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A word of warning: Basically all the 2017 Stockli models are complete garbage, and the 2018s aren't much better. The ones with the carbon insets in the tip and tail. They went right back to their tried and true construction after one season, so any year 2016 or earlier should be prime and cheaper.
About me:
I am almost 30, 5'9" 175# and athletic. If I am not skiing I am climbing. "In shape" is the phrase I would use.
I work full time as an instructor in the winter, and as such I spend a lot of time talking, thinking, and breathing skiing, ski equipment, and things like edge bevels. But I don't just have a stick up my ass, I ride Line Pescados, I love going backwards and spinning off cliffs, and I generally loathe the idea of the "perfect" groomer turn, I wanna play! shred! send! None of this robotic rigid elbow garbage turns for me.
Been teaching for 9 years, and its given me the opportunity to ski just about every ski out there. I have a couple skis in the under 90 at the waist category for going fast around gates, or generally not leaving a groomed trail, but that's not what I enjoy riding most of the time. When the snow is good, I have fun playful pow skis, chargy pow skis, skis for slush and "packed pow" days, and touring skis for the spring... But one slot in the quiver hasn't quite felt right for the longest time.
For years I have been looking for something that fits the "dogshit -to- mixed bag" snow days quiver spot. When the snow is a mix of refrozen corn, wind scoured cheese grater, and giant moguls after the Christmas rush I still want to go out and have fun. Even if its not all terrible, sometimes the conditions can change drastically from north to south facing, or top to bottom, and I want a ski that will do fine in whatever I put it in, do it smoothly, and most of all, do it with little maintenance. I typically don't ski balls out when the snow sucks, so I don't need a 10/10 flex Head Monster, but I do want a ski with metal and some spine.
The Stockli stormrider skis have blown everything out of the water. Apparently they spent decades developing the epoxy that makes their skis so incredibly damp, but they have really nailed almost everything else about their design.
The Stormriders aren't super stiff, yet they have better edge hold and dampness than anything else out there that I have skied. They make any snow surface feel smooth, and transmit much less vibration/chatter/noise up your leg bones. I believe people have used the word "silky" to describe how they feel. I prefer the term "black magic" but silky is accurate.
Skis I have spent more than 5 days on in this category:
181/186cm Fischer Motive 95
187cm 2015 Blizzard Bonafide
180cm 2018 Blizzard Bonafide
177/184cm Head Monster 98 ti
ON3P Skinny Billy (106 waist)
185cm Nordica Enforcer 93/100
18X 2015 Kastle FX94
18X 2018 Kastle FX95
18X 2018 Kastle BMX 105
2010?? Volkl Mantra 177cm
EDIT: After getting on a few more lineages of Stormrider, here is some additional info:
I currently own:
2012 or 2013 Stormrider 95
2014 or 2015 Stormrider 95
2011? Stormrider XXL (80mm underfoot).
The XXL and 2012/13 SR 95 are what I will call the old shape. Longer turn radius, rocker in the SR 95 similar to the old Bonafide rocker profile (reverse camber at the front, with a regular tip shape at the end).
The 2014/15 I have is the "new" shape, which hasn't really changed since 2014. They smoothed out the rocker profile, so its more like a long tip, with taper to match. The tail has a bit more taper/rise than the older ones, and thus the turn radius is shorter. The version I have is also noticably softer than the 2013. I have an old pair of 187cm Bonafides that are stiffer than the 2013s, but not by much. If the bonafides are a 8.5 or 9/10, the 2013 is a 8/10, and the 2014 is a 6.5 out of 10.
Then I believe in 2016 Stockli fucked up. The Stormrider models with the carbon or colored inserts at the tip/tail are WAY too soft. I highly recommend avoiding all 2015/16, and all 2016/17 production models of the stormrider. Any of the ones with the little insert things at the tip and tail. (certain models may have escaped this, I think the 88 waist didn't have the inserts?)
The 2018 version basically brought the Stormrider back to the 2015 vintage as far as I can tell. There may be slight differences in construction or flex, but they both ski amazingly.
I got to hand flex the 2019 SR 105, and they are noticeably stiffer in the tip. I daresay, they are as close to perfect as the Stormrider has ever been. I got out on a set of 2019 SR 88,
So to recap.
2013 and earlier: stiff, oldschool shapes.
