In an un-hasty way, I'm in the market for a 90-something do-most-things-well-enough western one-ski travel quiver. If it looks like there's a good chance of snow I'd bring my 108s instead or in addition. So I don't want to go too wide on this ski. For that reason as well as personal preference, I've decided not to look at the 98-100mm segment. There are way too many choices as it is!
Please note that these reviews are from the perspective of a smaller person, so if I smash one of your idols here, take that into account. Just like @ScottB insists that only Clydes can really understand Clydes, well... same may go for lightweights.
Here are the blurbs for the TL;DR crowd. I've put my context-setting blather below, for the remaining three of you who can't get enough ski talk.
Here's the interloper: Nordica Spitfire Pro @ 72mm x 168cm. Don't ask how this got in here. This is a good example of a kind of ski that was super popular 10 - 15 years ago - what they used to call a "race-carver." This one is very solid with excellent grip. Exactly as expected. Every ambitious skier in the east should have SOME kind of carvy ski that's narrow and quick to the edge. Otherwise you're fishing among the lily pads in 75 degree water, hoping to catch a trout just because you have an Adams on your tippet. Not gonna happen.
That said, I have to say that this ski, while admirable, did not really move me. (Yes, I'm spoiled.) Maybe it's my size and diminishing strength, or maybe it's my taste changing with age. Comparing this with my MX 84 at exactly the same length, yeah, the Spitfire is naturally far quicker in transition, but its comparative lack of fluidity and terrain conformance makes it much less reassuring at speed. Same when compared with both of my race skis, so this is not about Kästle vs. everything else. And without decent speed I couldn't really bend the Nordica properly, unlike, for example, my shorter SL ski. So, for me personally, this one lands in no-man's land in terms of the length / flex balance.
Who is it for? The many men I see out there who have been skiing Völkl AC 40s and RTM 86s forever, but who never use that extra width in actual soft snow. Live your reality, guys.
Who is it not for? Smaller folks just learning to arc 'em up.
Insider Tip: The Spitfire model line has a long and well-respected lineage in Canada and elsewhere. Don't avoid just because you've never heard of it here in the U.S.
Stöckli Stormrider 95 @ 95mm x 175cm. This thing was just a limo at speed. I loved the snow feel of this ski, and the effortless edge grip and stability on arc, even through piles of ... whatever that stuff is they have at Sunday River. Bravo for that! Then I got into some bumps and ... well, I think this is just too much ski for me in bumps. Or it doesn't fit my off-piste style. Or both. Even in the context of the other 90+ skis it felt wide. "Ponderous" was the word that came to mind at the time. (No, I did not ski this right after the Spitfire!) I would like to try the next-shorter length, and I would like to try it in proper soft snow. But what I really want is this construction in this length, with about 1.5cm ripped off of each edge. That is a ski I would buy tomorrow, and hoot around on with my own damn jacket unzipped*. [*see below for THAT context]
Who is it for? Westerners who cruise around with concealed power, like big sharks.
Who is it not for? Bumpers.
Insider tip: Best not to size up.
I really wanted to like the Fischer Ranger 90 @ 90mm x 172cm. Very spiffy looking, for starters. When I eyeballed the ski, with all that tip splay, light weight, and narrower waist, I figured it would be great in bumps and soft snow, and a snooze on the groomers. Nope. Other way 'round. What? No, of course they don't hook up from the tip like a carving ski. But the grip these things have underfoot on boilerplate is phenomenal. Very confidence inspiring. Knifelike, even. Obviously it was a superb tune job. The skis have a completely different vibe from the others here. That typical Fischer "bright" snow feel is there in spades, countering the Stöcklis' baritone with lots of treble. I don't prefer that much feedback, but it's a matter of taste. Surprisingly, it was in the bumps that I really didn't like the skis' style. It's very on/off. You have all that tip splay, so the tips are in the air a lot. Then when they finally engage, they're very abrupt. It's as though the designers felt that if they pre-bent the tips they didn't have to worry about letting them flex. Not a model for me, but I definitely know people who would love the flickability and mongoose-y bite of these skis.
