#stockli

@fulviomaianiblog

@schonmagazine

@piajohansson

@fulviomaianiblog

@schonmagazine

@piajohansson

@fulviomaianiblog

@schonmagazine

@piajohansson

@fulviomaianiblog 

@schonmagazine

@piajohansson

www.fulviomaiani.com

Last ski season I worked at California Ski Company in Berkeley, CA, and I had the opportunity to learn about and test a lot of skis. Ski recommendations are very subjective, though when I recommend skis I try to cater to a wider audience than myself and my wife Miranda, who tests women skis, I figured it might be helpful to provide a bit of biometric data along with the skis we ski.

Me: I’m 6’0”, 163 lbs, Type 3 skier. My current skis are:

Stockli Laser SC (race / carver, 177cm)

J Skis Allplay (all mountain, 184cm)

K2 Hardside (all mountain, 177cm)

Blizzard Gunsmoke (Powder, 179cm)

Miranda: 5’6”, light weight, Type 3 skier. Her current skis are:

Stockli Laser SX (race / carver, 170cm)

Blizzard Samba (all mountain, 168cm)

Blizzard Bonafide (all mountain, 168cm)

Best Overall Pick - Men

Fischer Ranger 98 Ti - Probably the most interesting geometry I've seen in a ski, and DEFINITELY the most versatile ski I tested. It has a lot of tip rocker, a slight amount of tail rocker, and is super light, especially considering it has two sheets of titanium in it. You could bomb down groomed runs, ski off-piste, or throw a pair of Dynafit bindings on them and take them to the backcountry. They are my #1 recommendation simply because you can do everything with this ski. Here’s my review while riding up the lift to take a second run on these skis before giving them back to Fischer: 

Very strong and stiff under foot. Easy to turn. Interesting in that you feel like you've got half the front of a ski in front of your foot, but that half is so stiff that it doesn't matter when you are really laying down hard turns. Tip is not chattery. One of my favorites. 

Bonus: Fischer is releasing a female version of this ski.

Runners up: Armada Invictus 99 Ti (my personal favorite all rounder, but not as forgiving as the Ranger), Dynastar Cham (Better on-piste performance, for lighter-weight or intermediate-advanced skiers), Stockli Stormrider 88 (best on-piste performance, not as good off-piste), J Skis Allplay (no metal in construction, much more “fun” and playful ski). 

Best Overall Pick - Women

Armada Victa 87 Ti - I’ll let my wife Miranda describe this ski: 

“Awesome. Amazing. Heavy and fast but easy to control. Like an all-mountain Stockli that's forgiving and easier to ski. You go fast in these and they work on bumps, short turns, long turns. No chatter. Love love them.” 

Disclaimer: This ski has two sheets of titanal in it, and is basically a men’s ski with different geometry and slightly narrower than it’s brother, the Invictus 89 Ti. This ski requires a strong female skier if lighter weight, and would work great for a heavier female skier.

Runner up: Rossignol Temptation 88 (universally well regarded ski, way more forgiving than the Victa but nowhere near as stable)

Groomed / Race Ski (60 - 80mm width) - Unisex

Note: Skis in this category often have a race-specific turn radius. The events are listed here in terms of least to most turny events: Downhill, Super-G, Giant Slalom, Slalom. With that in mind, there are more skis in this section than the previous sections as the skis in this section are more specialized. Also, these skis can be considered unisex, provided you buy them in the correct length.

Best Overall Carving Ski for Everyone

Head iTitan - Probably one of the most technically advanced, if not the most technically advanced, ski in its price range. This is routinely the go-to ski my buddies and I recommend for skiers who like to carve but don’t need 45+ mile an hour stability. Don’t get me wrong, you can take it up to that speed, but it won’t have the “Stockli feel” once you start wondering whether or not you should slow down. If you don’t know whether a Stockli is for you, then the iTitan is the next best thing.

Slalom

Stockli Laser SX - One of the best skis of the year, according to myself and other shop employees. “SX” stands for “Ski Cross,” an event where multiple skiers start on a prepared course at the same time and race each other neck-and-neck. The ski is thus designed to engage and change directions quickly, but also be able to handle more GS, high speed turns. One tester wrote: “A virtually perfect ski for any on piste skiing. Nimble yet rock solid. Surprisingly easy to ski at any speed. Beautifully balanced. Speed limit? Don't ask.” My wife owns this ski in a 170cm length, which functions as a long slalom ski for me (usually true slalom skis are in the 160cm range), and a GS / Super-G ski for her.

Runner up: Stockli World Cup SL (basically a detuned FIS slalom race ski, very turny, very fun, but not as well-rounded as the Laser SX for recreational skiing). It’s cyan, white, and red though, so it is pretty sweet looking.

GS / Super G

Stockli Laser SC - This is technically a “slalom-type” ski, but when you ski it in a longer length (mine is 177cm and I’m an expert skier, 6’0” , 163 lbs) it behaves like a GS ski. It’s preposterously fast, only for advanced to expert skiers, and not for the faint of heart. Mine also has a race plate and race bindings on it, which is pretty much the only way to go.

Runner up: Stockli Laser GS (pure GS ski, not as versatile as Laser SC)

All-mountain Mid-width Ski (80-90mm width)

Note: This width range is basically the east coast all mountain, west coast half groomer half off-piste width. Skis in this category will generally perform better on-piste than the “All-mountain Wide Skis,” but won’t float as well in soft snow.

