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Captain Furious

A ticking time bomb of fury
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So, I purchased the Blizzard Rustler 9 recently and just didn't feel like it was the ski for me. It was way too "springy" for my tastes and tended to deflect around quite a bit. As a result, I went out and grabbed the ski I should've purchased from jump street, the Stormrider 95. First off, wow! This is a super smooth, stable and damp ski. I was able to make long GS skis in 14" of tracked out powder yesterday as easily as I could make super short turns through the mogul field. This ski ate up all terrain in its path. It was like a "surfy" steamroller that obeyed my every command. Super short turns? Check. Roll through crud at the end of the day? Check. Stability and dampness? Check, check. It didn't sink to the bottom like I thought it would due to its 2 sheets of metal but surfed through it. I think the biggest surprise was how well it made a variety of turn shapes with zero difficulty. It sank a little in the powder but the tip stayed above it all, making it very, very easy to initiate turns. I didn't have to work particularly hard to get the ski to conform itself to the conditions and turn shapes. It was as good on edge carving as it was "starving" through the tracked out snow. The short length (184) was perfect and for me (6'2", 254lbs) was easy to control in all terrain. The length was perfect for fore aft stability but short enough to make tight turns through the mogul fields. I started the day out on my 192cm Vokl Katanas and they were a blast in the powder. However, they are a big mountain ski and would much rather make a longer radius turn. As the day went along, they became less and less of an enjoyable option, which is why I switched over to the Stormrider. Frankly, the Stormrider would have been great from start to finish in the 14" of powder we received.

Thoughts on the Stormrider vs. Laser AX? Biggest thing for me was the difference in ease of turn initiation. The Stormrider is just an easier ski to ski. With that said, I love the AX and it's my choice of ski for when the conditions haven't seen natural snowfall in a while. Once we get a bunch of snow, I think the Stormrider is the perfect option.

Anyway, if you're thinking about this ski, it's a winner in my book.
 

ARL67

Invisible Airwaves Crackle With Life
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^^^ It's reviews like this that have me thinking I should fire-sale my skis, and just buy the latest AX 175 and SR95 177 and stop wasting my time with anything else. If I ever need anything wider while on a trip, then I'll just rent it accordingly.

Glad to hear you Luv them !
 

Noodler

Sir Turn-a-lot
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^^^ It's reviews like this that have me thinking I should fire-sale my skis, and just buy the latest AX 175 and SR95 177 and stop wasting my time with anything else. If I ever need anything wider while on a trip, then I'll just rent it accordingly.

Glad to hear you Luv them !

That was my decision years ago after many, many years of demoing lots of skis across all brands. My list of brands I'm now willing to buy is very short and Stockli is at the top. If I consider how much money I've wasted on "other" skis over the years, I could have a fleet of Stocklis in my house.
 

Foss1997

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Wow great review and surprising comparison to the AX. What length AX do you ride?

It’s surprising to hear the SR is an easier ski than the AX to ski. From other posts I’ve seen they mention this ski (ST) doesn’t come alive until faster speeds and longer turns and one of the things I like most about the AX is it’s willingness to engage at slower speeds. I find the AX very intuitive in regards to turn initiation and then very predictable once on edge. I find that to be true in both regards whether at slow speeds/shorter turns or higher speeds and Longer turns. Contrary to other reviews it sounds like would you say the SR is “alive” at lower speeds like the AX and even easier to initiate. Is that true at any speed and then any turn shape? In other words is the SR 95 basically a mid fat AX with a touch more rocker and versatility off piste? If so I’m sold!

Scott
 

Alexzn

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SR95 is not the Storm rider of yesteryear. They are pretty easy to ski at any speed and smooth. That mantle of "burly sticks" is taken over by Kastle mx99:)
 

SBrown

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SR95 is not the Storm rider of yesteryear. They are pretty easy to ski at any speed and smooth. That mantle of "burly sticks" is taken over by Kastle mx99:)

Yeah. When I demoed that at SIA last year, I was properly humbled. I think I told the guys at the tent that I needed to gain at least 30 lb before trying it again. (That said, once I got it up to speed, ie faster than I was comfortable, it felt amazeballs.
 

