The Never-Ending Stöckli Discussion

[Tony Storaro]

OK, a brief question: SR 95 and Salomon Shift, will this combo work?
I want/need something to go up the slopes if/when Covid 20,21,22 etc come say hello and they close the lifts again.
At this point I am not willing to commit to purely touring equipment and at the same time SR 95 is on my shopping list anyway.
This combo will only need a pair of touring boots and then I could ski the SR in my alpine boots as well.

I do realise it will not be as good as dedicated, lightweight touring ski/bindings, but will it suck very much or not?

 

[Noodler]

OK, a brief question: SR 95 and Salomon Shift, will this combo work?
I want/need something to go up the slopes if/when Covid 20,21,22 etc come say hello and they close the lifts again.
At this point I am not willing to commit to purely touring equipment and at the same time SR 95 is on my shopping list anyway.
This combo will only need a pair of touring boots and then I could ski the SR in my alpine boots as well.

I do realise it will not be as good as dedicated, lightweight touring ski/bindings, but will it suck very much or not?

You would be surprised at how little the Edge 100 gives up to the SR95. If you're serious about the uphill part of this equation, don't count out the Edge 100.

 

[Tony Storaro]

You would be surprised at how little the Edge 100 gives up to the SR95. If you're serious about the uphill part of this equation, don't count out the Edge 100.

I was eyeing these as well, but I really want the SR
What about Edge 88? Or are they gonna be too narrow?
And how do I pick the length of the Edge? Do I go for the 177 or 168 ( I am 183cm)? That sounds pretty short, but perhaps I am missing something.

 

[Noodler]

I was eyeing these as well, but I really want the SR
What about Edge 88? Or are they gonna be too narrow?
And how do I pick the length of the Edge? Do I go for the 177 or 168? That sounds pretty short, but perhaps I am missing something.

I haven't skied the Edge 88, so I can't really comment. As far as too narrow... depends on what you're skiing on the downhill.

 

[Tony Storaro]

I haven't skied the Edge 88, so I can't really comment. As far as too narrow... depends on what you're skiing on the downhill.

OK, understood. What about the length?

Edit: Just saw they come also in 186 cm.

 

[Noodler]

OK, understood. What about the length?

Edit: Just saw they come also in 186 cm.

I skied the 177cm for the Edge 100. For a typical adult sized guy, I can't imagine going shorter.

 

[Steve]

I'm taking my Edge 88 177's out tomorrow morning for the first time.
It's not going under freezing tonight, so should be soft snow.
They have Marker F12 Frame bindings on them, but tomorrow is just lift served.

 

[Paul Lutes]

Any one know if if, besides the slightly different top sheet, the 2020/21 WRT ST incorporated any significant changes compared to last year?

 

[mikes781]

Another AX length question incoming. I know the debate between the 175 and the 183s has come up several times but I’m a bit of a Clyde at 6’2” 250. I’m a solid intermediate east Coast skier with a growing quiver. I’ve been on 2018 AXs 183s for the past two years. Lots of fun to go fast on and make medium turns but I’ve been itching for something with a little tighter radius. Spending more time with my girls taking my time on narrow trails here in PA. Also the 183s are a little bit of a chore for my skill set when things get steep. Tried playing around with moving the bindings forward which helped a little.

I was thinking about the SCs but really don’t want to get on something too unforgiving. This lead me back to the AXs in 175 but was wondering if they will be enough given my size?

 

[Noodler]

Another AX length question incoming. I know the debate between the 175 and the 183s has come up several times but I’m a bit of a Clyde at 6’2” 250. I’m a solid intermediate east Coast skier with a growing quiver. I’ve been on 2018 AXs 183s for the past two years. Lots of fun to go fast on and make medium turns but I’ve been itching for something with a little tighter radius. Spending more time with my girls taking my time on narrow trails here in PA. Also the 183s are a little bit of a chore for my skill set when things get steep. Tried playing around with moving the bindings forward which helped a little.

