Thanks for chiming in LindseyB !
Nicks shop is certainly a Bozeman asset already
They offer incredible season tune deals.
We went for the couples season tune,
Two pairs of skis done each week for the season at $189 ! At that price my tuning bench will just collect dust.
I visited my local Stockli shop last month ( Squire John's in Collingwood, ON ) and saw their Stockli fleet for this season. They went heavy on the Laser AR which I am not surprised at, based in the AR's dimensions and targeted terrain, which suits our local skiing conditions to a T. They also had lots of AX, SL, GS, WRT all mounted up ready to go, but I did not see one SX in their fleet this year. I will inquire with them next time I visit.
I have a new SX in 170, but haven't skied it yet as our snow is till too sparse and I don't want to risk base damage just yet. On a whim I bought some used MX84 Limited 176 from Pugski Buy & Sell as they were so well priced and too good looking, that I couldn't say no. I am really enjoying that ski so far and no plans on swapping it out ( for now ! )
@LindseyB
A few pages back you gave some praise to the Kastle MX84 as competing very well in its class.
If you have any experiences on these, how might you compare the AR to the MX84 as they are somewhat similar on paper. I take no issue of you speaking of competing brands.
AR: 175, 130-83-112, R16.5 >
MX84: 176, 128-84-112, R16.3
thanks - Andy
@LindseyB so my SOP a file to the tips and tail ist verboten? Seriously, usually get a tune before I ski new skis. Will a robot do a “progressive tune <- assume that means less base bevel under bindings moving to more as you teach tips.
There are certain people in a certain organization that will remain nameless that actually like the Warden better than the Sth2.
The WRT-ST has the speed abilities of a much longer ski while feeling like a slalom ski when initiating turns. It is a true World Cup room GS build with a tighter radius. You can't shake the ski unless you are straightlining it at stupid high speeds.
The WRT-ST is in a class all it's own.
The SL in a 170 is a non FIS SL. IT is not in the same power class as the WRT-ST.
What is really crazy is how much the binding choice affects how these skis perform. If you are looking for power, the X-Lab/WRT binding and plate is really an awesome driver.
But just get the AR for now.
This guy gives a perfect description:
Greetings Lindsey and Happy New Year.
So I got the SR95 184's thanks to your recommendation and love them ... especially in the fluffy stuff. Not so great on the steeper moguls. I am glad I never went any wider and don't think I will ever purchase a true powder ski.
I am looking for the perfect front side complement to the SR95. Trying to decide between: SX versus GS versus WRT-ST. I had my sights on 177 or 184 SX with a carbon plate but then started reading a lot of good reviews about the WRT so now I am torn. Jans has some GS with plates which would make that an easy pick-up but I dont know if that will as versatile and fun as the SX ... What's good at hard pack, steep moguls, NASTAR, maybe masters training, blast ??? Thanks, P
Hey, what's up with the avatar? No love for Stockli?
After 10 days on Wrt 172, I can say . . . WOW . . . this is The Ski ! ! !
Unbelievable fast in edges change, first time in my ski life, I moved back the bindings . . .
On long turn, it’s stable as a Gs (best Gs on market), on medium or short turn simply
fantastic . . .
obviously the ski needs groomed slope (better hard snow)
I'm in the process of buying a new on-piste ski, and considering the Stöckli Laser SC or AX. I am looking for a single groomer ski that can handle all conditions on-piste. Maybe someone with experience with both, or even @LindseyB could offer some insight please?
I'm 185cm, 100kg, advanced skier, reasonably fit, skied for 35 years. Quite technical, prefer carving at speed when the slope length and conditions allow. I like to vary between small and medium turns, or larger arcs if at a big mountain. Slopes vary from local hills in Southern Finland (100m vertical) to fjälls in Northern Finland (300m vertical) to Alpine trips. Snow conditions on groomers are everything, ice with bad artificial snow, nice hardpack, soft snow, spring slush and afternoon pile-ups and bumps. Fresh snow can be rare locally, 5-10cm at most when it happens, and if there's much more I could rent a fatter ski. I've been on detuned non-FIS slalom Rossis (65mm) for most of the past 10 years. I like them fine when conditions are firm, but late afternoon pile-ups and slush can make the going pretty sticky and my confidence at speed drops - and the Rossis like a bit of speed to really start working. At the other end, in large turns in the Alps, they show their limits with chattering.
So here's the dilemma. I am obviously looking for great carving ability geared to small/medium turns, but would also like an improvement in handling of bad snow conditions. The ski would also need to function well at lower speeds so that the short runs at local hills make any sense, but on the other hand have the range to also be great when going fast in the Alps. I would prefer liveliness at low speeds but stability at high speeds, with a nice kick from the ski at ends of turns when pushing it. I'm aware that these are generally contradictory properties. How do the SC and AX stack up? Is there a marked difference in slower speed liveliness? Carving ability at speed? Bad snow handling? SL versus GS type feel? Am I looking for a unicorn?
