Dreaming... Stockli Stormrider 88 or Stockli Nela 88?

[sashak]

Hi divas!
I'm dreaming. The more I read the further down the rabbit hole I go, LOL.

I'm 5'10. 170 lbs. Advanced (ish). I ski all blacks and sometimes feel super confident, sometimes not, depending on conditions.

I love my current skis. The Atomic Maven 93 C is an awesome ski! Mine are the 173 length. They are light, playful, easy to maneuver, and good on most conditions.

I'm thinking I'd like to also have something stronger for crud and groomers and harder carving. The Stocklis have caught my eye and was wondering if you could help me compare the 2 models.

I want something different from what I have so was thinking the titanal.

Also, what size? 168 or 175? I am in between I think.

Other ski recommendations are welcome of course LOL.

Thanks in advance, divas!

 

[mustski]

I would go shorter with either of the Stocklis. I tested the Atomic Maven 93 C - and loved it - but it skis shorter than its length. Since you are between sizes, err on the side of shorter in this case. I normally ski in the the high 150 - low 160 range and had no issues at all with the Maven in a 172.

As for which ski? I recommend demoing If you can.

 

[sashak]

Can anyone explain the difference between the two models? They seem similar to me in description...

 

[silly4snow]

I’ve never gotten to ski Stocklis but just demoed a lot of skis in the mid to upper 80mm range and ended up getting the Faction dancer 1. Very thin metal so stable at speed and on ice/crud, but not quite as heavy as other metal skis. They are 86 underfoot but have done well in a few recent powder days as they cut through it. Great on bumps and trees with slightly more tail rocker. I liked them much better than Santa Ana 88 and others in this category.

 

[mustski]

Can anyone explain the difference between the two models? They seem similar to me in description...

They are quite similar. The difference seems to be a lighter weight core and MAYBE less titanal ( I'm not positive of this) in the Nela. The result is a softer flex in the Nela 88 than the Stormrider 88 and a slightly (very slight) lighter ski. How much softer? No idea. I haven't skied the Stormrider.

 

[tinymoose]

I’ve never gotten to ski Stocklis but just demoed a lot of skis in the mid to upper 80mm range and ended up getting the Faction dancer 1. Very thin metal so stable at speed and on ice/crud, but not quite as heavy as other metal skis. They are 86 underfoot but have done well in a few recent powder days as they cut through it. Great on bumps and trees with slightly more tail rocker. I liked them much better than Santa Ana 88 and others in this category.

Hey, another Faction person!

 

[silly4snow]

Hey, another Faction person!

Yay!! I’m definitely a convert from Volkl. Stable but also very intuitive and forgiving. Go Faction!!

 

[Susan L]

I have Nela 88 and 96 and demo-ed the SR. I find SR heavier and stiffer as I understand that they are men’s version of the Nela. I am only 5’3” so the shortest SR is still too long for me. My husband is 5’10” 180# and he tried the Nela for the heck of it and found it too soft and light for both 168 and 175. For reference, his all mountain is the Montero AX at 168.

 

[tinymoose]

Yay!! I’m definitely a convert from Volkl. Stable but also very intuitive and forgiving. Go Faction!!

That's funny. I was a Volkl fan too before Faction, which is funny b/c like you said, while they have the stability of Volkl, they definitely seem more laid back/easy going/forgiving than most Volkl skis. Obviously, I've got the less stiff version of your ski with just the carbon... no metal.

 

[sashak]

I have Nela 88 and 96 and demo-ed the SR. I find SR heavier and stiffer as I understand that they are men’s version of the Nela. I am only 5’3” so the shortest SR is still too long for me. My husband is 5’10” 180# and he tried the Nela for the heck of it and found it too soft and light for both 168 and 175. For reference, his all mountain is the Montero AX at 168.

That is helpful, thanks! I have never demo'd before, but this might be a great reason to. I just wish all the ones I was comparing were on the same day demo list, LOL! Like, I really thought the Santa Ana would be the next ski for me. It has the titanal, too, right? But the Stockli reviews really caught my eye !

You mentioned the Montero. It's hard to really see what the difference is in these skis when there are so many in the same category (all mountain groomers...). I assumed the Montero would be narrower and less versatile, but could be wrong.

 

[sashak]

Sorry can I also add the Volkl Kenja 88 to this comparison with the Stocklis? They seem like similar lines..

 

[Susan L]

That is helpful, thanks! I have never demo'd before, but this might be a great reason to. I just wish all the ones I was comparing were on the same day demo list, LOL! Like, I really thought the Santa Ana would be the next ski for me. It has the titanal, too, right? But the Stockli reviews really caught my eye !

You mentioned the Montero. It's hard to really see what the difference is in these skis when there are so many in the same category (all mountain groomers...). I assumed the Montero would be narrower and less versatile, but could be wrong.

The Montero is 80mm, which to me is more of a carver ski but my husband skis everything in them up to a few inches of snow. I have the previous version- Laser AX (78mm) and they are my carving skis.

 

[Susan L]

Sorry can I also add the Volkl Kenja 88 to this comparison with the Stocklis? They seem like similar lines..

I had the Kenja for a few years before moving on to the Kastle MX 88, then Nela 88. But my Kenja were from 2014 and I was a beginner so I don’t know how they skied differently.

 

[sashak]

I had the Kenja for a few years before moving on to the Kastle MX 88, then Nela 88. But my Kenja were from 2014 and I was a beginner so I don’t know how they skied differently.

Feel free to tell me all about your Kastle MX 88s!

 

[Susan L]

Feel free to tell me all about your Kastle MX 88s!

Sorry, it was MX89. Found an old picture of my Volkl skis!

 

[Susan L]

Sorry, it was MX89. Found an old picture of my Volkl skis!

Then a year later...

 

[sashak]

Sorry, it was MX89. Found an old picture of my Volkl skis!
View attachment 22311

Nice fleet!

 

[sashak]

Then a year later...
View attachment 22312

Wow 4 sets of kastles? Ok now you have to tell about them!

 

[Trailside Trixie]

I have the preeceasor to the Nela the Stormrider Motion 85 and when I was looking to replace/get something new I was disuaded from the Nela. Much is preference but I was told that the Nela is not the Motion 2.0 so I switched my focus to the Stormrider 88. In the meantime I bought a new 85 motion from someone so I'm good until I pull the trigger on the 88. I have 5 pairs of Stormriders, SR 83, 85 Motions (2), SR 95 and SR 100.

The '23 Kenja is also of interest because I didn't care for 2020-2022 cycle so the '23 is closer to what the kenja used to be before it was reformulated.

 

[contesstant]

Sorry can I also add the Volkl Kenja 88 to this comparison with the Stocklis? They seem like similar lines..

Two totally different animals. The Kenjas have a much stiffer...everything, but especially the tails, so can be a handful in bumps and crud.

The Nelas will appeal to someone who likes the precision of a narrow carving ski but with a more playful personality and more versatility. They are also an incredibly quiet ski. No carbon noise on harder snow, which to me can be unnerving/annoying.