[The test results for the Laser SL are from 2016; the ski’s only changes for 2017 are cosmetic.]

The Stöckli Laser SL doesn’t suffer from an identity crisis. It was born a slalom, it lives to make slalom turns and because it’s a Stöckli, it will probably never die.

A test card from South Lake Tahoe’s Powder House paints a telling portrait of the Laser SL’s strengths and limitations. The written remarks could not have been more complimentary: “Awesome! Best ski I’ve ever skied.” But the accompanying scores were deeply divided between Finesse and Power properties, with no score above 3 for off-piste performance, low-speed turning, forgiveness and drift and no score below 9 for carving accuracy, rebound, stability at speed, short turns and Finesse/Power balance.

Considering how strong Stöckli’s carving skis (e.g. Laser AX) are, one might imagine their citizen race slalom to be a tough ride to tame without world-class skills. Like the low test scores cited above, such fears are over-inflated. It’s perfectly pegged as the ultimate “beer league” slalom, just the sort of crisp, clean turn generator you’d expect from the famously precise Swiss.