When you want the same kind of performance that World Cup athletes experience, you need a ski like the Laser GS from Stockli. Although this ski doesn’t adhere to FIS regulations, it essentially uses the same construction as Stockli’s World Cup models and provides top notch carving performance and precision. It all starts with a wood core that’s sandwiched between two sheets of titanal metal with full vertical sidewalls. Stockli’s attention to detail in their construction is impressive and features a more refined application of fiberglass to reduce weight as well as their super-cool inclusion of rubber dust. It’s hard to communicate how Stockli skis feel on paper, but something about them is just a little different thanks to their handmade construction and craftsmanship. This ski featured an 18.2 m turn radius in the 180 cm length. No, that’s not a true GS sidecut, but for a consumer ski, that’s basically what we’re looking for to mimic GS performance. None of us need to be bending a 27 m GS ski, and well, if you want to, you can go buy a FIS ski. These consumer GS skis, on the other hand, are more user-friendly while still providing plenty of power, edge grip, and responsiveness.
ROCKER PROFILE
Camber
CORE MATERIALS
Carbon Steering Control
PREFERRED TERRAIN
Groomers
Jeff Neagle skied the 180 cm length in the Laser GS and loved its performance. “Super fun. Lays over impressive turns and never feels like it’s reaching its speed limit. I love skis like this that take GS performance but repackage it into a shorter turn radius. I’m not the heaviest or the most powerful skier on the mountain, so getting a big radius GS to flex into a turn can be tough. These come across the fall line super easily, but it also still feels like you can let them run into bigger turns. Doesn’t want to turn as quick as the WRT ST or Laser SL, which I suppose is good or bad depending on what you’re looking for.” Jeff awarded the Laser GS 5 out of 5 scores for torsional stiffness/edge grip, stability, and overall impression. Playfulness, forgiveness, and versatility all dropped to 2 out of 5, which isn’t terribly surprising or concerning given the 68 mm waist width and the fact that this ski is designed predominantly to do one thing: carve turns on groomed slopes.
Brad Schauerman also skied the 180 cm length, but unfortunately didn’t have ideal conditions for testing a ski like the Laser GS. Later in the day during our test, things got a little soft for a narrow carving ski like this, although Brad still found merits in its overall performance. “Super smooth and stable even in the slop...would love to try on a day with some hard snow.” Brad’s highest scores were similar to Jeff’s, 4 out of 5 for stability, torsional stiffness/edge grip, and overall impression. Flotation and versatility were his lowest scores at 2 out of 5.
Whether you’re participating in a local race league or you just want a ski to take out on early morning groomers, the Laser GS will satisfy the best of the best skiers out there and strikes an excellent blend of feeling quick, responsive, yet also stable and damp. There are plenty of consumer GS skis on the market, and they’re all a lot of fun. It’s tough to differentiate between them sometimes, although with Stockli you do get a more refined feel and overall skiing experience than most brands, which is enough reason to choose the brand for many skiers.
