Model year: 2023-2024
Sidecut: 124-74-104
Size: 175
Radius: 16.5 m
Technology: Double Core, wood core, full sidewall, metal laminates, full camber, FDT plate
About this ski
Nordica has revamped their Dobermann race line and the Spitfire frontside lines. All these skis now feature Double Core—basically two full wood cores on top of each other with all kinds of laminates in between. In the case of this Spitfire DC 74 Pro, there is a metal and an elastomer layer between the two core parts. Other than that, these new Spitfires are very much like the old ones. On paper, that is.
The previous Spitfire series was quite versatile and handled different snow conditions very well, despite the full camber profile and ‘race-inspired’ tips. They had a very high performance ceiling, while still being very manageable at lower speeds or edge angles. And even though the new construction is smoother, damper – the Spitfires got a lot more performant but also a lot less versatile.
Hotheads
No more gentle easing into lazy turns if you want to. No more huge sweet spot when it comes to for-aft balance. These new Spitfires are a bit of a handful. They have great edge grip and are as stable as any high-end performance ski. But in untidy snow, or in fact, under the feet of untidy skiers, they punish you quite a bit.
These skis are now limited in use cases and appropriate for just a fraction of the user base the Spitfires used to serve. Some may like this shift a lot; all the others just look elsewhere for a do-all narrow carving ski. These new Spitfires are now for powerful, technically very advanced skiers (fathers with a racing background maybe?).
Conclusion
The new Spitfires are a lot more powerful and a lot less versatile than the old models. Many aggressive racer-type skiers might like these mid-radius carvers. For all other groomer skiers, this ski will probably not be on their short list.
Characteristics
| Playful |  | Stable |
| Forgiving | | Punishing |
| Lively | | Damp |
| Skidding | | Carving |
| Low speed | | High speed |
| Short turn |  | Long turn |
| Soft snow | | Hard snow |
Thanks for this review. I couldn´t agree more after having tested the ski. It’s a strong ski with phenomenal edge grip on hard packed snow and ice, but requires a lot of effort and needs to be worked on. It feels like you are skiing on rails, and if you don’t hold tight, you get thrown away.