. No structure or wax, decent edges 1.6 x 1.7 mm at 89°, base edge 1.3°. Edge finish better than base finish, edge partially removed at tip and tail.
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Technical specifications

Construction
sidewall
Materials
carbon fiber, light wood
Base
sintered UHMWPE from recycled material
Available sizes
151, 158, 165, 172
Made in
Austria
Price
619.99 €
Declared specsMeasured by us
We measured the length 172 to get all the details
172 cm
Length
XXXXX
121 cm
Tip width
XXXXX
109 cm
Tail width
XXXXX
88 cm
Waist width
XXXXX
N/A
Edge contact
XXXXX
N/A
Camber
XXXXX
N/A
Tip rocker
XXXXX
N/A
Tail rocker
XXXXX
1.715 g
Individual weight
XXXXX
N/A
Left weight
XXXXX
N/A
Right weight
XXXXX
15,5 m
Sidecut radius
XXXXX
N/A
Load-bearing surface
XXXXX
N/A
Tip torsion
XXXXX
N/A
Center torsion
XXXXX
N/A
Tail torsion
XXXXX
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