Sometimes the score profile tells the whole story about a boot. Take the Nordica Dobermann 5 Stiff, for example, it's the stiffest of the 96mm race boots in Nordica's line-up at a 120-flex (though testers said it feels stronger than that) and appropriately, we tested it in our piste-oriented Frontside category.
Our score sheet starts with fit, both the "dry fit," judged straight out of the box, and the "on-snow fit," because sometimes the fit changes with more binding-induced leverage and the warmth and movement of skiing over a few runs. The Dobermann 5 Stiff received an 8.20 and an 8.60, respectively. This tells us two things: the fit is not an out-of-box comfort homerun to begin with--at least not for a gold medal level boot, which the Dobie 5 Stiffy is, and we can see that the fit improved pretty substantially while skiing. Yes, testers say the initial fit is aggressively tight with some firm hotspots around the heel and ankles but that this settles out after a few runs, remaining quite snug.
Our Dynamic Stance score metric (stance angles and functional flex) received a 9.40 for the Dobermann 5 Stiff which is a solid score that indicates no problem. Testers report that the forward lean felt slightly more tipped forward than many modern all-mountain boots, but they thought it was right on the money for a more aggressive, on-piste attack.
The Dobermann's pure performance scores for Edge Power and for Quickness and Steering both received perfect 10.00's and we figure that pretty well says it all. The frontside power of the Dobermann has never been questioned and this year only adds to the supporting evidence that it's a tightly-wound descent machine with a penchant for high speeds on hard surfaces, where it will make a skis edges feel sharper simply by way of its transmissive build. Of the Dobermann's performance character, one tester simply said, Power, power and more power! Another said its direct-drive nature turned his skis into die cutters.
The final score parameter is the ease-of-use metric called Convenience, Warmth and Features. As one might surmise, the Dobie's worst score was found here, at 7.80. This is not a wannabe's boot. It's not for less-than-expert skiers or fair weather whiners. It's a Dobermann, dammit, and if it didn't score low in the comfy convenience category we'd wonder if it was feeling ill.
Testers do say it's more accessible from a stiffness perspective than one might assume--note that it's called stiff as a relative term within a group of boots geared toward junior racers and lighter skiers--this one at a 120-flex is the stiffest of that bunch. Low-volume, lighter weight or shorter guys (or gals) looking for a piste-attacking weapon will find few better options, testers said.
Kudos
Caveats