Who is it for? The skier who prizes light weight, quickness, unmediated feedback, and hard-snow chops.
Who is it not for? Anyone taking anti-anxiety medication
Insider tip: If you are into aesthetics, put on your good glasses and check out the finish on a new pair of these; they are sweet-looking boards.
After the Ranger experience I was unsure if I really wanted to try the Head Kore 93 @ 93mm x 171cm. I had hand-flexed this in ski shops a couple of times and came away thinking, "Way too stiff." (This stiff hand flex business has been discussed a few times here.) Anyway, there it was in the tent, to my surprise, so I capitalized on the moment.
I kind of hate to jump on the bandwagon, but this is truly a sweet ski. On groomers, you can ski arc-to-arc easily. They were not quite as locked-in on hard surfaces as the Stöcklis or even the Fischer, but in fairness it was also later in the day and the edges may have been showing some wear. (I'm pretty sure I was more or less the first skier on the other skis, whereas the Kores had been out quite a few times already.) In any case, more than respectable carvers for their width. In the more or less easy bumps available, these skis felt super comfortable. Snow feel was much quieter than the Fischers, but not absent. The combination of that quiet feel with the light weight was very appealing. In particular, I felt like I could bend the tips into a trough, then get a slow, predictable, cushion-y rebound ... like you when you have the shock on your mountain bike dialed just right. So, as others here have said, you have to ski them before you judge them. Also the SHAPE of the tip felt more natural in bumps than either of the other two 90+ skis I tried today. The Fischer's was too tapered and splayed; the Stöckli's was too big, blunt, and flat (and thus probably great in crud). The Kore hit the Goldilocks spot between. I suppose it's possible that in really steep choppy bumps I would find the objectively stiff flex on the Head a handful, but certainly on the day this was the clear winner and one that I'd consider buying at some point, for the right price. I think the holy grail for me is a fairly traditional design with some tip taper and an easy-going flex pattern - one reason I've been wanting to try the Navigators.
Who is it for? Um, pretty much anyone who pays attention and is in the middle 95% of the size / strength curve.
Who is it not for? Someone who wants an easy-button ski to pivot around on thoughtlessly, OR, possibly, at the other end, someone who needs ultimate beef.
Insider tip: Dream on. Everyone else has already skied and liked this ski. How could I possibly have an insider tip?
++++++++++++ begin extra blather ++++++++++++
Date: November 24, 2018
Location: Sunday River, Maine
Weather: Partly sunny, wind light to calm, temperatures climbing from 15 to 32F during the day.
Light: Passable to start, becoming truly crappy by 2:00.
Terrain: Lots of runs open for this early in the season, including a good mix of green, blue, black pitches.
Conditions: Nice groomed surface devolving quickly under heavy skier traffic into the standard Sunday River impenetrable boilerplate.
Me: 55yo, 5' 7" 140lbs, Level 8, beleaguered beer leaguer
Okay, let's start with the upsides. AMAZING amount of coverage and open terrain for Thanksgiving in New England. This was, like, a dozen solidly white ribbons of death. I think all the rocks I hit were when I was on demo skis.
Weather was perfect. My new boots were more or less working and thus staying out of the way. Most importantly, there were actually a few caches of soft-ish snow and bumps to work the demos on, off to the sides where the lemmings deigned not go. Very unusual for Thanksgiving in Maine. Finally, in an unprecedented development, every ski I tried seemed to have a good tune. I attribute this to it being early enough in the season that most of the skis were still only very lightly skied.
