The Gist
The all new 2019 Nordica Promachine 115 W is the boot that all the girls who normally ski guys' boots said they'd like to take home from the test—and that pretty well says it all. Where some boots are powerful but a bit too damp and dull, while other boots are agile and lively but lack strength, testers suggest that the Promachine 115 W is the perfect hybrid of the two types. In fact testers used the word perfect to describe many aspects of this boot, starting with its fit. It's no surprise that it took first place in the highly competitive women's All-Mountain narrow category.
The Fit
Testers used lots of evenly sprinkled 2's (1 tightest, 5 loosest) to rate the Promachine's fit in both the lower boot and the cuff. It's not race boot tight, but just right tight for the category, they said. Its tightest score was for the heel pocket and its roomiest was for the calf—that's a fit blueprint that will work for a lot of women. One tester whined about the heel pocket being too tight around the Achilles tendon, but our custom tests showed the 3D Cork Fit Primaloft liner did a good job of opening the fit where needed without losing a firm grip elsewhere, so we told her to quit whining.
Performance
Though testers called it the perfect mix of power and agility, it received a perfect score average for Quickness , Steering & Feel so apparently testers corroborated Nordica's claim that the thin shell wall Tri Force construction lightens the boot and provides better ground feel without a loss of torque. While the boot's lightness was noticed, it wasn't the primary element that testers were attracted to. They were far too focused on how well they skied everywhere on the mountain on the Promachine 115 W to worry about the boots myriad other good features, of which less weight certainly is one.
Cool Features
Testers like the rolling, grippy stride of the GripWalk soles that come mounted on the boot and noticed (and appreciated) the soles' aqua highlights that matched the rear spine and Power Driver power strap plate (which they also liked for its shin pressure displacement). Our techie testers also appreciated the full complement of useful stuff, like dual lateral cuff adjustment, a removable Velcro rear spoiler, two liner pull loops and four easy to use buckles (yes, with aqua highlights).
Kudos
Caveats