2022 Stockli Nela 80

The Nela 80 from Stockli is the narrowest ski in their women’s All-Mountain line, effectively blurring the lines between a frontside ski and a traditional all-mountain ski with its 80 mm waist width. Stockli is known for their high-quality materials and craftsmanship, and the Nela 80 is certainly no exception. Stockli uses a Light Core, their Thin Glass Laminate technology, and Titanal. In fact, one of the layers of Titanal is also the actual topsheet of the ski, which helps to keep weight to a minimum while still receiving the performance benefits of metal. The weight is impressive, just 1300 g in the 157 cm length. It’s designed to have a supple flex pattern, while still providing stability at speed and the necessary edge grip for skiing fast and aggressively. There’s a little bit of tip and tail rocker, but the ski is mostly camber.

Danielle Nichols tested a 165 cm Nela 80, which happens to be the longest length available in this women’s specific ski. If you want to go longer than that, you’ll have to opt for a unisex model like the Laser AR. That said, Danielle is an aggressive skier, and she thought the 165 cm length worked perfectly for her, so we don’t expect many women will need a longer length. Fantastic scores from Danielle too, with stability, quickness/maneuverability, playfulness, forgiveness, torsional stiffness/edge grip, and overall impression all earning 5 out of 5 marks. The remaining criteria were right behind receiving solid 4 out of 5 scores. “This is a perfect groomer ski. Like a freight train without being too heavy. It makes skiing easier. Totally my style. Effortless. I can’t wait to try the wider one. Could be my everyday ski.” One of Stockli’s biggest accomplishments in their recent ski designs is combining stability and a lightweight feel. It’s one of the biggest challenges for ski manufacturers, and no one does it better than Stockli. We love the idea that Danielle found it easy to ski, while also satisfying her demands and expectations as an experienced expert skier.

Carly Monahan also went for the 165 cm, which she noted felt perfect for her size and ability level. Carly’s scores weren’t quite as impressive as what we saw from Lexi, but certainly weren’t anything to scoff at. Quickness/maneuverability and torsional stiffness/edge grip both earned full 5 out of 5 scores, with all other criteria, except flotation, at 4 out of 5. At 80 mm underfoot, we don’t expect a lot of flotation, so no concern there. “The Nela 80 is a chameleon, blending in anywhere on the mountain. Though likely a bit narrow for deep snow, the Nela excelled in our testing conditions - plowed through chopped up mashed potatoes, bopped and bashed in corn bumps. The tails aren’t too stiff to swish around, though I have to imagine the Nela would hold a turn nicely in firmer snow.” Lexi Hildreth decided on the 157 cm length for her testing, but ultimately decided she would rather have the 165. We expect that hurt some of her scores, as we didn’t get any full scores from Lexi, but we did get a lot of 4 out of 5 marks, including stability, quickness/maneuverability, forgiveness, torsional stiffness, and overall impression. Still impressive scores there despite the shorter length she skied. “These are a great frontside carver. Would be an awesome choice for groomed runs! High end ski for intermediate to advanced skiers. I felt they were a little tough on the spring conditions, but I would love to try them again on a corduroy day!”

For skiers who want a dream of a carving ski that can still handle some softer snow conditions and un-groomed terrain, the Nela 80 is a superb choice. It has a premium feel that is somewhat hard to describe on paper, which is true about just about any Stockli ski. It’s quick edge to edge, it holds well in a turn, and it responds well to advanced and expert level technique, but it’s also not too demanding. That’s a really valuable characteristic for a ski like this. Often skis that achieve high levels of precision and torsional stiffness come along with an aggressive, demanding feel, but the Nela 80 is far friendlier, while still achieving those positive attributes.