Scrundy

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Having the 95,88, and the AX got to say,out of the 3 my go too skis are the 95s and AX. The 88s go with me every where, but are only used if I totally blow how I expect conditions to be. I’d much rather be on the 95s but the way things have been around here them AXs sure are handy.

That being said, as a terminal intermediate I find all 3 very easy to ski. The AX is more of a carver for sure but is right at home as a all mountain. All 3 are super smooth and reak confidence. As said above they all come to life at speed, I haven’t even thought of looking for new skins since.
 
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Captain Furious

Captain Furious

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The SR95 is an incredibly versatile ski, but keep in mind that I was skiing it in soft conditions. I'm skiing my AX in much firmer conditions so it's not exactly comparing apples to apples. I love the AX but again, I'm skiing it in generally firmer conditions. I don't think I'd bust out the SR95 for east coast hard pack. That's the domain of the AX


Bill
 

LindseyB

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SR95 is not the Storm rider of yesteryear. They are pretty easy to ski at any speed and smooth. That mantle of "burly sticks" is taken over by Kastle mx99:)


In full disclosure, I am a Stockli rep. Though I did say no originally. They asked me to ski them anyway and the rest is history.

I would like to post the full cage match here on this thread, but don't know if that would be weird coming from me.

Did a head to head cage match on Jan 11 with Clayton, an employee of The Lifthouse who had not been on Stockli for a long time. Here is a little excerpt. We went back and forth on the same runs multiple switches, multiple times

The SR95 had a higher speed limit in choppy crud. (This is why I would say that the MX99 doesn't dominate the "big mountain" mantle. Crud stability is the hallmark of a big mountain ski. While the MX99 was no slouch in this, I did cave it in twice and almost got in trouble.) If the current SR95 was made in a mid 190s it would devour brick walls. And the MX99 wouldn't be far off)
 

LindseyB

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Wow great review and surprising comparison to the AX. What length AX do you ride?

It’s surprising to hear the SR is an easier ski than the AX to ski. From other posts I’ve seen they mention this ski (ST) doesn’t come alive until faster speeds and longer turns and one of the things I like most about the AX is it’s willingness to engage at slower speeds. I find the AX very intuitive in regards to turn initiation and then very predictable once on edge. I find that to be true in both regards whether at slow speeds/shorter turns or higher speeds and Longer turns. Contrary to other reviews it sounds like would you say the SR is “alive” at lower speeds like the AX and even easier to initiate. Is that true at any speed and then any turn shape? In other words is the SR 95 basically a mid fat AX with a touch more rocker and versatility off piste? If so I’m sold!

Scott

Your last sentence describes the 95 well. For some people saying it doesn't come alive I find this in about 1-10 people. This is dramatically different as most say it turns iwht instant response. One of my tech reps is in a very upright Salomon boot. I moved him forward 2cm and he started to have the same easy initiation experience others were having.

I used to ski a 193 Atomic Big Daddy (orange version) as my tram and comp ski at the 'bird. I weighed 155 back in those days. (25 yrs old then.)
I am a better technically now and almost as strong. I am 185lbs now at 37 yrs old. Unless I am going for a full charging day I ski the 175cm. So I only ski the 184 half the time. I recommend people skiing the plaid version in a shorter than typical length. The stability will be there at speed regardless. When I ski the 175, the turn initiation is stupid easy. Whereas the 184 takes a little more caffeine to wake up if I'm not in the zone or lighting is bad.
 

James

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In full disclosure, I am a Stockli rep. Though I did say no originally. They asked me to ski them anyway and the rest is history.

I would like to post the full cage match here on this thread, but don't know if that would be weird coming from me.

Did a head to head cage match on Jan 11 with Clayton, an employee of The Lifthouse who had not been on Stockli for a long time. Here is a little excerpt. We went back and forth on the same runs multiple switches, multiple times

The SR95 had a higher speed limit in choppy crud. (This is why I would say that the MX99 doesn't dominate the "big mountain" mantle. Crud stability is the hallmark of a big mountain ski. While the MX99 was no slouch in this, I did cave it in twice and almost got in trouble.) If the current SR95 was made in a mid 190s it would devour brick walls. And the MX99 wouldn't be far off)
So what are the changes in the SR 95 since this model? (2015?,192cm) The next one had the carbon insert tips and was available in 193 or 95. Then the current one or two more versions?