Downsides: VERY crowded ... like holiday Saturday crowded. Of course it WAS a holiday Saturday, so I guess that makes sense. But historically speaking Thanksgiving weekend is generally not a big draw. This time around the conditions appear to have attracted every family-stuffed SUV in all of eastern Massachusetts, as well as a large number of unguided male teenage missiles. (Dude, are you aware that your folks paid for the zipper at the front of your jacket for a REASON? Can you at least, please, zip up before almost killing me? I just don't want the sound of a torn plastic kite in a high wind to be the last thing I hear in the instant before I die from having a snowboard inserted up my ass.)
In terms of lift lines, it wasn't terrible, since they miraculously managed to keep several high-speed chairs running simultaneously. But the hordes did mean that scoring skis at the demo tents was haphazard at best and a complete lost cause at worst.
Editorial Interlude: Fat Ski Mania Has Not Subsided. Okay, I admit that we do seem to have passed "peak fat" in terms of Soul 7 infatuation. HOWEVER, it's still true that on this emphatically edges-mandatory day, all the skis between 85 and 100mm were consistently out on the hill, while Supershapes, Laser SLs, Firebirds, and Spitfires languished unloved in the racks. WTF? Exception: Laser AXs were in high demand. (As I write this I think, "Shit. How did I not get on one of those Firebirds? What a dope.")
Skis I very much wanted to try but did not manage to get on for various reasons (so don't ask why I don't have a note):
Nordica Navigator 90 (they only had the 179),
Rossi Experience 94 (never saw anything but some stupid-long length)
Blizzard Rustler 9 (they only had 180s)
Völkl Secret (Völkl guy was very weird about this. Maybe he was homophobic or something. 
)
Völkl Mantra (Predictably never even saw this ski 'til they were packing up. This is Völkl country. Whatever.)
Black Crows Orb (suspect this is a sleeper I might like, but no Black Crows tent)
Liberty VMT 92 (no Liberty tent)
Kästle FX 95 (no Kästle tent)
So what did I learn? I learned that a slalom ski is your friend on a day like this. Well, duh. I learned, not for the first time, that I like skis that bend more than I like skis that are bent. I learned that a 90mm ski still feels annoyingly, pointlessly wide on hard snow. I learned that in skiing as in daily life, I like quiet. At the same time, I found the raucous playlist the lifites had blaring at the bottom of the Barker quad quite inspired and inspiring, so don't take anything I say seriously.
Please note that these reviews are from the perspective of a smaller person, so if I smash one of your idols here, take that into account. Just like @ScottB insists that only Clydes can really understand Clydes, well... same may go for lightweights.
Here are the blurbs for the TL;DR crowd. I've put my context-setting blather below, for the remaining three of you who can't get enough ski talk.
Here's the interloper: Nordica Spitfire Pro @ 72mm x 168cm. Don't ask how this got in here. This is a good example of a kind of ski that was super popular 10 - 15 years ago - what they used to call a "race-carver." This one is very solid with excellent grip. Exactly as expected. Every ambitious skier in the east should have SOME kind of carvy ski that's narrow and quick to the edge. Otherwise you're fishing among the lily pads in 75 degree water, hoping to catch a trout just because you have an Adams on your tippet. Not gonna happen.
That said, I have to say that this ski, while admirable, did not really move me. (Yes, I'm spoiled.) Maybe it's my size and diminishing strength, or maybe it's my taste changing with age. Comparing this with my MX 84 at exactly the same length, yeah, the Spitfire is naturally far quicker in transition, but its comparative lack of fluidity and terrain conformance makes it much less reassuring at speed. Same when compared with both of my race skis, so this is not about Kästle vs. everything else. And without decent speed I couldn't really bend the Nordica properly, unlike, for example, my shorter SL ski. So, for me personally, this one lands in no-man's land in terms of the length / flex balance.
Who is it for? The many men I see out there who have been skiing Völkl AC 40s and RTM 86s forever, but who never use that extra width in actual soft snow. Live your reality, guys.
Who is it not for? Smaller folks just learning to arc 'em up.
Insider Tip: The Spitfire model line has a long and well-respected lineage in Canada and elsewhere. Don't avoid just because you've never heard of it here in the U.S.
