Unlimited dc review

Overview

The Unlimited DC is a new, unisex touring ski in Nordica's Unlimited range. Nordica calls it a light, descent-oriented ski that classic ski tourers will feel at home on straight away, and it is built around two ideas: the new DC Xlight construction, developed specifically for touring, and Nordica's "Length & Waist-Width" concept. Instead of one width for every size, each length gets its own waist — 86 mm at 155 cm, rising in 2 mm steps to 96 mm at 185 cm — so that, in Nordica's words, every ski tourer gets the same flotation in fresh snow regardless of gender, height or weight. It comes in six lengths and is sold without a binding.

On-snow performance

On paper the Unlimited DC is a ski for people who climb to ski down. The waist that grows with length is the key point: a lighter skier on the 161 cm gets an 88 mm ski that is easy to tip and carry, while a heavy skier on the 185 cm gets 96 mm of support under foot, which should keep the feel in soft snow similar across the size run. The radius grows with it, from 15.5 m to 18 m, so shorter sizes favour tighter turns in couloirs and trees and the long sizes open up into calmer, faster arcs. Nordica's All Mountain rocker profile points to easy turn initiation in soft and variable snow rather than a pure-camber hard-snow grip. The DC Xlight build — two light wood cores with carbon — is pitched as stable for its weight, but at 1080–1480 g per ski it will still be deflected more in heavy crud than a full-weight resort ski.

Construction & specs explained

Construction: Double Core Xlight. Materials per Nordica: Lite Performance Wood + Carbon + Sidewall. Factory edge angles are 0.9° base and 87.5° side. Each length has its own sidecut: 114.5-86-102.5 mm at 155 cm, 118-88-106 at 161, 121-90-109 at 167, 124.5-92-112.5 at 173, 127.5-94-115.5 at 179 and 130.5-96-118.5 mm at 185 cm. Radius: 15.5 / 16 / 16.5 / 17 / 17.5 / 18 m. Nordica's published pair weights work out to 1080 g per ski at 155 cm, 1210 g at 167 cm, 1300 g at 173 cm and 1480 g at 185 cm.

Who it's for & comparisons

Ski tourers who care more about the way down than about counting grams, and couples or groups who want one model in very different sizes. Within Nordica, the Nordica Enforcer 94 unlimited is the touring version of a freeride-leaning resort ski, with one waist for every length and 1460 g at 172 cm; the Unlimited DC is lighter in comparable sizes and scales its width instead. The Elan Ripstick tour 94 and the Atomic Backland 95 are similar-width touring skis with a fixed waist across the size range.

Pros, cons and verdict

Pros

• Waist grows with length, so each size gets a width that suits its skier.
• Light for a descent-oriented ski: 1080 g at 155 cm, 1300 g at 173 cm.
• All Mountain rocker for easy turns in soft and variable snow.
• Six lengths from 155 to 185 cm in one unisex model.

Cons

• You cannot choose a narrow long ski or a wide short one.
• Light construction gives less stability in heavy crud than a resort ski.
• The longest sizes are noticeably heavier for long climbs.
• Not a skimo or speed-touring ski.

Verdict: A thoughtful, descent-oriented touring ski whose length-matched waist makes it easy to choose for very different skiers; a strong option for classic tours where the descent matters most.