Laser AX

It’s a testament to the enduring excellence of the returning Laser AX that we culled all new data on it and its scores barely budged from those logged last season. As both the ski and our testers’ collective appraisal of it are unchanged, our 2019 review likewise...

Laser SX

[While there has been a slight shift in scores due to new data, both Laser SX and this review are unchanged from last year.] Stöckli has a knack for making perfect skis, then improving them. Judging by test cards from prior seasons, no one could imagine a better...

Stormrider 85 Motion

[Neither the Stormrider 85 Motion nor its scores have changed since this review was posted last season.] Some of the best female skiers in the world have been carrying on a long-term love affair with the Stöckli Stormrider 85 Motion. Women who aren’t in the position...

Stormrider 88

[Neither the Stormrider 88 nor its scores have changed since this review was posted last season.] Nothing else skis quite like a Stöckli. The combination of limitless power and cushioned ride is so intoxicating that Stöckli skiers often become addicts, unable to even...

Vantage 97 C W

[Neither the Vantage 97 C W nor its scores have changed since this review was posted last season.]

For its 2019 Vantage collection of all-mountain skis, Atomic took a different approach to executing the ideals of the Lighter Is Better movement in product design. Instead of looking for ways to remove material from existing archetypes, Atomic began with the most elemental design imaginable and added only what’s required to turn a shape into a ski.

As you’d expect from a ski built to be as minimalist as possible, in the hand the Vantage 97 C W feels light enough to fly away, but it’s so stable on snow one tester even found it “stiff-ish.” It’s certainly a lot more ski than is normally available at a street price of $499. Kelli Gleason of Boot Doctors in Telluride, pegs the 2019 Vantage 97 C W as “more powerful than its predecessor, this ski is a charger and can be sized down to accommodate a more timid skier.” An extraordinary value for the accomplished skier, it’s also the perfect escort for the off-trail debutante who needs a forgiving partner to show her the ropes.