2023 Stöckli Montero AR

[SkiTalk Test Team]

Philpug
Size tested: 175
Location tested: Loveland CO/Snowbasin UT
Conditions tested in: Fresh corduroy, scoured wind buff

There is an old saying, “Don’t make a change for the sake of making a change.” Well, Stockli didn’t get that message. There was nothing wrong with Laser AR; it had a Pied Piper-like following and a name that didn’t need changing. Sure the AR wasn’t a “Laser” in the truest sense but that didn’t stop the zealots from flocking to it. But, Montero? That could stop sales from some of the loyalists buying the lime green selling machine. OK, off of my soapbox. How does the new Montero AR perform?

The Montero AR performs, even with the additional millimeter underfoot, like an AR. It is smooth, clean, and quiet, especially when mounted with the all new Salomon Strive Binding, a big step over the old Warden AM, which was probably the most popular binding for the AR. New sizing aside, this is the ski that the majority of loyalists will come back to once they get past the new name and color motif.

• Insider tip: Strive binders for the win.
• One thing I would change: Go back to the Laser name.

Andy Mink
Size tested: 175cm
Location tested: Mammoth Mountain, CA
Conditions tested in: Softening cut up groomers, small piles

Did I hear the breaking of many hearts as the Laser AR morphed to the Montero AR? Will tears fall like rain? Not to worry, the heart of the Laser is beating strongly in the Montero. Graphics and name do not a ski make. The Montero AR still has all the feel of the Laser that Stockli fans tout. It's quiet, calm, and connected. However...

I did have to go back to my past review of the Laser AR from a couple of years ago to see what I was missing in the Montero. All notes lined up: smooth, easy to ski at any speed, good grip through snow on top of hardback, and confidence inspiring. This time around, though, I had a note that made me ponder: the Montero AR felt "sluggish" from turn to turn, edge to edge. I was skiing in the conditions this ski should have slayed (surface snow on hardpack) but I didn't get an excited, poppy feel. It was more of a relaxed, deliberate feel, definitely more different from the Montero AX than I would have expected.

• Insider tip: Change is not always bad. If you like the Laser AR, you'll like the Montero AR.
• One thing I would change: As with the AX, the tail graphics disguise the AR. It'll take a while for folks to figure out what it is

WadeHoliday
Length tested: 175
Location: Mammoth
Conditions tested in: hard snow, mixed terrain.

So, as sweet as the construction is, I never bonded with the current AR either. It seemed a bit slow for its size, and wasn't any more exciting or inspiring on piste than something like a Stormrider 88. Off piste, the original wasn’t as good as I’d hope, and this new one seems to follow suit. It feels quiet, solid and Stöckliesque, but a piste style ski this wide just seems to give up that edge-to-edge quickness turn engagement. Dare I say, it feels a bit sluggish. It’s a great ski, but I would choose the AX for more on piste, and SR 88 for more off piste if I were choosing after skiing them all back to back.

Who it’s for: East coaster who wants a wider piste ski with premium feel, or west coaster who likes slightly slower to edge or wider on piste skis.
Who its not for: Someone looking for an exciting skinny ski.
One thing I would change: Tough to say, It's a tough niche for me, maybe I'd tweak it more toward off piste with a more off piste tip design and shorter effective edge to add quickness on piste and more playfulness off.

Winks
Size tested: 175cm
Location tested: Mammoth Mountain, CA
Conditions tested in: Hero snow

Did something change going from the Laser to the Montero? The answer is no, not at all! The AR is still just as amazing as before, a strong ski that is very quiet and holds a great edge. This ski was built for the west coast skier that is looking for a carving ski. Although Stöckli calls it an all mountain ski, I still very much see it as a morning ripper until the snow softens up a bit; not really a ski I would spend my entire day with. The AR is a complement to a quiver of skis, not exactly the one and only. Comparing this ski to the AX is natural as they are siblings. The AR feels a bit more sluggish edge-to-edge but overall a bit beefier, which is not a bad thing. In my opinion, it just feels like a wider, smoother longer turn version of the AX.

Fact is, Stöckli makes great skis. All you need to do is choose your flavor; you really can't go wrong.

• Insider tip: Stay on top of the ski and it will reward you with lots of smiles per hour.
• One thing I would change: The naming of this series.

 

[cragginshred]

The past 2 days I got about 25 runs in on my brand new Montero AR's. Context of what I am comparing them to is I have not skied dozens of brands and models like many of you which may be good or bad. The 2 skis I've spent the most time on is the Volkl Kendo 88 and the Mantra (my favorite)

Stockli Montero 84 waist 170 length
Less steep terrain:

They did not overly impress me and seemed to need more input for speed and to dig in. They were smooth but not amazing just felt like a good ski.