Stöckli Stormrider 95 @ 95mm x 175cm. This thing was just a limo at speed. I loved the snow feel of this ski, and the effortless edge grip and stability on arc, even through piles of ... whatever that stuff is they have at Sunday River. Bravo for that! Then I got into some bumps and ... well, I think this is just too much ski for me in bumps. Or it doesn't fit my off-piste style. Or both. Even in the context of the other 90+ skis it felt wide. "Ponderous" was the word that came to mind at the time. (No, I did not ski this right after the Spitfire!) I would like to try the next-shorter length, and I would like to try it in proper soft snow. But what I really want is this construction in this length, with about 1.5cm ripped off of each edge. That is a ski I would buy tomorrow, and hoot around on with my own damn jacket unzipped*. [*see below for THAT context]
Who is it for? Westerners who cruise around with concealed power, like big sharks.
Who is it not for? Bumpers.
Insider tip: Best not to size up.
I really wanted to like the Fischer Ranger 90 @ 90mm x 172cm. Very spiffy looking, for starters. When I eyeballed the ski, with all that tip splay, light weight, and narrower waist, I figured it would be great in bumps and soft snow, and a snooze on the groomers. Nope. Other way 'round. What? No, of course they don't hook up from the tip like a carving ski. But the grip these things have underfoot on boilerplate is phenomenal. Very confidence inspiring. Knifelike, even. Obviously it was a superb tune job. The skis have a completely different vibe from the others here. That typical Fischer "bright" snow feel is there in spades, countering the Stöcklis' baritone with lots of treble. I don't prefer that much feedback, but it's a matter of taste. Surprisingly, it was in the bumps that I really didn't like the skis' style. It's very on/off. You have all that tip splay, so the tips are in the air a lot. Then when they finally engage, they're very abrupt. It's as though the designers felt that if they pre-bent the tips they didn't have to worry about letting them flex. Not a model for me, but I definitely know people who would love the flickability and mongoose-y bite of these skis.
Who is it for? The skier who prizes light weight, quickness, unmediated feedback, and hard-snow chops.
Who is it not for? Anyone taking anti-anxiety medication
Insider tip: If you are into aesthetics, put on your good glasses and check out the finish on a new pair of these; they are sweet-looking boards.
After the Ranger experience I was unsure if I really wanted to try the Head Kore 93 @ 93mm x 171cm. I had hand-flexed this in ski shops a couple of times and came away thinking, "Way too stiff." (This stiff hand flex business has been discussed a few times here.) Anyway, there it was in the tent, to my surprise, so I capitalized on the moment.
I kind of hate to jump on the bandwagon, but this is truly a sweet ski. On groomers, you can ski arc-to-arc easily. They were not quite as locked-in on hard surfaces as the Stöcklis or even the Fischer, but in fairness it was also later in the day and the edges may have been showing some wear. (I'm pretty sure I was more or less the first skier on the other skis, whereas the Kores had been out quite a few times already.) In any case, more than respectable carvers for their width. In the more or less easy bumps available, these skis felt super comfortable. Snow feel was much quieter than the Fischers, but not absent. The combination of that quiet feel with the light weight was very appealing. In particular, I felt like I could bend the tips into a trough, then get a slow, predictable, cushion-y rebound ... like you when you have the shock on your mountain bike dialed just right. So, as others here have said, you have to ski them before you judge them. Also the SHAPE of the tip felt more natural in bumps than either of the other two 90+ skis I tried today. The Fischer's was too tapered and splayed; the Stöckli's was too big, blunt, and flat (and thus probably great in crud). The Kore hit the Goldilocks spot between. I suppose it's possible that in really steep choppy bumps I would find the objectively stiff flex on the Head a handful, but certainly on the day this was the clear winner and one that I'd consider buying at some point, for the right price. I think the holy grail for me is a fairly traditional design with some tip taper and an easy-going flex pattern - one reason I've been wanting to try the Navigators.
