Stöckli has been trying to domesticate the Stormrider 105 ever since the Swiss unleashed this beast what feels like a lifetime ago. For 2020, its evolution towards a lighter, more flexible Stormrider continues by tapering both layers of Titanal so they’re thinner at the ends and switching sidewall material to something damper and more impact-resistant.
No doubt the 2020 Stormrider 105 is a little easier to steer, and its more flared tail will hold a cross-hill carve longer than last year’s version. But it’s still likes to travel close to the fall line, if for no other reason than it needs some wind in its sails to become tractable. While the tapered Titanal sheets are lighter and more flexible – awesome for following irregular terrain – they still deliver a high dose of torsional rigidity, which tends to accentuate the sensation of width on a Big Mountain ski.
What feels ponderous in first gear swiftly transforms into a platform that seems impervious to any force that dares to block its downhill course. It’s like riding a wild river on a boat you know will never capsize. A very, very powerful, predictable ski,” reports Jim Schaffner of Start Haus, and no, the second “very” isn’t redundant; if anything it’s one “very” too few. “Its thickness and stiffness helps it to do a pretty good job powering through most of the junk and the crud. The best all-rounder in this group.” It bears mention that Schaffner is unusually powerful himself, so he’s a perfect match for this über-powerful ski.
There are many occasions when the Stormrider 105’s implacable stability rides to the rescue, such as long run-outs at day’s end, when your legs are pudding, or when surfing slough that’s moving under you, or when you need to ride out a hairy exit at the end of a couloir. It’s nice to know, when your butt is on the line, that your skis have a power reserve you can activate in an emergency.
Note that the 2020 Stormrider 105’s size selection has been pared down to three options– 170,179,188 – all of which are new. What hasn’t changed is the Stormrider 105’s preeminent position as the best Power ski in the Big Mountain category.
