2023 Stöckli Laser WRT Pro

[Tony Storaro]

So I have the SX FIS 185 and know the ski well. At this point I have 4 days on the WRT Pro in 172. They are completely different skis. I also suspect the 162 the 180 and are pretty different than the 172 and hope at some point to get on the other lengths to compare. The SX FIS requires patient initiation to hook up, as one might expect. In the turn it’s about as stable as a ski like that can get. If you try to overpower the tips, it’s slow to break the tails but will. The Pro on the other hand, at least with the factory tune, has pretty reactive tips that will overreact if you get too far forward. It’s happier skied from the center until the end of the turn when you can recruit the tails for a quick release. I find it kind of easy to ski, if you’re fore aft balanced the way it likes. Skied that way, I find it‘s happy with short or medium radii. It doesn’t have the bobsled feel of the SX but I like that as it‘s more all mountain and snappy.

That said, I weigh 175 these days. @anders_nor, I think you’re in a greater weight class and I think that would really matter with this ski. It does on the FIS SX, I was 30 pounds heavier in the past and it’s more work to ski it these days. Whereas on the Pro I feel as though if I don’t try to overpower the ski it’s happiest and doesn’t demand a lot of effort. With GS turns it feels like a tolerant SL. As an SL it feels like an SL. Fore aft is really key here. When I’m balanced I feel like the ski can do almost anything with grace.

Is it worth the high cost? Well, not really, there are so many fine skis for less. But it’s distinctive with a very broad performance envelope so it ultimately depends on how you value that.

What you will find in the 180 is they need to be skied more forward than the 172. Centered skiing doesn‘t work so well. Tips are more difficult to access and you will have to work harder. But when you get it right the kick out of turn is so strong you get air every turn.

 

[tomahawkins]

Got to hand flex one in a store for the first time yesterday. Softer than I expected. Similar to my eRace Pro, much softer than my TC-SUs. Curious how the flex compares to the FIS SL.

 

[anders_nor]

flexes softer than fis SL, rides softer than fis SL, yet you can tell they are related

I cannot outski the 180 WRT pro at 250lbs + gear, so its one of thoose flexes softer than it is, remember the binding plate + system stiffens it up

I did 25000 feet of vert in a 3 hours and some minutes on bluebird & FIRM yesterday for a day of "guttastemning" with 0 liftline and very few people.
Its growing on me, we are not 100% friends, but getting there. I think its the most fun stockli they make though. I'm able to make short enough turns to where I can keep speed down on a steep slope, like you can on a FIS SL, which is interesting.

it's an energetic ski, you WILL get shot when you load it up, loading and unloading it with finesse to reduce energy is harder than just letting it pop you from side to side.

the ski seems to favour a steady, steep incline hill, and I found it to be the most fun going 60kmh'ish down the fall line, while going fast side to side, if I didn't put inthe turns the terrain/incline would push me to 80-85-90 without a tuck, to illustrate the incline (29-34? degrees something)

its like a skinnier fullcamber deacon 84 that's better on firm/ice.


You can rail big turns on it, but you cannot do it while loading the ski properly, ofcourse my weight doesnt help here, when I load it, it wants to go SHORT SHORT SHORT.

They love the weight forward and front loaded, they love high edge angle.


downsized so far, ice marbles, did not love them


It's more forgiving than expected, if you dont have your weight properly, it doesnt try to kill you like a race ski, older race ski, older rossi hero lt

 

[Tony S]

downsized so far, ice marbles, did not love them

I don't understand this statement, but I do know that I hate ice marbles, whatever the ski.

 

[tomahawkins]

flexes softer than fis SL, rides softer than fis SL, yet you can tell they are related

I cannot outski the 180 WRT pro at 250lbs + gear, so its one of thoose flexes softer than it is, remember the binding plate + system stiffens it up

I did 25000 feet of vert in a 3 hours and some minutes on bluebird & FIRM

I don’t doubt it on firm, but what about on soft? On soft groomers and mellow crud I often loose edge hold at the apex on hard turns on all my skis except the Ogasaka TC-SUs — makes sense as soft conditions of technical competitions are what they’re made for. I attribute it to the iron bean underfoot and for 3/4s the length. It took sometime to get used to, but I much prefer it now for a carving ski in off piste conditions — at least when the snow is soft.

 

[anders_nor]

supposed to read "downside"

 

[anders_nor]

I don’t doubt it on firm, but what about on soft? On soft groomers and mellow crud I often loose edge hold at the apex on hard turns on all my skis except the Ogasaka TC-SUs — makes sense as soft conditions of technical competitions are what they’re made for. I attribute it to the iron bean underfoot and for 3/4s the length. It took sometime to get used to, but I much prefer it now for a carving ski in off piste conditions — at least when the snow is soft.

but do you feel this is to ski beeeing to soft flexing our, or the ground just giving way?

