Stockli makes a lot of high-end carving skis. Their Laser collection is home to numerous skis all with their own unique features and attributes, but every one of them feels like a premium, precision ski. The Laser CX is one of the lighter models in the lineup thanks to Stockli’s Light Wood Core construction. It’s also designed to be slightly more user-friendly and a little more forgiving than some of the Laser models. To achieve this, Stockli uses their Turtle Grip technology. There’s 2 sheets of metal in this ski, but there are curving longitudinal cuts in the metal that allow the ski to articulate more in the tips and tails. This makes turn initiation smoother and easier, allowing for a less fatiguing skiing experience and very intuitive performance. The harder you ski and the more you get the ski to flex, however, the metal will interlock and provide full torsional stiffness. That means that even though this ski is intended to be more user-friendly, it still has a very high performance ceiling and is still an extremely rewarding carving ski.
ROCKER PROFILE
Camber
CORE MATERIALS
Turtle Grip
PREFERRED TERRAIN
Groomers
Its shape leans more towards the short-turn, slalom end of the spectrum. The 170 cm length has a 14.1 m turn radius, but dropping down just one size to 163 cm gives us a 12.8 m turn. That’s pretty darn quick, so the Laser CX is going to want to turn rather than fly down the fall line making big Super G turns. It’s 69 mm underfoot, which isn’t the narrowest ski in the Laser line, but certainly on the narrower side of things. That means you’re going to want to keep it on groomed slopes rather than take it off trail, and also means the ski is going to be exceptionally quick edge to edge.
Jeff Neagle skied the 170 cm length in the Laser CX this season. “The CX kind of feels like a narrower AX, or a more forgiving WRT ST. It’s a great ski and I think it’s probably a better option than some of the more aggressive Laser skis for a lot of skiers. You don’t have to be the world’s best skier and you don’t need to be super aggressive to enjoy this, which is a nice change compared to stiffer skis like the WRT or Laser GS. It can still rip too when you’re at a high edge angle and that metal locks into place. Super cool technology and you can definitely feel it in skis like this and the SX and AX. Could even be a good beer league ski for a less aggressive skier. Come to think of it… I actually used a Laser CX in Stowe Ski Bum league about 10 years ago… The construction was different then, but the idea was basically the same, and it worked just fine… so year, you can race on this thing.” 4 out of 5 scores from Jeff for stability, quickness/maneuverability, torsional stiffness/edge grip, and overall impression.
If you’re looking for a high performing carving ski, but want something with a touch of forgiveness and a more user-friendly feel, the Laser CX is an excellent choice. As is true with all of Stockli skis, it has a distinctly premium feel thanks to the high-end materials and attention to detail in its construction. All Laser skis are great, and they all have unique attributes. If you’re curious which might be best for you, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or get in touch with us directly.