Stockli Stormrider 88 - Truth be told, this ski is probably my favorite ski on earth. Why isn’t it the “best overall pick,” or better yet, why don’t I own this ski? I’m glad you asked!

First off, this ski is not for everyone. It’s expensive, at about $1,000 just for the skis. While it’s more forgiving than the race / race-inspired skis as well as the Stockli Stormrider 95, it is still a monster. It basically has no speed limit whatsoever, engages more quickly than the SR 95, but is still very stable and easier to manage. This is not a ski you hop on and gentle cruise around on. No. It wants to do one thing: go fast.

Secondly, it’s width along with its stiffness put it in a range that doesn’t make sense for ski shop employees and others who can afford more than two pairs of skis. Using myself as an example: I have a pair of Stockli race skis, my J Skis Allplays which are a forgiving / fun all-mountain wide ski, K2 Hardsides which are a stiffer all-mountain wide ski, and my Blizzard Gunsmoke which is a pure no-compromise powder ski. Very rarely would there be conditions such that I’d grab the SR 88 over my race skis or my forgiving all-mountain skis -- it just wouldn’t see the snow enough to warrant how expensive it is.

That said, it’s just an amazing ski, and many of my buddies share my exact sentiment.

Runners Up: Armada Invictus 89 Ti (about 90% as hard-charging as the Stockli, in a much more well rounded package. If I were pressed to make a decision between this and the Stockli, the cheaper price of the Armada would carry a lot of weight.) Rossignol Experience 88 (more forgiving, still reasonably stiff). Fischer Ranger 90 Ti (better for off-piste).

Nordica NRGY 90 - I have not actually skied this ski, but two friends of mine who I trust immensely have and they both love it for a lighter weight men, male intermediate skiers, or advanced female skiers. Nordica uses a sort of skeletal structure in the titanal layer so that it’s stiff in the right spots and soft in the right spots. Basically, it has metal, but less metal than other skis in the category. As such, it’s extremely versatile.

All-mountain Wide Ski (87-100mm width)

Note: This width range is the most popular right now, and also the most saturated in terms of the number of skis in the category. Some would also call this the “all mountain west” category, whereas all mountain east coast skis are generally found in the 80-90mm width. Pretty much every manufacturer has a ski in this width, and it’s a very subjective range of skis.

Hard Charging - Men

Armada Invictus 99 Ti - For fast, hard charging, directional skiing in a wide ski, this ski is great. It's more forgiving (and cheaper) than something like a Stockli Stormrider 95 but will still remain stable at irresponsible speeds. My chairlift review:

I did everything with this. Some soft snow, bumps, and hard charging on groomers. Super stable and manageable.

Runners up: Stockli Stormrider 95 (faster, stiffer, more expensive), Blizzard Bonafide (lighter in the tip and tail for easier pop-turning)

Hard Charging - Women

Armada Victa 87 Ti - This is is the female variant of the Invictus 89 Ti, a men’s ski with two layers of titanal. My wife and my buddies at the shop love Armada for the fact that they don't dumb down or detune their women's skis -- they are built for pro skiers and their whole philosophy of catering to the advanced and expert skiers first and everyone else second is great. This ski is a powerful ski, and suits advanced-expert lightweight female skiers or intermediate-advanced heavier skiers.

Playful - Unisex

J Skis Allplay - J Skis was founded and is run by Jason Levinthal, founder of Line Skis, which is now owned by K2. I had the pleasure of skiing with him for a day at Stowe, VT and testing most of the skis he makes. The best way to describe his skis is “FUN.” Forgiving, easy going ski that still has great edge hold and stability. It has no metal in its construction so at higher speeds in choppier terrain it’s not going to be as damp and stable as something like the Armada or Stockli mentioned above, but it’s also going to be way easier to handle. Great for lighter weight skiers, people who just don’t need to go irresponsibly fast, or people looking to augment a ski they already own, such as a Bonafide or a stiff carving ski.

Runner Up: Armada ARV (very similar ski, maybe slightly more stable than the Allplay. To be honest I’d just buy whatever you can get for cheaper :)

Powder Ski (105+mm width)

Men

Blizzard Gunsmoke - 114mm underfoot, so this is a wide ski, and it also happens to be the only ski I’ll ever own where I will replace it with the same ski. Blizzard built this as a freeride ski, it’s soft in the tip and tail but reasonably stiff underfoot considering it’s bamboo and carbon fiber. Super lightweight for its size, great pop, it’s really just a fun ski. Handles deep snow with ease.

Runner up: Faction Candide 3.0 (6mm narrower, more versatile, still ridiculously fun), Stockli Stormrider 107 (stiffer, harder-charging, more expensive ski)

Women

Faction Supertonic - 107mm underfoot, which I consider to be a wide / powder ski for women. Since ladies are usually lighter and shorter than men, I don’t think a women’s powder ski needs to be as wide as a men’s powder ski in order to float equivalently. Also, my wife loved this ski so much she may buy it this year. From her review: “Lightweight but stable. Great all-mountain ski. Pop you out of short turns. Not awesome on long wide fast turns, but that's okay because they were very good otherwise. Would be amazing in soft snow.”

Runner up: Armada VJJ 2.0 (much wider, Armada rules)

Conclusion