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The best ski isn’t necessarily the one that carves the hardest or floats the highest in bottomless powder. It’s the one you want on your feet when you don’t know what the mountain has in store. After testing dozens of skis for the 2027 Men’s Journal Ski Awards, our testers found themselves returning to the same pair again and again: the Nordica Unleashed 106.
At 106 millimeters underfoot, the Unleashed 106 looks like a freeride ski built for soft snow. But its biggest surprise is how comfortably it handles everything else, from chopped-up afternoon conditions to hardpack and groomers. A substantial redesign, including Nordica’s new Drift Lock metal construction, gives it a blend of stability, maneuverability, and playfulness that earned it our Best Ski Overall award for 2027.
Looking to upgrade the rest of your skiing or snowboarding kit before the white stuff falls, check out the rest of Men’s Journal 2026-2027 Ski Awards, where we’ve tested everything from outerwear to après-ski gear to bring you the best of every category like our favorite goggles, backcountry safety gear, and après ski items!
Best Ski Overall: Nordica Unleashed 106
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Picking a Best Overall winner from dozens of excellent skis wasn’t easy. But one model kept disappearing from the test rack: the Nordica Unleashed 106. Testers grabbed it first thing in the morning, often before the coffee kicked in, and kept coming back for more.
“If I could take only a single pair of skis around the world, the new Unleashed 106 would be it,” mused one tester—after a few pints, admittedly.
That’s saying something, because 106 mm underfoot puts this ski squarely in freeride territory. Yet Nordica has made it remarkably comfortable on everything from soft snow to hardpack, without turning it into a wide carving ski with delusions of powder grandeur.
What Makes the Nordica Unleashed 106 Different?
The new Unleashed 106 is a substantial redesign of the old 108, with a reshaped rocker profile, longer tip and tail, more camber underfoot, and Nordica’s new Drift Lock metal construction.
A poplar wood core and carbon add to the mix, while the shaped metal section underfoot provides a damp, planted feel without making the ski overly demanding. The result is a whole different animal—and a lot more fun.
How the Nordica Unleashed 106 Performs on Snow
The Unleashed is particularly good in the messy middle: chopped-up, variable snow that can turn a promising ski day into a test of character. At 106 mm underfoot, it has plenty of float when the snow gets deep, but enough grip and maneuverability to make groomers and hardpack part of the day rather than merely the route to the powder. The twin-rocker profile makes it easy to smear, pivot, and get sideways when the terrain tightens up, while camber underfoot gives it enough bite to hold a real turn.
There are skis better suited to bottomless powder and others built to rip groomers. But when we didn’t know what the mountain had in store, the Unleashed 106 was the ski we reached for. Whatever the day delivered, we knew we’d be in the game.
Nordica Unleashed 106 Pros & Cons
Pros
- Exceptional versatility: Handles soft snow, chopped-up conditions, groomers, and hardpack with confidence.
- Playful without feeling nervous: Twin-rocker construction makes it easy to pivot and smear turns.
- Stable in variable snow: Drift Lock metal construction helps deliver a damp, planted ride.
- Plenty of float: The 106mm waist offers meaningful soft-snow capability.
- Approachable performance: The construction provides stability without making the ski overly demanding.
Cons
- Not a dedicated powder ski: Skiers chasing the deepest days may prefer a wider model.
- Not a pure carving specialist: A narrower ski will be better suited to predominantly groomed runs.
- Wide for hardpack-only skiers: Its 106mm waist is more than some frontside-focused skiers need.
Why We Chose the Nordica Unleashed 106
Our Best Overall award isn’t about finding a ski that’s perfect at one specialized task. It’s about identifying the pair our testers would confidently choose across the widest range of conditions. The Unleashed 106 stood out because testers repeatedly reached for it, even with dozens of other excellent skis available. It handled unpredictable snow, offered enough float for powder, and remained fun when conditions turned firm or messy.
For skiers who want one pair to tackle almost everything the mountain throws their way, the Nordica Unleashed 106 is our Best Ski Overall for 2027.
Nordica Unleashed 106 Specs
- Available lengths: 157, 164, 171, 178, 185, and 190 cm
- Dimensions: 137.5 / 106 / 126.5 mm (178 cm length)
- Turn radius: 17.7 m
- Weight: 3,660 g per pair
- Core: Poplar wood with carbon
- Construction: Drift Lock metal
- Profile: Twin rocker with camber underfoot
- Price: $800
What to Look For in an All-Mountain Ski
The best all-mountain ski depends on where you ski, how aggressively you like to turn, and the snow conditions you encounter most often. Here’s what to consider before choosing a pair.
Waist Width
Waist width is one of the biggest factors in how a ski performs. Narrower skis generally feel quicker from edge to edge on groomed snow, while wider skis offer more flotation in powder and soft conditions.
At 106mm underfoot, the Nordica Unleashed 106 leans toward the freeride end of the all-mountain category. That makes it particularly appealing to skiers who want soft-snow performance without giving up the ability to enjoy groomers.
Rocker and Camber
Rocker lifts the tips or tails away from the snow, helping a ski pivot, release turns, and float in softer conditions. Camber provides energy and edge engagement when the ski is weighted.
The Unleashed 106 combines twin rocker with camber underfoot, which helps explain its ability to smear turns in tight terrain while maintaining useful grip on firmer snow.
Stability Versus Playfulness
Some skis favor a planted, powerful feel, while others prioritize quick direction changes and easy maneuverability. Metal reinforcement can help calm a ski in rough snow, but the overall design determines how demanding it feels.
The Unleashed 106’s Drift Lock construction is designed to balance those traits, and our testers found it stable in variable conditions without sacrificing its playful character.
Length and Turn Radius
Ski length affects stability, maneuverability, and flotation. Longer skis generally offer more stability and support at speed, while shorter lengths can be easier to maneuver. Your height, weight, ability, and preferred terrain should all influence your choice.
Turn radius is another useful clue. A shorter radius typically favors tighter carved turns, while a longer radius is more suited to broad arcs. Remember that rocker, flex, and skier technique also affect how a ski actually turns.
Where You Ski Most
A ski that’s ideal for soft snow out West may not be the best choice for someone spending most of the season on firm Eastern groomers. Be realistic about your typical conditions rather than shopping exclusively for the deepest powder day of the year.
If you frequently encounter a mix of fresh snow, chopped-up runs, and groomers, a versatile freeride-oriented ski like the Unleashed 106 makes a compelling case.If you frequently encounter a mix of fresh snow, chopped-up runs, and groomers, a versatile freeride-oriented ski like the Unleashed 106 makes a compelling case.
Why You Should Trust Us and How We Tested
Our team of nine testers knows how to do their homework. Collectively, we’ll rack up more than 1,000 on-snow days in a given season just testing out skis and gear to see if they live up to their promise. Most of us have been testing skis for over 20 ski seasons. We’ve skied New England and Eastern Canadian hardpack, Whistler powder, Pacific Northwest cement, and everything in between, including months in the French, Italian, and Swiss Alps.
Our testers have visited more than two dozen ski resorts in every condition imaginable, and skied plenty of peaks, steep slopes, and couloirs. We offer a combined ski history of more than 100 years of high-level race and big-mountain experience racked up from Japan to North America to the Alps.
We love reviewing skis, and have tested more than 300 pairs of them. We harnessed not only ambition, but wisdom and experience, with testers from their early 20s to seasoned vets. We also tested some skis on less experienced legs to assess how they performed for beginner and intermediate skiers. It’s never easy putting so many great skis through their paces before whittling them down to our favorite dozen pairs of top performers—but it’s always a ton of fun.