2014-2015: modern shapes, softer
2016-2017: don't buy them
2018: back to good, but your EGO will convince you that you need something stiffer.
2019: Best of the best so far.
About me:
I am almost 30, 5'9" 175# and athletic. If I am not skiing I am climbing. "In shape" is the phrase I would use.
I work full time as an instructor in the winter, and as such I spend a lot of time talking, thinking, and breathing skiing, ski equipment, and things like edge bevels. But I don't just have a stick up my ass, I ride Line Pescados, I love going backwards and spinning off cliffs, and I generally loathe the idea of the "perfect" groomer turn, I wanna play! shred! send! None of this robotic rigid elbow garbage turns for me.
Been teaching for 9 years, and its given me the opportunity to ski just about every ski out there. I have a couple skis in the under 90 at the waist category for going fast around gates, or generally not leaving a groomed trail, but that's not what I enjoy riding most of the time. When the snow is good, I have fun playful pow skis, chargy pow skis, skis for slush and "packed pow" days, and touring skis for the spring... But one slot in the quiver hasn't quite felt right for the longest time.
For years I have been looking for something that fits the "dogshit -to- mixed bag" snow days quiver spot. When the snow is a mix of refrozen corn, wind scoured cheese grater, and giant moguls after the Christmas rush I still want to go out and have fun. Even if its not all terrible, sometimes the conditions can change drastically from north to south facing, or top to bottom, and I want a ski that will do fine in whatever I put it in, do it smoothly, and most of all, do it with little maintenance. I typically don't ski balls out when the snow sucks, so I don't need a 10/10 flex Head Monster, but I do want a ski with metal and some spine.
The Stockli stormrider skis have blown everything out of the water. Apparently they spent decades developing the epoxy that makes their skis so incredibly damp, but they have really nailed almost everything else about their design.
The Stormriders aren't super stiff, yet they have better edge hold and dampness than anything else out there that I have skied. They make any snow surface feel smooth, and transmit much less vibration/chatter/noise up your leg bones. I believe people have used the word "silky" to describe how they feel. I prefer the term "black magic" but silky is accurate.
Skis I have spent more than 5 days on in this category:
181/186cm Fischer Motive 95
187cm 2015 Blizzard Bonafide
180cm 2018 Blizzard Bonafide
177/184cm Head Monster 98 ti
ON3P Skinny Billy (106 waist)
185cm Nordica Enforcer 93/100
18X 2015 Kastle FX94
18X 2018 Kastle FX95
18X 2018 Kastle BMX 105
2010?? Volkl Mantra 177cm
EDIT: After getting on a few more lineages of Stormrider, here is some additional info:
I currently own:
2012 or 2013 Stormrider 95
2014 or 2015 Stormrider 95
2011? Stormrider XXL (80mm underfoot).
The XXL and 2012/13 SR 95 are what I will call the old shape. Longer turn radius, rocker in the SR 95 similar to the old Bonafide rocker profile (reverse camber at the front, with a regular tip shape at the end).
The 2014/15 I have is the "new" shape, which hasn't really changed since 2014. They smoothed out the rocker profile, so its more like a long tip, with taper to match. The tail has a bit more taper/rise than the older ones, and thus the turn radius is shorter. The version I have is also noticably softer than the 2013. I have an old pair of 187cm Bonafides that are stiffer than the 2013s, but not by much. If the bonafides are a 8.5 or 9/10, the 2013 is a 8/10, and the 2014 is a 6.5 out of 10.
Then I believe in 2016 Stockli fucked up. The Stormrider models with the carbon or colored inserts at the tip/tail are WAY too soft. I highly recommend avoiding all 2015/16, and all 2016/17 production models of the stormrider. Any of the ones with the little insert things at the tip and tail. (certain models may have escaped this, I think the 88 waist didn't have the inserts?)
The 2018 version basically brought the Stormrider back to the 2015 vintage as far as I can tell. There may be slight differences in construction or flex, but they both ski amazingly.
I got to hand flex the 2019 SR 105, and they are noticeably stiffer in the tip. I daresay, they are as close to perfect as the Stormrider has ever been. I got out on a set of 2019 SR 88,
So to recap.
2013 and earlier: stiff, oldschool shapes.
2014-2015: modern shapes, softer
2016-2017: don't buy them
2018: back to good, but your EGO will convince you that you need something stiffer.
2019: Best of the best so far.
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