2015 Nordica Patron Pro

Please PM for details! Boots are in good shape, skied a few seasons but plenty of life left in them. Bought them old stock in 2019. Replaced heel piece last season. Boots like the Patron Pro could save the sport of skiing. First, by strapping into this boot a skier would be reminded that a boot is supposed to fit snug, like it means business, tight like there is intent to rip at the highest level. Next, it would grab hold of that skier and re-train him on how to properly stand on skis—there will be flex in the ankle, there will be a bend in the knee—if that feels foreign to him he will either ski more, get himself to the gym, or quit. Assuming the former, this skier would realize that the absolute power and precision of this boot is too much for his worn-out, bought-online junk sticks and be forced to go straight into the shop to buy an all-mountain performance ski that suitably matches this performance boot. Then, after skiing like some crazed, heroic version of himself all day long, this skier will buy drinks in the bar, decide to go heli skiing, and re-commit his life to the sport. Well, we think this could happen, and we’d like to think that a boot experience could be life-changing, but one thing that we are sure about is that the new Patron Pro is all of that stuff we just mentioned. It is the archetype of the ski boot that all the best skiers envision—it is functional, but it is unadorned. It is not fluffy, it is not soft, it is not medium-anything. It is full-throttle, narrow class, stiff and unapologetically strong on edge. It wants you to be a better skier, no matter how good you already are. That said, this version (revised last year) has a wonderfully cushioned shin fit compared to its previous self and its former calf jabbing tendencies have been resolved. The toebox and forefoot (while still performance-fit) are more anatomically shaped and opened-up. Testers loved the touches on this off-road Dobie (essentially what it is) and wondered how Nordica was able to keep the power and precision of the track machine but combine it with what felt like big-travel suspension. Specifically, the more flexible bootboard design did the trick, along with those liner changes that better distribute shock and help the foot to seat flat to the boot floor.