I find to narrow skis with to fat person on top can make for some interesting deep trenches, and easy for it to give way, or boots just to float

 

[JCF]

I skied my 162’s on softening snow - stiff mashed potatoes, and it was SOOOO MUCH FUN !!!
I found I could just bury the rails ( with deliberation and deeply) and bring them around as tight as my knees and hips could take them, like a faded bottom turn in big waves.
It helped that the slope was green/blue and not that long and there were no lines on the lift or many people on the slope and basically I could make short loops over and over and experiment until I figured out what worked.
Im 158 lbs booted up and those skis can be bent nicely, you can feel it - and see it….though I’m no Tina Weirather

 

[François Pugh]

I skied 160 cm rental skis on very soft (thing crushed ice snow cone) last Sunday (7 days ago). The snow could not support hard turns, deep wide (talking about the width of each single ski track, not how far apart they were) tracks, and you could only crank the tighter or faster so much before the snow gave way and your were skidding turns, much like drifting a car around a corner, trying to go for 15% slippage . 160 SL skis would not have helped the floppy rentals were just as good in that snow - the skis were deep into it so torsion not the limiting factor. 180 cm skis would have helped, and maybe wider skis would have helped.

 

[Tony S]

I skied my 162’s on softening snow - stiff mashed potatoes, and it was SOOOO MUCH FUN !!!
I found I could just bury the rails ( with deliberation and deeply) and bring them around as tight as my knees and hips could take them, like a faded bottom turn in big waves.
It helped that the slope was green/blue and not that long and there were no lines on the lift or many people on the slope and basically I could make short loops over and over and experiment until I figured out what worked.
Im 158 lbs booted up and those skis can be bent nicely, you can feel it - and see it….though I’m no Tina Weirather

What's your bsl?

 

[JCF]

What's your bsl?

Not sure what "bsl" is, but I'll take a guess.
If it's body size length that would be 5'5"

 

[JCF]

I skied 160 cm rental skis on very soft (thing crushed ice snow cone) last Sunday (7 days ago). The snow could not support hard turns, deep wide (talking about the width of each single ski track, not how far apart they were) tracks, and you could only crank the tighter or faster so much before the snow gave way and your were skidding turns, much like drifting a car around a corner, trying to go for 15% slippage . 160 SL skis would not have helped the floppy rentals were just as good in that snow - the skis were deep into it so torsion not the limiting factor. 180 cm skis would have helped, and maybe wider skis would have helped.

Of course you can't "cut" lines in softer snow, but in my case you could sink and bend the skis, letting the pressure increase. Force without forcing. Burying the rail/edge - that's what made it feel like surfing. The skis weren't skidding though certainly each single track was wider than on hard pack. Wasn't at all like a drifting car.
Don't know if you could do the same thing on very soft crushed ice snow cone since I can't even remember last time I skied on something like that.
I wish I had other skis to try that day because I'm sure it would have been interesting and a blast on any ski.

 

[François Pugh]

Of course you can't "cut" lines in softer snow, but in my case you could sink and bend the skis, letting the pressure increase. Force without forcing. Burying the rail/edge - that's what made it feel like surfing. The skis weren't skidding though certainly each single track was wider than on hard pack. Wasn't at all like a drifting car.
Don't know if you could do the same thing on very soft crushed ice snow cone since I can't even remember last time I skied on something like that.
I wish I had other skis to try that day because I'm sure it would have been interesting and a blast on any ski.

Yeah, it was arcing trenches until that point where you went just a little too fast for the size of turn (which was at your discretion -not dictated by gates), or until you tried to turn too tight for the speed you were carrying (not all that much speed either -Chicopee is a tiny hill). Had it been the usual hard snow I usually get to ski the rentals would not have been able to work nearly as well; that's where top-shelf skis like FIS SL or close come into play. I still had a blast.

 

[Hakuba]

Not sure what "bsl" is, but I'll take a guess.
If it's body size length that would be 5'5"

I think it's boot sole length.

 

[Tony S]

Not sure what "bsl" is, but I'll take a guess.
If it's body size length that would be 5'5"

Boot sole length. Translation: Wondering if I could just hop on those skis for a run when you're not looking.

 

[JCF]

LOL !

That would be 295
If that works, what could you swap me for a run (when I'm not looking)

 

[KingGrump]

If it's body size length that would be 5'5"

That would be 295

A 295 BSL is a 25.5.
And you say you are 5'/5"?

 

[Tony S]

295

Ah well. Close but no cigar.

 

[JCF]

A 295 BSL is a 25.5.
And you say you are 5'/5"?

Yes.
When I got my current boots I was having a bad bunion issue and the fitter went large. I was looking for something comfortable and I know now he was just trying to sell some boots. Fair enough.
Since, the bunion seems to have disappeared, the boots have broken in and the WRT's have my feet moving around in them.
Hopefully I will resolve all that in a couple weeks with a trip to a real boot fitter.

 

[Tony S]

Yes.
When I got my current boots I was having a bad bunion issue and the fitter went large. I was looking for something comfortable and I know now he was just trying to sell some boots. Fair enough.
Since, the bunion seems to have disappeared, the boots have broken in and the WRT's have my feet moving around in them.
Hopefully I will resolve all that in a couple weeks with a trip to a real boot fitter.

Oh! So there's hope! Make sure s/he puts you in a 283.