Black diamond hard pack groomers: The gravity of the steeper terrain and *initiating tip to tail type turning in both large railing GS turns and medium ones held a firm edge with no chatter, transitioned edges smoothly, really responded to my input and provided smiles for miles!

I will say with short quick turns they really needed to be driven a bit more and could be described as a bit less than 'snappy' . Fortunately I don't ski those type of turns very often and am happy with the performance in the GS type turns

For the sake of comparison to my current favorite ski (Volkl Mantra M6)

Mantra- has more energy coming out of the turn, the Montero had plenty but not that sensation of being shot out of the turn.
Montero is almost a mix of the Mantra and the Kendo I skied a lot last year. Thinner under foot but still has a good edge control and a sense of power due to the girth of the wood and metal mix in the ski

I will say the mantras feel more 'automatic' both getting up to speed faster and swooping in/out of turns. The AR needs skier input more, but once you figure that out and think a little more on early tip initiation into turns they rail really well and are a lot of fun!

Worth the extra dough? Performance wise that's debatable, however, they are really well made and apparently they go through a lot of hands in the production with a focus on quality control and consistency with top shelf materials going into the construction. If you had to make payments on them to buy em I would pass.

All day ski? Doubtful in the spring, but this time of year with the sun low on the horizon it did great into the afternoon. This weekend Bear valley opens
with longer and steeper runs so more to come!
Cheers from California!

 

[Don4Fun]

I got back into skiing about 6 years ago and have average knowledge about skis. I'm a good Intermediate/Advanced skier and getting better the more I ski. Went from K2 Triaxial (195) straight skis to Rossignol Experience 88 (172) about 5 years ago and wanted to upgrade my skis. So, I went to Demo Day at Mt. Rose last spring to try out new stuff. There were many different skis to choose from and I did not try them all. But when I got to try the Stockli Montero AR, it felt totally different from what I was trying previously. And I liked it.

I skied them 5 times on a Black Diamond face run aggressively & fast and also slower with more turns to see how I liked them. I called it a Magical Moment.
They felt great at high speed with no chatter and good stability and slower they felt playful. I was impressed, so I ordered a pair.
Now I have skied on my Stockli Montero AR's (175) 4 days & over 50 runs (3 days on hardpack firm snow and 1 day of 5" fresh snow on top) and have enjoyed every moment that I have been on them. They are expensive with bindings, but the quality is excellent and to me worth it. I'm happy with my purchase.

 

[Andy Mink]

Long Term Update: I was fortunate to get on a pair of Montero ARs today at Mt. Rose, provided by the good folks at California Ski Company. Conditions were skritchy hard pack with some softening scraped sugar on top plus some wind buff provided by the high winds that closed Rose yesterday. Throw in some patches of gun snow being made and we had variable conditions all in one run. While my initial review was the AR in 175 today's were 180. This is a big boy ski and I felt comfortable on it, though I think I would probably get the 175 were I to purchase a pair. I found the 180 to be similar to the 175: it is very smooth, both on the hard stuff, the soft stuff, and the transition from one to the other. It is stable at higher speeds. I did find I had to work it into turns very deliberately. It is not particularly quick turn to turn. Once in the turn, however, the grip and smooth ride are SO nice. This ski flows. Again, if you're looking for quicker turns, look to the AX. If you're looking for a smoooooth cruiser, this could be your ski.

Mod Edit: Video added.

 

[Tony S]

skritchy

Good one.

 

[Philpug]

View attachment 184522​

Long Term Update: I was fortunate to get on a pair of Montero ARs today at Mt. Rose, provided by the good folks at California Ski Company. Conditions were skritchy hard pack with some softening scraped sugar on top plus some wind buff provided by the high winds that closed Rose yesterday. Throw in some patches of gun snow being made and we had variable conditions all in one run. While my initial review was the AR in 175 today's were 180. This is a big boy ski and I felt comfortable on it, though I think I would probably get the 175 were I to purchase a pair. I found the 180 to be similar to the 175: it is very smooth, both on the hard stuff, the soft stuff, and the transition from one to the other. It is stable at higher speeds. I did find I had to work it into turns very deliberately. It is not particularly quick turn to turn. Once in the turn, however, the grip and smooth ride are SO nice. This ski flows. Again, if you're looking for quicker turns, look to the AX. If you're looking for a smoooooth cruiser, this could be your ski.

Mod Edit: Video added.

Long term update: I will mirror Andy's comments. When I originally skied the AR it was in the 175 cm it just felt right. The 180 cm felt just big in a S-Class/A8/7 Series sort of way big and like those big sedans, there was a loss of nimbleness that I associate with the AX and even the previous Laser AR. If you are looking for a ski that is going eat up vertical feet which includes soem natural terrain and groomer, the Montero AR should be on your short list.

