How to describe perfection? Is it a list of all the ingredients the perfect thing contains? Is it the meticulous construction that assembles all the pieces into a fluid whole? Is it the action the product makes possible, the interconnection between man, snow and gravity?

It’s all of these elements, of course, but to Matt Finnegan of Footloose, perfection entails the alchemy to make their amalgam evaporate, leaving only sensation behind. “This ski just disappears underneath the skier,” he marvels, capturing the sense of unfettered freedom the Laser AX inspires. Nothing is impossible on an invisible ski.

Ironically, for a ski that disappears when put in motion, when standing still the Laser AX feels like it weighs about the same as a Fiat. There’s a reason it rolls over everything in its path, leaving behind ruts in hard pack and trenches in soft snow that could swallow a small child

The 2017 Laser AX received the Turtle Shell treatment, a bisected topsheet of Titanal with gummi bears in the gap that allow the laminate to “breathe,” stiffening the ski as it flexes and relaxing when the pressure is relieved. The result is a ski that is soft enough to be flexed but once flexed is as solid as an anvil.

If the Laser AX is so magnificent, shouldn’t everyone get one? Um, no. Its MO is to reward power with power. If you don’t know how to use it, we daresay it would do more harm than good. Look at it from the ski’s viewpoint: “If you have the skills, I’m going to treat you to the time of your life. If you don’t, I’m heading for the bottom. Hope to see you there.“

The Laser AX is the perfect example of what happens when luxury and necessity collide: before you’ve ever skied one, you’re certain they’re a loony luxury; after you ski one, you’ll be convinced they’re an absolute necessity.