2021 Stockli Laser AR

There are a lot of superlatives that get thrown out when discussing skis, and the Stockli's of the world tend to get a pretty big share of the pie in that regard. Along with the precision, power, and smoothness does come a pretty hefty price tag, but if you're the type of skier who wants their gear to react and respond quickly, accurately, and with poise, it's hard to argue against the quality of the Stockli product. Unchanged except for the topsheet for 2021, the Laser AR could either be described as a wider front side ski or a narrower all-mountain ski. Either would be correct, and while they don't quite have the GS-style edge grip or quickness of the narrower AX, the AR has a lot going for it in its own right. At 83 mm underfoot, we're getting into the zone where GS turns are going to be a bit on the sluggish side, but Stockli's build combined with their shaping and building principles makes up for it in spades. These skis garner a lot of accolades and compliments, and it's not a shock why. Their quality is on the upper end of the upper end, and skiers who love and value precision above all else, the Laser AR is a must-have ski. Our contributors all skied the 2020 version and with a ski like this, opinions are not likely to change-pretty much all of what they say has more of an eternal quality to it, and being one year removed is not likely to sway a skier's take on the ski.

Nifer Hoehn was pretty stoked on the Laser AR. She skied the 168 and thought it was right on. A 5 out of 5 were given for stability, torsional stiffness, edge hold, and most importantly, overall impression. Her racing background makes her an ideal contributor for this ski. She even went out of her way to get her feet into the ski. "So awesome. These weren't on my list, but our rep let me demo. I loved the weight of these and the way the come around in a turn. Not as light and poppy as some of the carvers I've been on. They carve nicely and aren't too forgiving. Would love to own a pair." Everyone who is a serious skier should have or would love to have something like the AR in their quiver for sure. We hear you, Nifer!

Another skier with a formidable racing background, Ryan Daniel, skied the 175 and loved it. He was also an enormous fan of the narrower Laser AX, and he noted that "everything I felt and said about the Laser AX could carry through to the AR, just with a wider platform to stand on." Other than the all-out precision, stability, edge hold, and versatility, it seems like Ryan couldn't quite tell much of a difference between the two. He did note that he "loved both of them" so that's a good thing. Katrine Wolfgang skied the 168, and like Nifer, felt the size was just about right. The top score of 5 was given for stability, torsional stiffness, and edge hold. All of her other scores were 4's leading us to believe that she had a very favorable impression of the versatile AR. Katrine states that the AR "held really well-another really fun ski! Easy to initiate turns, and on corn snow and softer snow, the shovel was great, would likely be good in a little powder as well." It's not often that we're discussing an 83 mm underfoot ski's performance in soft snow, but here we are-Stockli just does a fantastic job in making the skis well-rounded and versatile to encompass a lot of skier types, terrain, and snow conditions.

Sheer joy from all of our testers and contributors in regards to the Stockli Laser AR. Great shape, tremendous quality, and endless precision make up these fantastic skis. For any front side and all-mountain skiers who prioritize poise and perfection, the Stockli Laser AR is about as good as it gets.