Who is it for? Um, pretty much anyone who pays attention and is in the middle 95% of the size / strength curve.
Who is it not for? Someone who wants an easy-button ski to pivot around on thoughtlessly, OR, possibly, at the other end, someone who needs ultimate beef.
Insider tip: Dream on. Everyone else has already skied and liked this ski. How could I possibly have an insider tip?
++++++++++++ begin extra blather ++++++++++++
Date: November 24, 2018
Location: Sunday River, Maine
Weather: Partly sunny, wind light to calm, temperatures climbing from 15 to 32F during the day.
Light: Passable to start, becoming truly crappy by 2:00.
Terrain: Lots of runs open for this early in the season, including a good mix of green, blue, black pitches.
Conditions: Nice groomed surface devolving quickly under heavy skier traffic into the standard Sunday River impenetrable boilerplate.
Me: 55yo, 5' 7" 140lbs, Level 8, beleaguered beer leaguer
Okay, let's start with the upsides. AMAZING amount of coverage and open terrain for Thanksgiving in New England. This was, like, a dozen solidly white ribbons of death. I think all the rocks I hit were when I was on demo skis.
Weather was perfect. My new boots were more or less working and thus staying out of the way. Most importantly, there were actually a few caches of soft-ish snow and bumps to work the demos on, off to the sides where the lemmings deigned not go. Very unusual for Thanksgiving in Maine. Finally, in an unprecedented development, every ski I tried seemed to have a good tune. I attribute this to it being early enough in the season that most of the skis were still only very lightly skied.Downsides: VERY crowded ... like holiday Saturday crowded. Of course it WAS a holiday Saturday, so I guess that makes sense. But historically speaking Thanksgiving weekend is generally not a big draw. This time around the conditions appear to have attracted every family-stuffed SUV in all of eastern Massachusetts, as well as a large number of unguided male teenage missiles. (Dude, are you aware that your folks paid for the zipper at the front of your jacket for a REASON? Can you at least, please, zip up before almost killing me? I just don't want the sound of a torn plastic kite in a high wind to be the last thing I hear in the instant before I die from having a snowboard inserted up my ass.)
In terms of lift lines, it wasn't terrible, since they miraculously managed to keep several high-speed chairs running simultaneously. But the hordes did mean that scoring skis at the demo tents was haphazard at best and a complete lost cause at worst.
Editorial Interlude: Fat Ski Mania Has Not Subsided. Okay, I admit that we do seem to have passed "peak fat" in terms of Soul 7 infatuation. HOWEVER, it's still true that on this emphatically edges-mandatory day, all the skis between 85 and 100mm were consistently out on the hill, while Supershapes, Laser SLs, Firebirds, and Spitfires languished unloved in the racks. WTF? Exception: Laser AXs were in high demand. (As I write this I think, "Shit. How did I not get on one of those Firebirds? What a dope.")
Skis I very much wanted to try but did not manage to get on for various reasons (so don't ask why I don't have a note):
Nordica Navigator 90 (they only had the 179),
Rossi Experience 94 (never saw anything but some stupid-long length)
Blizzard Rustler 9 (they only had 180s)
Völkl Secret (Völkl guy was very weird about this.
Maybe he was homophobic or something. )Völkl Mantra (Predictably never even saw this ski 'til they were packing up. This is Völkl country. Whatever.)
Black Crows Orb (suspect this is a sleeper I might like, but no Black Crows tent)
Liberty VMT 92 (no Liberty tent)
Kästle FX 95 (no Kästle tent)
So what did I learn? I learned that a slalom ski is your friend on a day like this. Well, duh. I learned, not for the first time, that I like skis that bend more than I like skis that are bent. I learned that a 90mm ski still feels annoyingly, pointlessly wide on hard snow. I learned that in skiing as in daily life, I like quiet. At the same time, I found the raucous playlist the lifites had blaring at the bottom of the Barker quad quite inspired and inspiring, so don't take anything I say seriously.
Last edited:
