If you’ve yet to step into the Unleashed 114 from Nordica, you don’t know what you’re missing. This incredibly confident powder tool is the ski of choice for Freeride World Tour athlete Valentine Rainer, along with the majority of Nordica’s freeride team. And while the Unleashed 114 is a highly-capable ski in soft snow, it’s just as capable of charging at mach-chicken speed when conditions get firmer and chunkier.
A core combination of lightweight, performance-oriented wood, terrain-specific metal and carbon accounts for the Unleashed 114’s stable feel underfoot. As with all of Nordica’s skis featuring terrain-specific metal, the amount of metal used in the core decreases as the width of the ski increases, meaning the 114 has the least amount of metal in the Unleashed category and is intended for the softest, deepest days of the season but can still hold its own when conditions become less than optimal.
A powder rocker profile turns up the tip and tail for premium float in the deep, as well as quick maneuverability and buttery-smooth pressability. Like a top-tier wingman, the Unleashed 114 is going to push you to go for it—whether you’re standing on top of a cliff, a pinner couloir or just want to get that special someone’s attention under the chair.
“I loved skiing on the Unleashed 114. Great for drops into the soft stuff, quick turns in the moguls and just blowing through the chunder,” said our tester. “I really enjoyed the length, 191 cm, while also having a shorter turn radius, 21.1 m. This allowed for that big ski feeling that I love, and a platform for landing drops without feeling like I was going to front punch. I would recommend this ski to anyone looking to bring their skiing to the next level. It truly gave me a lot of confidence to go bigger, ski faster and just have fun.”