Stöckli ski reviews 2010
You've gotta love Stöckli! While other companies describe themselves as "Pure this" and "Mountain that," Stöckli just keeps on following the sage adage "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" Pure is a word almost inadequate to describe the company's philosophy. Great skis, minimal marketing, no hype and genuine Swiss quality are hallmarks of this family run ski company. The Rotor group is (wisely) much expanded for 2010. Stöckli has also established a larger presence on the World Cup. Race skis readily available.
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Laser SC
Stöckli Laser models are superb, precise carvers and the SC, a somewhat tamed version of the World Cup SL, is definitely in the hyper-carving hunt. Good citizen and masters race ski, excels at short radius fall line turns, without being energy draining. Definitely limited to the groomed (and the harder the snow the better), the SC is a technical turn fan's delight. If you are at all tentative about carving skills, this may not be the best choice. If you plan intensive skill building, race training or technical camp, it could be perfect.
Cross Edition
For most, a better choice than the Pro. More versatile, more forgiving and yet most of the top-end performance. Lighter, quicker, easier to ski.
Stormrider Light
One of our most experienced testers described the Stormrider Light as a "kinder, gentler stormrider, more in the rotor mold than a serious off-piste ski." Definite speed limit, not as solid on ice and hard snow as other Stöckli frontside models. Good ski for developing skills, but could be outgrown fairly quickly by a skier who takes lessons and gets a lot of mileage.
Rotor 74 Edition
Replaces the original Rotor 76 and provides a similar range of attributes to a broader range of skiers. Still one of our all time favorites. "A groomer cruiser for skiers that like a smooth, solid feel without much sacrifice in carvability." Great comment, but the ski is versatile enough to qualify as an all mountain carver. Easy turning, solid at speed. Even amenable in mild off-piste circumstances.
Rotor 106
Test skiers seldom write long comments, but this one by one of our top testers summed up almost everyone's observations (word for word): "Beautiful! Great look, great style, great feel—Awesome! Easy and forgiving yet easy and capable of skiing aggressively. This new ski is a great choice for the average person looking for a powder ski and can perform at the highest freeride level." Another simply said, "get some!"
Spirit Globe
Similar to the Cross skis. Like all Stöckli technical skis, the Globe is a beautifully built and precise carver. More like the Cross than the Cross Pro in its demeanor, the Spirit Globe is a well balanced 1-ski-quiver biased toward the groomed. It is more relaxing than the Cross skis, but capable of much of their performance—except at extreme speed. One of our younger test skiers dubbed it a "frontside ski for the parents."