For reference, a couple of other skis I've tried and liked: Atomic Redster X9 Widebody (75mm/168cm) had good energy and strength, felt like no speed limit, a workout to ski but in a good way. On the other hand also it felt dead at low speeds, and didn't have much of a character and seemed to like a single turn radius. Elan Wingman 82 CTI (82mm/178cm) had great liveliness and character, worked great at slow to medium speeds, danced through afternoon piles, and surprised me with how agile a wide piste/all mountain ski can be. But it didn't feel that confident at speed, and the stability and smoothness on the arc was not up to the level of a stiffer ski. Also for reference, the Atomic X9 Narrow (65mm/181cm) was too much ski both for the local slope and my legs.
I should be able to demo the SC, but not necessarily the AX. Would appreciate any insight into differences and similarities, so I could judge based on only skiing the SC. Thanks!
I'd love to try them. Just can't find them for rent or demo or sale anywhere. I do wonder if i'd find them a bit short though.
I'm looking for a bit of advice. I rented the GS 180cm, SC 177cm and the SX 177cm.
I found the GS had loads of rebound and energy. Quite a wild ski which was fast, exciting and tricky to tame. Quite tiring and a bit of a handful though but I loved it. The 180cm is certainly a lot of ski compared something like the Atomic X9 181cm - maybe similar to the 183cm Atomic G9. I'm wondering if I should try it in 175cm or go with the 180cm as an aspirational ski I can progress to. The GS felt very powerful - almost overpowering in long turns at times but I enjoyed that feeling of force on my legs in the turns even if I find myself stopping for rests often.
The SC had more rebound in the short turns than the SX and AX - Maybe the TRT is higher performance than the Turtle shell? The turtle shell skis seem very compliant, easy and smooth but for me lack some excitement in the turn. I think they may have been similar in the long turns - the SC and SX. I really liked the versatility of the SC and it seemed much less tiring but still higher perfomance than the turtle shell AX and SX. It switches between long and short turns so intuitively and I feel like it could make any kind of turn I wanted with ease.
I found it a very easy put still energetic and lively ski but perhaps not quite as exciting / thrilling as the GS? Still exciting but not as powerful and aggressive in the long turns on your legs. You really feel the force with the GS.
By the way congratulations because I would be happy to own any of your ski's i've tested from Stockli. They are all amazing skis - it's just finding what characteristics you appreciate most.
In terms of outright power and performance I would rank the constructions in the following order:
FIS > VRT > TRT > Turtle Shell
Would you agree?
What do you think? Should I try the 175cm GS to see if it's much more manageable and less tiring but with the same power and performance, or just buy the 180cm GS and get fitter and better, or get the SC as an exciting, fun and versatile ski that will do it all on piste without tiring me too much and still give me pop and rebound I look for in a ski?
Whats your lenght and weight?I'd love to try them. Just can't find them for rent or demo or sale anywhere. I do wonder if i'd find them a bit short though.
I'm looking for a bit of advice. I rented the GS 180cm, SC 177cm and the SX 177cm.
I found the GS had loads of rebound and energy. Quite a wild ski which was fast, exciting and tricky to tame. Quite tiring and a bit of a handful though but I loved it. The 180cm is certainly a lot of ski compared something like the Atomic X9 181cm - maybe similar to the 183cm Atomic G9. I'm wondering if I should try it in 175cm or go with the 180cm as an aspirational ski I can progress to. The GS felt very powerful - almost overpowering in long turns at times but I enjoyed that feeling of force on my legs in the turns even if I find myself stopping for rests often.
The SC had more rebound in the short turns than the SX and AX - Maybe the TRT is higher performance than the Turtle shell? The turtle shell skis seem very compliant, easy and smooth but for me lack some excitement in the turn. I think they may have been similar in the long turns - the SC and SX. I really liked the versatility of the SC and it seemed much less tiring but still higher perfomance than the turtle shell AX and SX. It switches between long and short turns so intuitively and I feel like it could make any kind of turn I wanted with ease.
I found it a very easy put still energetic and lively ski but perhaps not quite as exciting / thrilling as the GS? Still exciting but not as powerful and aggressive in the long turns on your legs. You really feel the force with the GS.
By the way congratulations because I would be happy to own any of your ski's i've tested from Stockli. They are all amazing skis - it's just finding what characteristics you appreciate most.
In terms of outright power and performance I would rank the constructions in the following order:
FIS > VRT > TRT > Turtle Shell
Would you agree?
What do you think? Should I try the 175cm GS to see if it's much more manageable and less tiring but with the same power and performance, or just buy the 180cm GS and get fitter and better, or get the SC as an exciting, fun and versatile ski that will do it all on piste without tiring me too much and still give me pop and rebound I look for in a ski?
The Unicorn you are describing is the SC. I could go on and on with a longer reply, but the SC is what you are looking for.
Have fun!