I was thinking about the SCs but really don’t want to get on something too unforgiving. This lead me back to the AXs in 175 but was wondering if they will be enough given my size?

The SC isn't less forgiving than the AX, but I hate the term "forgiving". Let's change it to "demanding". The performance window of the SC isn't more demanding of skier skills than the AX. The SC is not any kind of a beast. You'll find plenty of "beastly" skis in the FIS models or I could point you to a few Fischers that you'll need some chops to handle, but that's not the SC.

Regarding length selection, to me it's much more about the type of skiing and the kind of turns you want to make that will point to the right length. I rarely use size/weight to dictate length. My size/weight must be matched to the ski's flex for the speed and conditions I plan on skiing.

 

[LindseyB]

Any one know if if, besides the slightly different top sheet, the 2020/21 WRT ST incorporated any significant changes compared to last year?

The 20/21 WRT-ST incorporates CSC."Carbon Steering Control". It has been used in many of the World Cup skis for the past few years. There is a strip of carbon on the top layer of titanal that allows the ski to bend in reverse camber as normally would. When the ski is bent is a positive camber from heavy chatter the CSC stops it.

 

[Paul Lutes]

I was hoping you would here my plea - thanks Lindsey!!

 

[Tony Storaro]

The 20/21 WRT-ST incorporates CSC."Carbon Steering Control".

Can you already compare these beauties to the GS?

 

[Wendy]

I finally have had time to ski my AX’s consistently and I’d have to agree that they are the coolest and most interesting skis I’ve ever been on. Cool, because they’re just fun. In short slalom-y turns, they are a riot, and letting them run at speed is thrilling. They are interesting because they seem to “teach” me to be a better skier without kicking my pants or making me frustrated. (@LindseyB ...how do they do that)? It’s like the ski just whispers to me what to do, it’s so weird! Also their relatively narrow width belies their versatility.

I think my other skis are gonna be just hanging on the rack for awhile. (I do have an SR100 Motion that’s also amazing but we need more snow for that).

 

[DocGKR]

I recently acquired a pair of 185cm Stockli Laser GS; after moving the bindings forward 2cm, I have fallen in love with them for medium and long turn sport carving. Easy turn initiation, silky smooth, stable and grippy on hard surfaces yet able to bust through crud, and obviosuly a very high speed limit, but also surprisingly easy to ski when going slower. Unexpecteldy, they handled 12" of fresh snow this past weekend at Squaw, as well as being reasonably well behaved in moguls. The Laser GS is a great complement to my shorter turning SC's. I like the GS much, that they have replaced my 182cm AX's for longer sport carving use.

 

[LindseyB]

I finally have had time to ski my AX’s consistently and I’d have to agree that they are the coolest and most interesting skis I’ve ever been on. Cool, because they’re just fun. In short slalom-y turns, they are a riot, and letting them run at speed is thrilling. They are interesting because they seem to “teach” me to be a better skier without kicking my pants or making me frustrated. (@LindseyB ...how do they do that)? It’s like the ski just whispers to me what to do, it’s so weird! Also their relatively narrow width belies their versatility.

I think my other skis are gonna be just hanging on the rack for awhile. (I do have an SR100 Motion that’s also amazing but we need more snow for that).

I wish I could explain what it is that makes the Stocklis seem like and ski coach whispering in your ear, but I'm not sure why they do this.

The other trait you mention is the versatility of the AX despite being on the narrow side. The narrow skis handle off piste like wider skis and the wider Stockli skis roll and grip like thinner waisted skis. I can't quite explain this behavior either. I understand the construction and the dampening, but I think some things are best left a mystery. I'll just chalk these traits up to the "Stockli magic" people talk about.

