My name is Animator, you may recognize me as NSs Member of the Month for January 2021 (humble brag #1). I have recently acquired a pair of Norse Skis The Freeride, courtesy of Norse USA (@norseskis_us on Instagram). Norse is the brainchild of Patrik Sannes, the previous ski engineer for Faction Skis. The Freeride is a 110mm underfoot, soft-snow focused ski that features a core consisting of ash, poplar and balsa, with two very thin layers of Titanal sandwiching that wood core. The skis profile is rocker-camber-rocker profile. It is a directional ski, with a recommended boot sole center at 7cm behind the core center of the ski. The tail features rocker in order to be able to release the ski easily, but it is not a twin tip. I mounted my pair in a 184 length at 2.5cm in front of the recommended midsole, which results in my boot center being at around 4.5cm behind true center.
As far as myself, I grew up in Switzerland, skiing everywhere on the mountain. I was spoiled with good conditions 90% of the days I skied, and thus spent minimal time in the park. That being said, I did often ski through the park at the end of most runs as that was the point where most trails converged. I have never owned a directional ski in my life, and have never mounted a ski further back than 2cm behind center. Skis I have owned are as follows:
2015 Black Crows Nocta 178
2017 Black Crows Nocta 185
2018 Majesty Superior 186
2017 Faction CT 1.0 182
2020 Faction Prodigy 2.0 177
2017 Moment Deathwish 190
2012 K2 obSETHed 189
2020 ON3P Jeffrey 108 181
Tester information
Height: 6’
Weight: 190lbs
Preferred terrain: Steep faces, deep powder, high exposure, fast groomers
Home resort: La Clusaz, France (yes I’ve skied with Candide (humble brag #2))
Testing Locations: Gunstock, Cannon, Waterville Valley
Conditions: Packed powder, icy groomers, soft chop, corduroy, terrain park
Skis:
The Freeride is a great looking ski. It features a teal topsheet and base, with white graphics on the topsheet and base. The graphics are very simple, which I’m a big fan of. On the tail, there is information regarding the skis construction and shape, also printed in white. It also says, “Store dry. Do not tumble,” which I think is a funny touch. The profile looks fairly standard, with tip rocker, camber underfoot (a decent amount for a soft-snow oriented ski), and tail rocker. The tail rocker slowly transitions from camber to rocker, without a true twin tip. The rocker profile is almost flat, as you can see in the picture below (forgive me for lack of media, I was having too much fun skiing these).
The tips and tails feature a slight taper, which helps to keep the swing weight low.
The Freeride weighs around 1900g per ski in a 184cm. For a ski that’s 110mm underfoot, that’s fairly lightweight. Combined with the more progressive mount point of my choosing, the skis strikes a great balance between strong when being driven, and light underfoot/balanced in the air. Throwing shifties around was fairly easy, and the ski pivots very quickly underfoot.
On groomers, the ski holds a fantastic edge. The duals sheets of Titanal keep the ski torsionally rigid, and the ski is not easily deflected by chopped up snow. They are most definitely on the damp side of the spectrum, which means while they truck through less-than-ideal conditions, they do not offer as much pop and energy as other similar skis in their class.
It’s quite easy to get the ski up on edge at higher speeds, and while at lower speeds it isn’t so easy, it’s not a chore. The skis really come alive above 25mph, but are not too much work at slower speeds either. I even took the ski into the park and attempted (HUGE emphasis on the word attempted) some spins. Landing switch on groomers and landings is possible due to the tail rocker, but I imagine in deep snow they would hang up. Overall, the skis are a ton of fun in every condition I tested them in. I will be updating this review once I ski them in some fresh snow.
Conclusion:
Norse is a new player in a market that is becoming increasingly saturated with, “indie brands.” While they currently offer only 2 skis, both of their options are refined, with a lot of care and attention having been put into both. If you are looking for a ski that is light enough to tour on, damp enough to run with the big boys like the Enforcer and the M5 Mantra, playful enough to spin and butter, this is your ski. It is a directional ski that feels much looser and more surfy than a lot of the other options. Like I said before, I am not a skier who prefers or even owns any directional skis, but these have filled a fantastic spot in my quiver as a directional daily driver. For low tide days and big dumps alike, The Freeride can handle it all and come back begging for more.
Thanks all for paying attention if you got this far! @skidemon22 @patagonialuke @Twig if you all have any input on my review skis it would be greatly appreciated!
