[The test results and most of the review for the Patron are from 2014; the ski’s only changes for 2017 are cosmetic.]

When the Patron debuted several years ago, it immediately established itself as an exceptional Big Mountain stick. Since then, Nordica has tried out several noteworthy replacements, including its metal-embellished clone, the Helldorado, the well-received El Capo, its metal-free doppelgänger, the short-lived Vagabond, and the recently deceased NRGy 107. As the curtain rises on the 2017 season, only the Patron is left proudly standing.

As it should be. The Patron is among the few skis with a 113mm waist that can be skied on hard snow without feeling like both knees are under assault with a deadly weapon. Please don’t test this proposition. The Patron belongs in powder, where its combination of camber and rocker combine to create ecstasy.

The Patron’s pleasant habit of contradicting conventional wisdom extends to set-up crud – where metal-less skis are apt to be kicked around – and even bumps, where most skis this size try to pretend they’re somewhere else, anywhere else. We’re not recommending you take the Patron absolutely anywhere, we’re just saying that if the spirit moved you, you could. Of course it prefers its snow fresh and uncut – every fat ski ever made purrs in this medium – but the Patron continues to distinguish itself for its fortitude in conditions where other skis of its ilk flounder. Considering that powder “days” are more like powder hours, this ecumenical attitude is what makes the Patron such an enduring pleasure.