My 11 year old skied daughter skied her first pair of real, "Swiss Made" yesterday at Snowbasin now that she has graduated for the tiny kids skis. She got a pair of SL FIS 137 cm from Santa. It was pretty neat to see how quickly she adapted to them and how much cleaner she skied even on man made ice sections. She kept saying that she felt they were "alive and respected" her and how much fun the icy parts of the runs were.

I think that Mathieu has been able to create ski designs that let you know when you make a mistake without punishing you for it. When skied well they sing beautifully, when skied off key they still sound really nice.

I'm glad you are having fun and loving your skis. Rest assured you aren't crazy, I hear that all the time from people who think their Stockli skis are somehow telepathic.

 

[Steve]

My SC’s have 200 days on them. I’ve been loving my SL’s but just went back to the SC’s yesterday and they are still magical.

 

[dovski]

I wish I could explain what it is that makes the Stöcklis seem like and ski coach whispering in your ear, but I'm not sure why they do this.

The other trait you mention is the versatility of the AX despite being on the narrow side. The narrow skis handle off piste like wider skis and the wider Stöckli skis roll and grip like thinner waisted skis. I can't quite explain this behavior either. I understand the construction and the dampening, but I think some things are best left a mystery. I'll just chalk these traits up to the "Stöckli magic" people talk about.

My 11 year old skied daughter skied her first pair of real, "Swiss Made" yesterday at Snowbasin now that she has graduated for the tiny kids skis. She got a pair of SL FIS 137 cm from Santa. It was pretty neat to see how quickly she adapted to them and how much cleaner she skied even on man made ice sections. She kept saying that she felt they were "alive and respected" her and how much fun the icy parts of the runs were.

I think that Mathieu has been able to create ski designs that let you know when you make a mistake without punishing you for it. When skied well they sing beautifully, when skied off key they still sound really nice.

I'm glad you are having fun and loving your skis. Rest assured you aren't crazy, I hear that all the time from people who think their Stöckli skis are somehow telepathic.

So here is my one and only complaint about Stockli's. They have these amazing kids/jr skis and it is near impossible to find them anywhere in the Seattle area or online. My son really wants a pair of the SR Team skis, but we have had to go with alternates for the last two seasons since they are near impossible to find ... hint hint @LindseyB

 

[Wendy]

I wish I could explain what it is that makes the Stöcklis seem like and ski coach whispering in your ear, but I'm not sure why they do this.

The other trait you mention is the versatility of the AX despite being on the narrow side. The narrow skis handle off piste like wider skis and the wider Stöckli skis roll and grip like thinner waisted skis. I can't quite explain this behavior either. I understand the construction and the dampening, but I think some things are best left a mystery. I'll just chalk these traits up to the "Stöckli magic" people talk about.

My 11 year old skied daughter skied her first pair of real, "Swiss Made" yesterday at Snowbasin now that she has graduated for the tiny kids skis. She got a pair of SL FIS 137 cm from Santa. It was pretty neat to see how quickly she adapted to them and how much cleaner she skied even on man made ice sections. She kept saying that she felt they were "alive and respected" her and how much fun the icy parts of the runs were.

I think that Mathieu has been able to create ski designs that let you know when you make a mistake without punishing you for it. When skied well they sing beautifully, when skied off key they still sound really nice.

I'm glad you are having fun and loving your skis. Rest assured you aren't crazy, I hear that all the time from people who think their Stöckli skis are somehow telepathic.

”Telepathic” is the best term to describe these skis!!
Another question:
The next time I have enough extra cash to spare (I put myself on a tight budget this year), would the SC be too much overlap as an addition? It would be fun to have a bonafide slalom-y ski with a more aggressive tune on it.

 

[Noodler]

”Telepathic” is the best term to describe these skis!!
Another question:
The next time I have enough extra cash to spare (I put myself on a tight budget this year), would the SC be too much overlap as an addition? It would be fun to have a bonafide slalom-y ski with a more aggressive tune on it.

SC or the CX (if you want something even a bit more turny and a bit narrower). Of course the standard SL (not the FIS version) would also be a choice.