 

[cragginshred]

View attachment 184523​

Long term update: I will mirror Andy's comments. When I originally skied the AR it was in the 175 cm it just felt right. The 180 cm felt just big in a S-Class/A8/7 Series sort of way big and like those big sedans, there was a loss of nimbleness that I associate with the AX and even the previous Laser AR. If you are looking for a ski that is going eat up vertical feet which includes soem natural terrain and groomer, the Montero AR should be on your short list.

This looks closer to my ski style. I am 5:6" on a 170 which sounds like it is way too big for me, however it does not feel that way AND compared to the 201's we skied in the 90's these feel sooo short and the longer ski gives me more speed!

My plan is to have a more aggresive edge put on my AR's and move the boot forward 2 or 3 cm's to promote an early tip edge initiation. I'll report my findings!

 

[KingGrump]

This looks closer to my ski style. I am 5:6" on a 170 which sounds like it is way too big for me, however it does not feel that way AND compared to the 201's we skied in the 90's these feel sooo short and the longer ski gives me more speed!

My plan is to have a more aggresive edge put on my AR's and move the boot forward 2 or 3 cm's to promote an early tip edge initiation. I'll report my findings!

170 for 5'/6" is about the right length for a 84 underfoot ski unless you are way under #150.

No point comparing the old straight skis from the last century to current day skis. FWIW, I used to be on 205s and I am on 168/173. Apples and oranges.

Speed is more so dependent on the Indian rather than the arrow.

Moving the mount point forward will usually make the ski more pivot-y rather than quicker.

 

[cragginshred]

170 for 5'/6" is about the right length for a 84 underfoot ski unless you are way under #150.

No point comparing the old straight skis from the last century to current day skis. FWIW, I used to be on 205s and I am on 168/173. Apples and oranges.

Speed is more so dependent on the Indian rather than the arrow.

Moving the mount point forward will usually make the ski more pivot-y rather than quicker.

Good to know I was just going off the guide when you punch in your #'s. BTW I am 143lbs to 145 depending on IPA consumption

 

[BmbrMcGnrly]

Demoed the AR in 180 today (strive demo binding) ~5-6 inches at Jackson Hole. Got on the ski at 230pm, so long after things got variable and tracked out.

Didn’t love it on the upper mountain in big fluffy moguls - it’s a heavy ski with a strong tail and I found it to be a bit too much to zip through moguls. LOVED it on snow covered groomers.

Strong, composed, stable - glued to the snow and making amazing turns regardless of the condition/speed. Very supple. Skied longer than its length and let me carve through anything - eats vertical feet. Did 15k in 1.5 hours and would have gladly done more.

Wasn’t poppy, but I don’t think it’s suppose to be. Seems like it’s designed to be stable and predictable, regardless of how hard you’re pushing it.

Coming off my SR105 from the morning, I would say the AR wasn’t as quick edge to edge as I would expect coming of a ski 20mm wider. But it’s smooth and stable. Turns are predictable - not effortless, but I would describe them as precise and controlled. As someone who prefers long turns, I really liked it. If it means anything, It was more stable in a straight line that my WRT (180cm) and my SR105 (188cm), which tend to wobble a bit.

Strong possibility an AR in 185 winds up in my quiver - hoping to demo one if I can get my hands on it.

 

[cragginshred]

Demoed the AR in 180 today (strive demo binding) ~5-6 inches at Jackson Hole. Got on the ski at 230pm, so long after things got variable and tracked out.

Didn’t love it on the upper mountain in big fluffy moguls - it’s a heavy ski with a strong tail and I found it to be a bit too much to zip through moguls. LOVED it on snow covered groomers.

Strong, composed, stable - glued to the snow and making amazing turns regardless of the condition/speed. Very supple. Skied longer than its length and let me carve through anything - eats vertical feet. Did 15k in 1.5 hours and would have gladly done more.

Wasn’t poppy, but I don’t think it’s suppose to be. Seems like it’s designed to be stable and predictable, regardless of how hard you’re pushing it.

Coming off my SR105 from the morning, I would say the AR wasn’t as quick edge to edge as I would expect coming of a ski 20mm wider. But it’s smooth and stable. Turns are predictable - not effortless, but I would describe them as precise and controlled. As someone who prefers long turns, I really liked it. If it means anything, It was more stable in a straight line that my WRT (180cm) and my SR105 (188cm), which tend to wobble a bit.

Strong possibility an AR in 185 winds up in my it is absolutely more quiver - hoping to demo one if I can get my hands on it.

Good observations consistent with mine!' It is absolutely a big fast GS turn carver which does not need a snappy edge change. People who comment on that need to ski the AX which is designed for that. The AR has edged out my Mantra for favorite ski, however for varied conditions with more crud and some powder the Mantra will get the call until I buy a true powder ski.

 

[BmbrMcGnrly]

Anyone play around with the mount point on a pair of monteros? Have a strive retail binding coming in, but recent binding talk in the never ending Stockli thread has me wondering if I should mount a bit forward of factory recommended, or just mount my new ARs with demo bindings.