IMG_2116.JPG
 

LindseyB

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I promised to some guys that I would explain the development of the current 95 (plaid) here.

When we came out with the carbon insert 95 and 107 many lower weighted and lower skilled skiers loved them. We however lost some of our traditional core followers with a ski that was super easy to turn, but couldn't rip crud like our former SRs or handle higher speeds.

Gerhard Hammerle (International Sales Director and a former Austrian women's downhill coach) and I had a lengthy discussion about this at SIA in 2016. We decided the original light core from the 13-14 SR95(green silver black) should go back in the ski), but we wanted to ask the impossible of Mathieu Fauve (R&D) We wanted it to appease both the intermediates and elderly as well as the former racers that look to us for chargers.

Fast forward to Feb. 6th of 2017. I met Gerhard in Sun Valley to tour my territory. The morning was gorgeous. 8 inches on top our traditional SV hard packed. Cotton candy pink clouds. This would be the first time I would ski Mathieu's new creation as I had received my demo fleet 2 days prior.

200 yards down Christmas ridge I stopped and asked,"How the hell did Mathieu pull this off!"

The ski was plaining the new snow, soaking up bumps, turning on a dime, and unaffected by the hard pack underneath. We rallied the Seattle bowl for a few laps and then went to Warm springs side. As we got lower and lower on the mountain we met the wetter and set up funk. Absolutely navigated this snow like it was a well trained dog. We hit the groomers on the bottom third where the heavier overnight snow had been groomed and was set up really stiff and it gripped like a pit bull.

On the lift ride up Gerhard started breaking down the build on the ski for me because I was dumbstruck. I couldn't believe a ski could do everything and be not just a jack, but a master of all trades.

Here is was happened. Gerhard approached Mathieu with our brainstorming. Mathieu then took our Super G layup ( I hesitate telling that because people get intimidated hearing it) and flattened the core and widened the profile. He threw in the original 2013-14 light core. This maintained the strength.

To make it easy to initiate he implemented our "vario" tech. Which was developed by the feedback of our women on the WC.

Vario tech is variable thickness milling of our titanal layers. Starting at the forward from "O" on the tip and back from the "s" on the tail, the thickness of the titanal layer is thinned out. This inadvertently created multiple results. Turn initiation, soaking of crud, moguls, tip response, and smoother carving were all byproducts.

Who knew that tech born in racing would create a mid fat ski to thrive in so many ways?

The tip being soft with a quick and gradually strengthening to a super powerful mid section was a recipe for success. The only reason this worked is because our lamination system dampens so well. If you look at your tip while skiing it the thing is moving quite a bit, but your foot doesn't feel it and the is doesn't shake it's track which would be a typical result.

Lastly, we developed the new tuning system in partnership with Montana machine. The 1.3 base with a 2 side edge created more play, and also more grip than the old 1/1 in previous generations.

I have had a huge amount of people tell me this is the best ski ever designed. And I wholeheartedly agree. I have a collection of testimonials about this ski that people go nuts over it. Old folks, intermediates, high level instructors, former racers.

Sun Valley's buyer never had a Stockli this wide. They immediately put it in the order. Jan's came off the 105 which is the same ski except width and slightly softer and immediately put both 95/105 on the order. Each shop has never had a Stockli wider than 88 before this ski.

I routinely put people on the AX and blow their minds, then I put them on the 95 and they buy the 95. It really is that good even on hardpack.

It handles more conditions, turns shapes, and speeds at a high level than any one single ski. If I had to run a master's GS course on it, that would be doable. I've know of some of my examiner buddies doing level 3 short turn clinics on it. They rip bumps. Ski Alta pow <15" because they plane well. They can almost keep up with the biggest of huge big mountain skis on the tram at the 'bird through giant chop, but slightly fall behind due to shear size disadvantage. Super quick in tight spaces. I have had many people with the AX ski the 95 and forget about their AX entirely. It is the highest rated ski that the Jan's test crew has ever scored on their real skiers app. It scored a 91 across 8+ testers. They consider a great ski anything that scores over 80. No ski had ever been rated in the 90's for them.

