The newest edition to the Stormrider family is also its narrowest, but don’t get the idea in your head that the 83 is Stormrider Lite: it still built with 2 ½ layers of Titanal and is heavy enough to knock down castle walls.

In Stöckli-World, the frontside of the mountain is Laser country; Stormriders belong off-trail or somewhere out in the backcountry. That the Stormrider 83 performs so admirably on groomed runs is testament to Super G genes; Stöcklis always seem to ski like every run is being timed.

The Stormrider 83 is a lovely ride, but it’s still out of its natural habitat, restricted to groomed runs when every gram in its guts is dying to head off-trail. It faces two rivals from its own factory, the wider, and more widely admired, Stormrider 88, and our top-scoring Power ski in the Frontside genre, the Laser AX. If you’re actually skiing off-trail a lot, why not be on the wider, better-adapted Stormrider 88; if you really love to lay it over on prepared pistes, you’ll be better served by the Laser AX.