Comparison of 2014 Nordica El Capo and Blizzard Cochise

[Sparwood Dave]

I had a chance to demo the new model El Capo and compare it to the Cochise which has been my daily driver for the last two seasons. They are very similiar skis with basically the same dimensions, sidecut, construction and moderate early rise tip and tail. The main difference is that the El Capo has some camber and the Cochise does not. Both skis are aimed at the same type of skier (charger/big mountain).
Conditions were previously rained then refrozen base with loose chunks and hunks mixed with about three inches of two day old light powder.
-Off piste both skis were damp and smooth easily motoring through the less than optimal conditions. Faster was better than slower.
-In bumps the El Capo required a more old school technique weighting the tips and pushing the tails. Definitely more work than the Cochise where you stay centered and pivot.
-On the hard to icy steep groomers the El Capos were better at holding an edge tip to tail. Very solid underfoot. The Cochises are good but the El Capos were better.
For me the results highlighted the difference between cambered and non cambered skis. My preference stil lies with the Cochises because of their superior manouverabliity.

[mtskibum16]

Thanks for the comparison. I'm really liking the more pivoty maneuvering on some of the more modern skis as well.

[skimaxpower]

El Capo rocker profile photos

[Sparwood Dave]

Skimaxpower -Thanks for posting the El Capo rocker profile. Maybe I didn't pay enough attention but the El Capos I was on had no were near that much rocker. Not even close. Weird.

[Smails]

Thanks for the review and comparison. I loved the Cochise's maneuverability but really missed the lack of camber. The El Capo sounds like a ski I would really love.

Any chance you have skied the Katana or Bibby Pro and can offer a comparison to one or both?

[Lord Thomas]

I had a similar experience with the El Capo at the Bachelor demo days last month. The only El Capo they had was a 193 and the rep told me that it was significantly burlier than the 184? (185). It was a dominant big mountain machine on the wind blown slab over ice on the bowl at the top of Bachelor. A little more directional than the Cochise, which has that unlimited ability to smear and pivot but still do a good job of carving. My 185 Cochise is really easy to ski slow but still rips with the big boys. Would really like to try the shorter El Capo. I think you review is spot on.

[TAFKALVS]

Bump. Any thoughts on the 2014 El Capo? They are cheap and I am looking for a burly daily driver. Google doesn't reveal much, other than a Blister review that is honestly very suspect and might be talking about an earlier model.

How does this ski stack up against other metal chargers? eg. Cochise, Cham 107, Q-Lab 109, etc.

Also, I am 210lbs, ski fast but with finesse and high edge angles. And I don't need a 40m radius on a ski to make it work. I like being able to carve on groomers.