2014 Stockli Stormrider 107 Review

As we've mentioned elsewhere in our 2014 ski reviews, the 100 to 110 mm wide segment of skis is going to be big next year. We've already reviewed the Nordica Vagabond and the Rossignol Soul 7.

But one of the skis in this class we're most excited about comes from a brand we haven't carried in the past - the Stockli Stormrider 107. The top pick for many of our testers in this group, the Stockli SR 107 is a departure for Stockli, and an impressive ski for soft-snow oriented all mountain skiers.

“All I wrote on my testing card was ‘wow!’” said Kenzie, one of our expert testers who participated in Powder Magazine's Powder Week at Jackson Hole.

The Stormrider leans towards the smooth and damp end of the scale for ski feel, as apposed to light and lively, thanks to its metal construction, but a little tip rocker with slight taper, and a rounded out tale made it ski much more nimbly than expected. The ski also only tapers 8 mm from tip to tail, compared to the typical 10-25 mm on other skis in this size range.

"On the snow feel was actually a bit heavy, but not a bad heavy, more of a Teutonic heavy, like an old Mercedes - solid," said Philpug, one of our testers, on EpicSki. "The balanced flex allowed the Stormrider's tail to follow the tip through a multitude of turn shapes and snow conditions."

Another tester described it as the best 100 mm plus ski on groomers, period, making this ski a solid one-ski-quiver contender for any skier who wants the width for soft snow days without giving up too much on firm days.

In the crud, this ski was pretty unflappable - it always felt under control. It wasn't as surfy or playful as softer or more rockered skis in the pure powder, but it was still a blast and had good float.

Overall, this is one of our top picks in the 100-110 mm category, and probably our top pick for expert skiers who like a damp and smooth ski that blends aspects of traditional ski geometry with just a little new-school design.