 

[JCF]

Good observations consistent with mine!' It is absolutely a big fast GS turn carver which does not need a snappy edge change. People who comment on that need to ski the AX which is designed for that. The AR has edged out my Mantra for favorite ski, however for varied conditions with more crud and some powder the Mantra will get the call until I buy a true powder ski.

This is my experience with the '21 version. I'm not sure why some want to increase the angles to make it into something else.

 

[cragginshred]

This is my experience with the '21 version. I'm not sure why some want to increase the angles to make it into something else.

Depends on how aggressive you ski and the edge angle your trying to get. This ski was built to go fast and be on Edge.

@BmbrMcGnrly yes one click forward on the mount point and what they called a plus 1 edge angle was key to get it in the zone I was looking for.

 

[JCF]

It's fine the way it is for me in piled up fresh - that's what I got them for, and what it seems they designed them for. I don't rely on the edges there as much and a bit of relief allows to snow to build up under the ski.
To get the edge angle I want on harder snow - I got the WRTP

 

[BmbrMcGnrly]

Hmm - Do you all think the demo strive binding is the way to go here? Already have the retail version but could order the demo.

Tempted to just mount at factory recommended. All my other stocklis (WRT and SR105) are mounted at factory recommended, an I like my skis long, fast, and stable.

Am I overthinking this lol?

 

[Jeronimo]

Strong, composed, stable - glued to the snow and making amazing turns regardless of the condition/speed. Very supple. Skied longer than its length and let me carve through anything - eats vertical feet. Did 15k in 1.5 hours and would have gladly done more.

Wasn’t poppy, but I don’t think it’s suppose to be. Seems like it’s designed to be stable and predictable, regardless of how hard you’re pushing it.

Coming off my SR105 from the morning, I would say the AR wasn’t as quick edge to edge as I would expect coming of a ski 20mm wider. But it’s smooth and stable. Turns are predictable - not effortless, but I would describe them as precise and controlled. As someone who prefers long turns, I really liked it. If it means anything, It was more stable in a straight line that my WRT (180cm) and my SR105 (188cm), which tend to wobble a bit.

I think you nailed it here. They don't seem to be made for quick poppy turns, they're more of a Cadillac. Heavy, damp, stable, smooth. Good direction for Stockli to take the line up IMO, leave the really poppy stuff to the lower waist width Laser series. It's really interesting that the AR appears to be softer than the AX while being equally as torsionally rigid. That should net you more turn shape ability but similar stability over the AX (in theory). I was initially sold on the AX as my all mountain ski, but now I'm really interested in the AR.

I'm also fascinated by the multitude of opinions on the Montero line up in general. There's two camps, one saying the AR is a longer turning cruiser and another saying its a wonderfully variable turn shaping ski. Some reviewers say get the AX if you want tighter arcs, some say get the AR. The cognitive dissonance is really fascinating on these Montero skis. I'm wondering how much of this is preconceived bias. We probably won't see unity until the dust settles next season.

 

[tomahawkins]

I'm also fascinated by the multitude of opinions on the Montero line up in general. There's two camps, one saying the AR is a longer turning cruiser and another saying it’s a wonderfully variable turn shaping ski. Some reviewers say get the AX if you want tighter arcs, some say get the AR. The cognitive dissonance is really fascinating on these Montero skis. I'm wondering how much of this is preconceived bias.

Varying skill sets more than anything. Stocklis do attract a broad range of skiers — not all for the right reasons.

 

[BmbrMcGnrly]

Had a great day on my Montero ARs yesterday. 6 inches of cut up stuff at Canyons in Park City.

I’m definitely in the “it’s a long turning cruiser” camp. It’s able to blast long turns through crud. Doesn’t pull you into a turn, but can definitely respond when you lay it over. Lots of energy coming out of the turn, but it’s damp and stable vs. poppy. Had some serious G forces and smiles yesterday! Granted, it’s not the quickest edge to edge, but the width really helps on cut up crud.

RE: Turn shape. I have a 185cm, and slalom style turns are definitely a challenge. I demoed the 180, and I imagine it be easier on that length (sacrificing some stability and crud-busting)

And it’s so smooth! Plenty of times I’ll see a pile of crud and tense up thinking I’m about to get a bit rocked, but instead these things cut right through.

And it is fast! Can definitely get away from you if you just let it run. I find myself scrubbing speed on crowded or low vis days. When it’s clear and not crowded… wow!

Montero AR plus a 10_ is a great quiver. Lately I’ve been taking my ARs and my SR105 to the mountain. Tackle some pow/off-piste in the AM and then hop on the ARs for the afternoon when I just want to get some speed on a groomers. Add a narrow carver for early mornings and you’ve got a hell of a quiver.