Essentially, Mathieu created the impossible.

In Malters last year at our sales meeting, Mathieu took me on a personal tour through his lab. I asked him thinking this had to have been a major project, "how long did it take you to create that ski?"

Mathieu replied, "About three days."
 
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LindseyB

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So what are the changes in the SR 95 since this model? (2015?,192cm) The next one had the carbon insert tips and was available in 193 or 95. Then the current one or two more versions?

I explain mostly in the post above.

I thought this Green Black silver 13-14-14-15 was the premier ski.

in 15-16 to 16-17 the ski dropped a 1/2 lb. It had an ultra light core in it which was in the 16-17 to 17/18 SR 88. the metal was lighter as well.

In 17-18, besides my description above, we also added in an ABS sidewall. Those old racing sidewalls from the ski you pictured were powerful but brittle.
 

givethepigeye

Really, just Rob will do
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Thanks - I have been very impressed with them and their ability in a lot of conditions - hard pack to powder. I rarely bring these AND my 115 width boards on trips with me - unless it’s a nuke guarantee. They are that versatile. Any early AM groomers.......fast enough for me.
 

ARL67

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Lindsey, thanks for the in depth knowledge on the SR95 evolution.

Can you provide any comments on the SR97 -> how it came to be / target audience , its construction, and also why it lasted only 1 generation ?

thanks - Andy ( you will see in my signature that I am a Stockli fan )
 

LindseyB

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Lindsey, thanks for the in depth knowledge on the SR95 evolution.

Can you provide any comments on the SR97 -> how it came to be / target audience , its construction, and also why it lasted only 1 generation ?

thanks - Andy ( you will see in my signature that I am a Stockli fan )

The SR97 is essentially a wider 16-17/17-18 SR 88 and with a longer radius. A really light skis designed to be side country or tour ski that handles bad conditions and resort hard pack. Because 4 years ago we were just barely getting restarted N.A. market we felt like this wasn't our focus. I never even had a demo of it.

But if you are curious about a wider "tour" ski from us that can still rip inbounds, stayed tuned...
 

Alexzn

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So are you saying Stockli fixed the issue with the soft tip in SR95?. It's hard for me to imagine sR95 being a better crud ski than MX99, given that MX99 is wider heavier and arguably stiffer. Sr95 is undoubtedly easier to ski than the Kastle.

I don't on general subscribe to the idea of accomplishing the impossible, it's always about picking the right kind of compromise...

And by the way, thank you for the tech info, this is the kind of discussion that makes this site such a good resource.
 
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Captain Furious

Captain Furious

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So are you saying Stockli fixed the issue with the soft tip in SR95?. It's hard for me to imagine sR95 being a better crud ski than MX99, given that MX99 is wider heavier and arguably stiffer. Sr95 is undoubtedly easier to ski than the Kastle.

I don't on general subscribe to the idea of accomplishing the impossible, it's always about picking the right kind of compromise...

And by the way, thank you for the tech info, this is the kind of discussion that makes this site such a good resource.



Alexzn,

While I can't comment on construction, I can give you my anecdotal observations... 2 days after 14" of snow fell during an epic storm in Maine (yes, 14" of snow in Maine qualifies as an epic storm), I was able to put these things on edge and just blast through cut up, cold-set powder like it wasn't even there. Basically, it was like I was skiing a groomer. I was blown away. No tip deflection at all. And keep in mind that 24 hours after the snow fell, the temp dropped to 4 degrees as the high that day so all that cutup snow really firmed up. I wouldn't have attempted ripping at high speeds like that in a different ski. Although I think my Kastle BMX 105 HP would have handled it really well, too.

Bill
 

James

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So are you saying Stockli fixed the issue with the soft tip in SR95?.
The green/black/silver 13/14-14/15 one? Yes, very soft tip. Makes it easy to do short turns even on the 192. But it also makes it a strange ski overall. I think it may be better on groomers or windbuffed.
 

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