2021 Stockli Laser AX

At 78 mm underfoot and with a racing and precision pedigree, you'd likely peg the 2021 Stockli Laser AX as a frontside-exclusive ski that only carves turns. You'd be half-right. It certainly carves exclusive turns, but amazingly, has more of an all-mountain personality to go along with that supreme carving prowess. They've basically taken their GS-style ski and made it more user-friendly for versatile skiing. You still get that premium quality that Stockli is known for, and they're very proud of their Swiss-made heritage. If you're looking for that sub-80 mm ski but want some other capabilities and applications, the Laser AX is going to make a lot of skiers very happy. With a light wood core and two sheets of metal, the Laser AX delivers high-power skiing with a relatively light weight. It's this combination that appeals to a lot of skiers. Minimal tip rocker keeps the skis glued to the snow resulting in smooth turns from top to bottom. Load it up and you'll get fantastic energy and rebound. I love watching good skiers on these skis, as they simply just motor down the hill and most of them look great doing it. Our contributors all skied the 2020 version, which only has a topsheet change for this year, so their effusive praise still applies.

One of those good skiers that I like to see on the Laser AX is Ryan Daniel. He skied the 174 and found it to be just about right. They're very stable, so you can go a bit shorter if you're in between sizes. All 4's and 5's on the scorecard from Ryan, who has one of the more extensive racing backgrounds on our contributor list. As such, we highly value his input, especially with a high-end ski like this. Ryan "liked it in short turns and had great edge hold. Great ski shape. Tip initiation was great and the rest of the ski tracked right along with it." As a testament to its all-mountain prowess, Ryan notes that it is "a ski that is great for all conditions and turn radii." And in terms of how demanding the AX is, Ryan states that it "was not difficult to ski but could also handle a strong skier." It's that type of versatility that really makes the AX stand out from other skis in its class. Other than race skis and some outliers, there really aren't a whole lot of other skis like it out there-likely the narrowest "all-mountain" ski on the market.

Marcus Shakun was on the 182, and even though he's about 6'5", he found that to be the right length, again showing how stable these skis can be, even if they're a bit shorter than normal for an advanced or expert skier. Marcus gave the skis 5's out of 5 for stability, torsional stiffness, and edge hold, showing that Stockli really has that "precision" game locked up. "This ski has the most consistent flex from tip to tail. Holds great on firm snow and leaves trenches in softer snow." Despite the stiffness, it's "very user friendly and you can jump on at any time and have a great run." In terms of intended audience, Marcus notes that "a skier that knows how to work a ski edge to edge and drive a ski will appreciate." Certainly, a lot of skiers will appreciate the smoothness and stability of a precision-instrument like the Laser AX. Benny Wax included a smiley face on his scorecard, making us assume that words were not enough to describe how he felt about his experience on the 175 cm Laser AX. An obvious 5 out of 5 for overall impression was earned, and 4's for stability, quickness, playfulness, edge hold, and versatility are very warranted scores. Benny notes that these are "great all-mountain skis but also with solid de-tuned race performance. Transitions great from short radius to long radius turns. Damp, smooth ride that initiates and completes turns precisely." We think that's a great way to describe the ski and how it is supposed to be skied. The precision and response of this all-mountain tool are top-notch, and all of our contributors had an almost identical reaction to the ski.

Yes, it has a top-end price tag, but the materials used and the way the ski is built certainly puts it on another level. Skiers who value that precision and high-end feel will love the performance and poise of the Stockli Laser AX.