REVIEW: 193 Nordica Blowers

[pappag]

So after taking these out in pretty much all conditions possible, I figured it would be time for a detailed review. I was recently trying to sell them but will probably end up keeping since I now have a 6-inch core shot.



Stats:
Skier - 5'10", 215#
Skis - 193 Nordica Blower mounted on the "Ride" line (139-110-129, 29m r)
Locations - Chapelco, Cerro Catedral, Breckenridge, Keystone, Vail
Conditions - all

Skis I've ridden/reviewed:
192 Moment Comi-Kazi
192 Moment M1
186 Moment Comi
188 Moment Tahoe
194 Dynastar Legend Pro
200 Lotus 120 (flex 3)


The Grades:
Performs very good - powder up to 24", moderately- to tightly-spaced trees, groomers, moguls
Performs poorly - powder greater than 24", crud, ice



I first got on these when down in Argentina at Chapelco. Skied there for one day and experienced crust, heavy and wet snow, as well as spring conditions. In the crud, these skis absolutely sucked, but I was expecting that considering how soft the tip is. They did not perform well in heavy snow but were sufficient in spring conditions.

I then got two days in at Cerro Catedral. Day 1 was in 18" of relatively light powder. Face shots were plenty and the float was excellent. Some 6-8' airs were attempted but can't comment on the landing abilities since I double ejected due to a binding misalignment.

Day 2 at Catedral was in 2-5 feet of powder (heavier than the east coast). Because of how wet the snow was (it was raining for several hours in the morning), I'm not sure I can give an accurate review of the ski in these conditions. They performed well in some spots and horribly in others.

Now over to Breckenridge and Keystone this last weekend where it was snowing all day and the conditions were pretty favorable (at Breck). In moguls, these skis are surprisingly forgiving and are quite easy to maneuver for a 29m radius ski (which I believe is not correct since they felt a lot easier to turn; the overall length of the skis actually measures out to 189cm and not 193). On groomers and slightly bumped out trails, these skis performed very well. Underfoot is pretty stiff and tail slightly less. To make these skis better, I would make underfoot about 10-15% stiffer and extend halfway towards the tip. At Keystone for night skiing, the skis were exposed to some ice and performed very poorly even on smaller patches.

Now on to Vail and a big powder day on Sunday. Snow conditions ranged from light to moderately heavy snow. I was able to get 4 runs in untracked 24"+ of week-old powder where the flotation was not adequate. I'm sure my size has something to do with it, but if I was a new buyer and wanted this ski for all powder conditions, I would recommend mounting at 1.5-2cm behind the "Ride" line. In trees, these skis absolutely ROCK! I originally thought the length would be too much, but such was not the case and they handled very well in tighter spots. Like I said earlier, the 29m radius is deceiving and I would go so far as to say it's more like 25. As for airs, the Blowers stomp; biggest I got on Sunday was 8-10' and the landings felt super solid.





In sum:
► kick-ass in powder up to 24"
► forgiving in moguls
► stomps extremely well
► horrible in crud and anything not soft

[beaterdit]

I agree with most of what you say. I think the radius figure is BS, they are some of the turnier boards I own.

Me: 5' 7", 140 lbs.

The bases are definitely soft, I've got several large core shots in mine that I was pretty surprised by. I was considering selling 'em too but will now keep them as kind of a dedicated Alta ski, since they're so good in tight spots. Overall I guess I like the skis but they didn't live up to my expectations. For pow, they're great though.

[homerjay]

bump!

yo, nick and/or foxy:

I'm thinking about buying these things in a 185, but you guys seem to have mixed experiences with them. By 'turny' do you mean that they're so turny that the tails hook in crusty or wind-skinned snow? My current daily drivers do that and it pisses me off. I'd probably mount 'em with freerides.

Nick, you say these skis aren't good in more than 24" of powder, no comprende, dude...are you just saying that you need more float or one of those funky shaped skis? I'm a 6', 175# Scorpio and would use it for Eagle County eXXXtreme, with occasional trips down south. I spend lots of time in the trees due to good tree skiing and questionable route finding. Do they have alot (too much) camber?

thanks, and anyone else with these skis feel free to chime in.

