Thread: Review:11/12 Nordica Patron

2011-2012 Nordica Patron 185cm
Lengths available: 185/195cm, sidecut: 143-113-132
"CamRock" design which is early rise in the tip and tail (50% rocker) w/ 3mm of camber

Conditions:
Perfectly dry powder (boot-top deep), packed powder & groomers

In my opinion, this is Nordica's first powder ski outside their past realm of stiff, charging designs (think Girish) with a more mainstream waist size (less than 140cm Jah Love), shooting for the masses looking for a powder ski, rather than the ultra-athletic crowd looking for a heavy-duty tool. The ski is a rocker-camber-rocker design, with wood-fiberglass core (no metal), and has a moderate sidecut...not too straight, not too curvy, so it has no radical handling traits leaning one way or the other. The carnival-blue skeleton graphics didn't do much for me...but I don't really care about graphics too much anyway...just a note to those who are picky about the look of their topsheets...

The Patron is very easy-turning, and the degree of rocker front and rear does the job of preventing any hookiness or catching tips or tails, even when noodling along the tight edges of trails next to the trees. The Patron can make short little choppy turns or bigger, swoopier turns without any real effort, which is perfect for the majority of the resort-oriented skier population to whom this model seems designed. Grip and behavior on groomed surfaces is easy, predictable and contains a surprisingly lively pop if you load the tail section, so you can do a good "ping-ping-ping" bouncy turn series anytime you want..."Playful fat ski" is the phrase I would choose. The Patron has perfectly good grip on groomers (i did not get a chance to try boilerplate behavior), giving the rider a secure, reliable hold without any special technique or athleticism. Performance in the powder is easy and fun, with simple changes in turn radius and direction on-demand. This particular design has a somewhat "surfy" feel to it rather than "crud-cutting" feel (if that makes sense to people), and makes transitions between powder and cut-up snow without any problem.


The Patron is not a hard-charging ski, and definitely falls into the softer-ski category, so it has some flap at higher speeds, and has some flap at speed across small bumps or uneven surface conditions. It does not have the solid landing platform feel of some hard-charger big-mountain skis, but I got the distinct impression this is a fat ski for the majority of the market, not the extreme-performance segment. Overall, I thought it was a very easy, very fun and lively fat rockered ski with the ability to please a wide selection of skiers because it has no real bias toward a particular style or technique of skiing, but works very easily on a wide variety of surfaces. It's not a barn-burner design, but a good pitch right down the middle of the market segment looking for a powder ski.

Small vid showing rocker-camber-rocker profile:
http://www.zapiks.com/presentation-d...atron-n-1.html


Nordica Patron (2 pairs on the right)
(Nordica "sidecountry" Steadfast [middle] and Hell & Back [left])


Nordica Patron tips

Originally Posted by ExoticSkis

2011-2012
In my opinion, this is Nordica's first powder ski outside their past realm of stiff, charging designs

You must have missed the Nordica Radict that came out for the '10-'11 season. The Patron is just a skinnier version of the Radict which, as a Radict owner/lover, is probably great. The Patron has the same construction, rocker profile, turn radius, and come in the same sizes as the Radict. They even have the similar Dia de los Muertos theme...which definitely takes some getting used to.

I did totally miss the Radict last year...my screwup...

Skied them myself a few weeks back (185cm vintage). Was VERY impressed by how versatile they were. Seemed very capable of making a huge variety of different turns and held an edge very nicely on ice. I'd have no complaints calling it my every day ski on the east coast despite it's bigger waist. The camber underfoot kept it lively on groomers and the rocker made it very agile.

Definitely a solid ski in my eyes.

Originally Posted by AlexBuecking

...The Patron is just a skinnier version of the Radict which, as a Radict owner/lover, is probably great. The Patron has the same construction, rocker profile, turn radius, and come in the same sizes as the Radict...

I did not ski the 185 Patron, but I handflexed it back-to-back with a 185 Radict. The Patron handflexed way softer than the Radict. Patron will be good for lighter skiers, or skiers who aren't looking for stiffness.

I did ski the 185 Radict in 3ft of chopped pow, and I really liked how it skied more powerfully and stomped better than the 191 Caylor prototypes and 179 original Hellbents I have tried (admittedly, the 189 Hellbents would have been more appropriate for me).

.

This ski looks like it will compete with the Line Prophet 115 and the Solly Czar in traditional retailers. A crowded (but popular) corner of the market.

i skied the patron and was very surprised by it. great at speed, a little quiver out of the tips but that is to be expected. but it was planted on the firmer packed snow, not super quick edge to edge, but it isnt supposed to be. i had skied the 192 bentchetler right before this ski, and i thought this was just as stable and skied just as well as that longer bentchetler. i am thinking of getting a pair for next season, maybe even for this season if i am lucky....

Originally Posted by Vitamin I

I did not ski the 185 Patron, but I handflexed it back-to-back with a 185 Radict. The Patron handflexed way softer than the Radict. Patron will be good for lighter skiers, or skiers who aren't looking for stiffness.

I did ski the 185 Radict in 3ft of chopped pow, and I really liked how it skied more powerfully and stomped better than the 191 Caylor prototypes and 179 original Hellbents I have tried (admittedly, the 189 Hellbents would have been more appropriate for me).

