Nordica Questions

jwv

Member
Hey guys, I've got a couple questions about Nordica's lineup. I'm looking at the Dead Money and the Double Sixes, and I want to know the difference. The skis have very similar dimensions (Double Six: 120-84-109, Dead Money: 121-86-110), and both have sintered bases, yet there is a $100 price diference. What is the diference between the two skis? I live in Ohio, so I won't be skiing powder or hucking cliffs, but I'd like something that can perform well outside the park (I ski park about 50%-60% of the time). I'm not an expert park skier, and I want something that will help me progress. Also, does anyone know if next year's OMW and Badmind are the same ski as the Dead Money and the Double Six, just new graphics?
 
the black is all sidewall. It makes the ski hold an edge easier.

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then you have cap-wall which is like cap. Just like it sounds, they put a cap on the sidewall.

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can construction skis have a softer flex and are usually cheaper skis for beginner, intermediate skiers who need the ski's help in flexing it. A vertical sidewall, sandwich construction ski is stiffer and commands more form the skier. It also provides better edge hold as well. Many skis coming out are a hybrid as they have sandwich construction underfoot for great edge hold but cap sidewall at the tip and tail to reduce weight and improve flex for butters.
 
i have tried hand flexing all of the nordica lineup and am riding a pair of Ace of Spades at the moment. I know 2 other people who have the double 6s and one person who has the dead money. It is a price difference because of the cap construction, but that doesnt mean that the skis are softer (all the time) because the dub 6s are planks as far a beginner skis go and I have seen my friends throwing down with those things for 60 footers and being fine. It is not about what the exterior appears to be. As far as the Dead money, I do not have much information except that it is an intermediate ski that has a softer flex for my taste and just seems different from what the other park skis nordica makes.
 
So pretty much you're paying $100 for sidewall? And anyone know if the OMW is the same as the Dead Money and the Badmind the same as the Double Six? Thanks!
 
Well sidewall construction makes it a completely different ski that will perform better. and yes I know that the dead money is the One Man Wolfpack, but I think they have the same general idea for the Badmind, just a little tweaking to make it a better ski from the Dub six.
 
The OMW is the dead money just with new graphics.

the difference between the two is that the dead money is a stiffer ski and it comes in bigger sizes i believe. the double six is somewhat of a cheaper ski with what everyone is saying it has a capped construction, the difference is that the capped top protects the top sheet from chipping as much and it is also built out of some different constructions.
 
^This is more correct. Simply because a ski has a sidewall does not mean it is going to perform better than a ski with a cap construction. For example, our World Cup race skis are cap construction and blow the full sidewall version of Punx out of the water, in terms of stability at speed and edge grip on hard snow. So, for those saying that sidewall skis give more edge hold or power transmission is simply not accurate.

Sidewall skis can for sure have tremendous power and damping and edge hold etc, but it has more to do with what is inside the ski. Concentrate more on the internal construction (wood or wood & metal or wood & metal & carbon) than whether a ski is sidewall or cap.
 
Does atomic email blast this explanation to everyone who works for them lol? Esterbrooke pretty much said the same thing

Now you said sidewall doesn't mean it's going to perform better than a ski with cap. Not sure I agree with that. I thought a sidewall raise you up higher than cap thus giving you more

leverage on the ski? There's a more effective surface area in-terms of

edge hold.

This is a great example, no questions asked, the world cup redster holds a better edge than the punx. But you said it yourself, worry about whats in the ski, and the internal construction of those skis are totally different. Were comparing apples and oranges here

Plus your cap construction redster is also a double deck construction which dampens the ride etc. which is a way to compensate for the same thing a sidewall does.

But dude, you just compared the edge hold of a punx to a world cup redster, I sure hope the redster holds a better edge ;) lol. Doesn't matter cap or sidewall, I still love these two companies, atomic and nordica put out some quality goods and you wouldn't go wrong buying anything from either company.

 
This was exactly why I compared the two. If people are saying that sidewall skis give more edge hold than cap, this is good example to show how that is not the case because it"s so obvious. John said the same thing I did because it's an example we all know of- our race skis have been traditionally cap, with some exception. True we also have double deck on the Speed skis, but not on Slalom- there's no double deck on the World Cup SL skis, those are strictly cap.

Generally speaking, lots of companies (large and small) like to use sidewall skis because the manufacturer can change the lay up more easily. Flex patterns and weight changes are easier to make with sidewall construction than cap construction. This is only one reason why companies chose to make sidewall skis but it is super helpful when wanting to change the feel and flex of the ski.
 
you should probably think of it this way: (and I know you know what your talking about) it will perform better with the options for park that he is saying, especially since Nordica has great race skis that are, indeed a sidewall construction. Nordica makes a better ski with its Sidewall construction from my and my friends' experiences. I mean I love my Aces but they are a completely different ski than a cap construction like a Line Anthem. the Line Anthem is made to be an everyman ski that you can do anything with, all while thrashing on it. My Aces are getting a little beat up on the topsheet and metal, but that is because of construction, but overall, skis with a sidewall are generally going to be higher quality and better performing. there is exceptions to everything, and skis are no different. if you look at the Armada Pipe Cleaner, it has a half-cap construction, but that thing has insane edge grip, but still has the cap construction for the most part. I feel that you put this comment in a blunt way, where it certainly has a lot of leeway to go in any direction from the general ideas. You stated that the Redsters have cap and have better edge grip than the Punx, and I have ridden a pair of my friends Redsters and have been to the Starting Gate in Vermont, have seen the double decker construction in all of its forms, and have skied on them as well. I would say that while, yes the cap construction race ski does have more edge grip than any other ski I have ridden, I would like to point out that you dont just straight up leave the ski with cap, you slap on that metal backbone that gives it power and grip. You really cant say that cap, when left alone (in park skis especially) will have better edge hold than park skis with sidewalls. I had a pair of Head cap construction adult skis last year and they had great edge hold, but when it boils down to it, "sidewall stumps all" as my local shop guy likes to say. What I was trying to do in my previous comment, since OP show us that person is not the most knowledgeable with skis and ski construction, is to show him a general idea. You can go much more into detail like you have done, but for him I think to say that a sidewall ski will perform better is a safe accusation.
 
I never wanted my argument to mean anything towards Nordica, just about construction in general. I also mentioned that our World Cup Slalom ski is full cap- no double deck. It is a full cap ski. I totally love sidewall skis and ski them personally, but I was only making my point to show that cap skis can be just as powerful or more so than sidewall when built properly. That's all.
 
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