[pappag]

bump!

yo, nick and/or foxy:

I'm thinking about buying these things in a 185, but you guys seem to have mixed experiences with them. By 'turny' do you mean that they're so turny that the tails hook in crusty or wind-skinned snow? My current daily drivers do that and it pisses me off. I'd probably mount 'em with freerides.

Nick, you say these skis aren't good in more than 24" of powder, no comprende, dude...are you just saying that you need more float or one of those funky shaped skis? I'm a 6', 175# Scorpio and would use it for Eagle County eXXXtreme, with occasional trips down south. I spend lots of time in the trees due to good tree skiing and questionable route finding. Do they have alot (too much) camber?

thanks, and anyone else with these skis feel free to chime in.

Considering my size and where they were mounted (on the RIDE line), I did not achieve the float that I ultimately would want in deep powder. If I was to do it all over again, I would mount them 1.5-2cm behind the RIDE line. They are GREAT in the trees, believe me that ... you'll be plenty happy with how they perform. My crust experience was at a mountain called Chapelco in Argentina where the crust was rock solid (about the worst I've ever experienced). Not sure I can describe it well, but it just felt like someone was hammering nails underneath my foot as I was on the super hard pack. Does that make any sense? Bottom line, I would never take this ski out in non-powder conditions.

Regarding "turniness", the 194 LP has the same turning radius as the 193 Blower with the Blower being far easier to whip around, especially in tight spots.

Regarding the 185 version, I have no experience with it but was told it is stiffer (and probably better for hard conditions) than the 193 because it was made out of the same amount of material. PM ggski - I believe he has experience with the 185.





One last thing, bases are suspect:

[Bandit Man]

I haven't skied my 185's in the crust you mention, so I cannot comment there. They are however ridculously easy to throw around. Trees, chutes, bumps, you name it. Not too bad on groomers either, considering the 110 waist. I would say this is a try before you buy ski though. Some hate the softer tip, but that helps with the floaty feel IMO. There are lots of other reviews on the Blower from last season, if you dig around.

I may be in the minority here, but I dumped my 183 Gotama's after a few days on the Blowers. The Blowers are easier to ski, but ski longer than the Gotama for their size. Again, I think it is the softer shovel, but it does make for a fun ski in any kind of soft snow.

Also, we had lots of snow in the PNW last year, so I cannot comment on the durability of bases since I never had a run in with anything nasty.

[sfotex]

I took my 185's out for a little BC tour around the canyons Sunday and had a good time. It was untracked soft stuff and I was pretty happy with the float I was getting out of the tips. i think I'm going to keep them for a powder ski.

[BigLineSeeker]

I have been skiing on my 185s for 1 1/2 years now and have no complaints. Float well, carve well and are stiff enough under-foot to keep things stable through the crud.

[avacadotoast]

I had the 193 last year and I've demoed the 185. This ski just seems to work better in the 185...like the extra length in the 193 is just useless material that gets in the way. Turning the 193 in anything but light untracked and it just understeered on me like a fwd car. Blah. The tail seemed weird and hooky in our sierra snow taboot.

The 185 just seemed much more fun and "spicy"...just don't drive the tips to hard, stay centered and use a modern tipping technique. I was never able to find the sweet spot on the 193s.

Homer I'm 6' 175 and I normally like big skis (I never should have ditched my Big Daddys for these)...you tele though, no?

[avacadotoast]

Regarding the 185 version, I have no experience with it but was told it is stiffer (and probably better for hard conditions) than the 193 because it was made out of the same amount of material. PM ggski - I believe he has experience with the 185.

Just caught this...perhaps it could explain my experience

[Bandit Man]

just don't drive the tips to hard, stay centered and use a modern tipping technique.

Totally agree. If you stay centered, the soft tip is a benefit and not a liability. Really forgiving, but charges at the same time, if that makes any sense.