.

This is an interesting perspective. As a (somewhat) lighter/ smaller skier who has skied both the Radict and Patron in the same length, I had a little different experience, probably based on my build. But ultimately, I'd say we agree.

I found both to be comparable in terms of stiffness (how they felt while I skied them), with the Radict (though super-fun and user friendly) simply having more swing-weight.

Seems like a GREAT solution for smaller skiers (women, and anyone who weighs a little less) who won't physically be able to feel a difference in stiffness due to their weight. I LOVED the Radict but just really didn't need that much swing weight for stability. The Patron does everything it did and more by reducing unnecessary wear/tear on joints toward the end of the day by providing a weight reduction but not a perceived loss in stiffness (at least from the perspective of someone who is a little lighter weight). I'd say that they are certainly very stable feeling underfoot, at the very least, with the tips being the softest section of the ski (perfect for a primarily directional charger that you can also play with switch every once in a while if you like).

I did also find that it did a good job of "eating" the terrain compared to the HellBent, S7 (esp the version without that new titanium sheet), or other soft pow skis, and was significantly more stable on landings than something on the other end of the spectrum like a Line SFB.

It feels like a super-overgrown GS ski, in some ways, but flooooooats in pow. The rockered tip makes it nearly impossible (at least for a 145# chick on the 185) to dive the tips, too, when you open 'er up, which is really nice.

Since this is becoming a review, I'll state my stats:
- I'm 5'3" 145# with most of my weight concentrated in leg muscle ; )
- I'm a Type "III+" skier, but I don't like to huck over 25-30'-ish (and then, only inbounds)
- Other skis I've skied and liked: Volkl Chopstix 181, Gotama (Gold topsheet) 178, Volkl Aura (177), Bro Midstiff 164, Nordica Nemesis/Enforcer, S7 with titanium
- Skis that I haven't liked much: S7 (2010), k2 Phat Luv, Armada VJJ
- Skis that I enjoy given very specific conditions: K2 Obsethed (2009 & 2010), Hellbent, Pontoons

Just out of curiosity, where were the skis mounted and what would you recommend based on your experiences? I'm planning on buying a pair for my quiver of one this winter.

Bump for more reviews, mounting points etc?

ok ok I took one for the team and picked 'em up. They fit my 'less than 300 eur' rule so I figured what the hay. I recently sold my 188 S7's cause I was tired of their flopiness so gave these a shot in a 185 (only size available) for a 'fun' ski that didn't work me as much as the RC112 in tough conditions but still has more backbone than an S7....

Me: 5'10", 170 lbs decent skier 60 days/year in Cham
Skis I ski: RC112, Volkl Kendo, Explosiv, S3
Conditions: a foot of light fresh pow, low viz, still hitting bottom
Mounted: Dukes at 'Classic' line which is the further back of the 2

First thing noticeable is how little tip you have infront of you. I'm so used to RC112s or Volkls that have lots of tip out front and not much tail. I like to lean forward and have an agressive stance. With these you definitely have to ski them more from a centered postion but not necissarily tail gunning. I had one, double somersault over the bars but once I figured that out it was all good.

In light pow they plane well once you get them up to speed but are in no way 'pure' floaters. What they are is bouncy and super fun (and quick) while not being floppy. When the sun finally came out and you could open things up they were happy but it was still a bit unnerving doing so w/ less margin of error out front.

Landing small airs you have to be careful as the tail will load up sometimes and shoot you out like a bat outta hell, but there's definitely more back there then most big mountain chargin sticks. Didn't ski much groomed but what I did they were fun and easy to manage.

Originally Posted by ulty_guy

When the sun finally came out and you could open things up they were happy but it was still a bit unnerving doing so w/ less margin of error out front.

What were the snow conditions when you opened them up and did they feel unstable at speed or was it just a psychological issue with not having as much tip as you're used to?

Conditions were getting more bottomless (snowed all day) and finally some viz when I opened them up. After being on them all of the day, I was comfortable letting them run later in the day and they felt gooooooooood. Just need to remember not to try and drive them quite as much as an RC112.

Anyone try mounting these back of the "classic" line? I demoed these last weekend and they skied great on the "classic" line, but there wasn't much powder to really see how they float and I suspect that 1cm further back would be ideal. They are indeed a little on the softer side but have a lot of power and rebound and tip flap is very reasonable compared to S3's, hellbents, or the new K2 Sideseth (which I've demoed).

On a side note, I took a few laps on the Helldorado before skiing the Patron and found it to be a very manageable but powerful, damp, and heavy (in a good way) version of the Patron. A charger like a Dynastar Legend Pro but with a modern shape and more versatility. They even did ok in moguls. A little much for everyday skiing for a guy like me (175, 5'9") and I felt I could charge 80% as hard on the Patrons.

Hey-

So I've now had a couple pair of these, and skied them again a little over the past few days.

A couple things in response to previous questions:
- The tail is a little soft, so a mounting point that is too far back doesn't really work for me.
- I like them best at the "classic," line. I initially experimented with -2 cm, and they feel a little short in the tail for me.