The Nordica Promachine 130 has been a perennial favorite of our test team but this year it has ascended to the top of our list of flawless boots that remain so—as it bravely refuses to chase new, superfluous tech in the name of attracting a new crop of fickle feature followers. Appropriately, this year it also topped the field of narrow all-mountain boots (albeit by one-hundredth in a tight field) which was good to see after several years on lower steps of the podium.
What makes the Promachine so good, year after year, without fluffing and preening? Testers say it’s an evenly matched blend of high performance and just enough comfort to satisfy the expert skier who wants warmish toes in an all-day charger, but just barely. Testers say there’s just barely enough shape in the shell to accommodate all their bony spots and normal curves. They say the liner is just barely cushioned enough to ward off collisions between foot and plastic. The result of these two minimalist half-nods to luxury is maximized transfer of foot movement and drive directly to the ski.
This hints a bit at the skier (of many sizes, as it’s available down to a 22.5 and up to a 30.5) who’s attracted to the Promachine 130—this is a skier that isn’t necessarily anti-tech, just one that’s staunchly anti-new-for-the-sake-of-newness. If we were talking cars this driver wouldn’t want a TV-sized flat screen on the dash or a dial-a-gear selector. Similarly, the Promachine is all boot—overlap polyurethane shell and cuff, four buckles, a cam buckle powered strap and a couple liner pull loops that won’t be needed by this kind of skier to put the damn thing on. Also of note, not a single cable or knob is in sight from the range’s flagship 130 down to the bargain 90-flex. Good skiers (and our entire test team) appreciate that the Promachine will put a ski exactly where the pilot has directed, for better or worse, and while skilled inputs are rewarded with a skier’s best turns ever, mistakes are still forgiven, if with an imagined eye-roll of disdain from a boot that was clearly expecting more. The Promachine doesn’t hand out participation awards, and there are zero excuses available for someone who fails to ski well in this boot.
This is hardly an old-school, spartan throw back—the TriForce shell design remains cutting edge for maintaining thick plastic in structural, power zones and a thinner lay up for better fit wrapping, easier entry and weight savings. The updated liner sports an anatomically milled and cork-clad ankle and heel pocket with a comfy-enough interior material with a texture that grips the foot better than most for a slippage-free interaction with the sock.
In short, the Promachine design is elegant in its simplicity and our team hopes Nordica won’t change it much going forward—if they plan to we’ll give you the head’s up so you can buy two pair now and stash one in the back of the closet.
Kudos