The Nordica Dobermann SLR-N Power Evo is the top of the range SL ski model for the general public at Nordica. It is a great ski, designed carve clean sharp turns on and on. But first, let’s take a look at what the Nordica folks say about it.
Nordica Dobermann SLR EVO + N POWER X-Cell EVO
© Nordica – Tecnica Group S.P.A.
Quote: «Wish you had the perfect ski for carving up the courses and the slopes? The Dobermann SLR EVO is bred to do both with an inspiring blend of titanium and wood core, perfectly mixing energy and arc. The only ski frontside rippers will ever want, this terrain tamer makes the highway seem boring after a day on the lifts.»
So… yet again titanium is forging our slalom turns. Crap. If only for once someone had done its job the word titanium would have been changed for titanal (which is the right one as the Nordica folks say). And if that had happened this would be one of the greatest marketing ski description paragraphs of all times. But you know what? Someone did not do his/her job. Nevermind.
The Nordica Dobermann SLR-N Power Evo comes to be a good slalom ski for the general public. With a waist of 70 mm it is somewhat wide and it shows when compared with narrow slalom skis at only 65 mm width. The tip’s profile is 121 mm and the tail gets 106 mm width. All in all this gives us a turn radius of 12,5 m in the 165 cm length. There are four sizes, starting at 156 cm followed by the 160 cm, the 165 cm one and finally the 170 cm. The die hard of pure slalom style aficionados should look somewhere else, and many times that falls into the FIS models at the major brands or onto some other models from those well known minor builders with sound reputation build season after season.
This doesn’t mean the Nordica Dobermann SLR-N Power Evo isn’t a capable and a beast when pushed to the limit. It has a good rebound but still it feels smoother than other SL skis in the market. Some even feel it a bit soft, but anyone will get a hard pump if the ski is used with that purpose. It is a heavy ski and likes to be on the ground carving the turns, however because of the mentioned pop capacity we’ll find easy edge to edge shifting when it’s necessary to slide the tails and move quickly.
As for technologies we’ll find just two, being them the Evo Energy 2 Titanium and the Evo R CT. Nordica claims it’s using Titanal but seems that the marketing department thinks the word Titanium fits better the purpose. The problem arises when you take a look at the Titanal compose where the chemical element called «titanium» isn’t found.
But let’s leave that aside and see why there are two layers of titanal as the photograph from the sandwich construction below explains. This kind of top range skis have some fiberglass and some do even have carbon fiber. Those elements are the ones giving the ski its liveliness and character. That comes at a price and often times this results in wild reactions that make the ski difficult to control. Once we put some element, such as this special metal alloys, the reactions get smoothened but are still there. The ski is stiffened, it is reactive but controllable.
The Evo R CT is basically the plate on which the bindings are mounted. It is not the top race class interface found in the FIS models but it is the second top available for the general public at Marker. It is a floating plate system allowing the flex movement of the ski and it also has some rails to easy adjust the boot into the bindings without tools. A very handy feature.
All in all the Nordica Dobermann SLR-N Power Evo is a very decent slalom ski. Anyone that has already some experience in short turns and is looking for a tool to master them will find in this ski a very good ally. The veterans in the discipline will find a comfortable ski but also a powerful tool when the full capacity of the ski has to be displayed.
