Lurker, first-time poster.
I am currently skiing on (very) old Elan SLX worldcup race ski's, and am looking for new ski's Stockli's. My SLX's still work on well-groomed, fresh on-piste conditions, but they certainly lack in warmer weather (bumps and slush I can handle by skiing very actively and turning on the bumps, slush on a medium slope is... difficult) and generally are less potent than 5 years ago when going fast (80-95km/h) when they start to lack stability and clatter. Not to mention the days with fresh snow - attention is needed, then. So, new ski it is. I am torn between the AX, SC and AR however - and testing isn't possible. The shop will take it back for rentals of course if it's really not a good choice, but I still want to avoid that.
I ski everything on piste, like to go fast but play around as well, small fast or wider arcs. Almost pushing 40 and still in good shape but don't need a ski that requires lot of effort, lot of attention the entire time - but it needs to be a a lively ski. Need one ski to take with me (wife won't allow me to pack more than 1 anyway) to the Alps for skiing holidays, and encounter pretty much everything - good conditions, chopped up powder, slush, ice, ... I ski 90-95% on piste but like to play around now and then so just a little versatility off-piste is good. All said it needs to be a versatile ski, able to handle all conditions on piste first and foremost, and be enough to keep me entertained for the next 10 years (hey, these things cost money!).
I have tried some Stockli Laser AX's a while back and they were very, very nice. However it is impossible to test now, and from what I've read the AR and SC are nice ski's as well. Tha AX seems versatile and fits the bill, but I am perhaps scared it might be a bit "bland" for when I really step up the gas and might lack some trills. And does it do fast small turns quick enough, really? All in all, perhaps the safer choice but is it enough ski? The AR is a LOT wider than everything I ever skied, and it seems like it might be just a tad slower from side to side in small arcs. It is advertised as an "all mountain race ski" while the AX as an "all mountain piste" ski so what makes this difference, really? The SC finally seems like the finest carver but might lack versatility off-piste (that's fine if it is clearly better, though) and on-piste in bad conditions, which is not what I'm looking for.
Am I looking for something that doesn't extist? And which should I choose? Any advice or tips that could help, are very welcome.