The 2021/2022 Nordica Speedmachine 115 W was tested in the women’s All-Mountain Traditional medium category by the experts at America's Best Bootfitters, powered by Masterfit.
The Gist
The Speedmachine 3 115 is Nordica’s solid answer to a soft problem. Yeah, that’s right the Speedmachine was a little too soft. No, not as in flex, but in attitude—just a little too cozy, a little too comfy, a little too luxuriant. So it went and hardened up a bit. The new 3 Force shell continues to stiffen in performance and stability zones and allow wrapping and easy entry elsewhere, but the new rendition of the cork-clad liner really brought the new level of toughness for our test team who said the debutante had traded the dress for leather, beat up her boyfriend and rode her bike solo to the boot test ball this year. Testers said the Speedmachine 3 is still comfortable (don’t tell her that) but suggested it might take a few runs for everybody to warm up to each other.
The Fit
It’s a medium, sure, but the firmly reinforced and closely shaped liner gives this 100mm a pretty narrowish first fit with a particularly firm feel against the ankles. The feel is still classic Nordica—slips on easily and has a soft draping fabric against the sock—but with a new level of grip along the foot and leg that’s new to the Speedmachine family. Testers said just a few runs and the liner settled in and provided a bit more comfort against bony prominences, and testers who spent some time with an oven or a stacks to get the cork material in the liner up to molding temp found a customized fit that wrapped well but didn’t lose any power to pack-out. Testers say at the 115 level it’s a medium-narrow, or a narrow-medium, and Nordica says this is by design and that liner feel softens and is generally more open in the Speedmachine 3 105 W. Testers say the cuff fit remains classic Speedmachine with an open and flared feeling boot top that will accommodate muscular calves.
Performance
The Speedmachine 3’s highest scores were for edge power and stability and several testers comments mirrored each other for how well the boot put a big ski on edge and held it exactly where it belonged through whatever gnar testers drove it through. Solid and powerful but with a quick to respond feel from turn to turn testers said. Reliable and fun to ski were common threads as well—lots of power, easily tapped.
Cool Features
The shell’s Infrared molding system is pretty techy and cool for bootfitters who have the system but any good bootfitter can work on the thin shell wall polyurethane—it’s a straightforward and honest four buckle overlap like it’s always been. The cork panels on the 3D Cork Fit liner are heat moldable, which testers tried and liked, and they’re also able to be grinded, though they’re thin. Testers like the sliding driver plate on the 35mm Velcro power strap for tuning in the flex feel against the shin, and dual cuff adjustment offer enough lateral adjustment to get most folks balanced without canting.
