New skis

[mzhang]

Ladies, I'm very excited to share with you that I just bought myself a pair of Stockli Montero AW! I feel like I progressed a lot this past season and finally breaking through the plateau between intermediate and advanced, so I wanted to treat myself XD. I have been on my BP 88 for a few seasons and although it has served me well, I wanted something that's more carving oriented to continue to improve my carving, but not a pure carving ski so that I can still go on bumps sometime. After reading a lot of your posts (thank you!), it seems like the Stockli Montero line is a great fit for me. I am having my last trip at SLC this week and found a shop that has the Montero AW at my length. The day I demoed was actually not a great day to begin with, I was feeling a little sick, the snow condition wasn't great. I was actually thinking about not going if I hadn't already picked up the skis the day before. But WOW, did these skis made my day! They turned a day that I was sure to be sad and miserable around to be easy and fun! I was so surprised. They cut through the morning crust like a knife and I could barely feel any chatter. And boy do they like to run fast! In a good way though, I felt very stable on them.

I did have my reservations though. One being I wish they are a little more poppy and playful, but to be fair, neither my physical condition (I was sick) or the snow condition was great that day, so I probably just didn't reach their full potential (would love to hear your thoughts on this). Another being their color, I wish ski brands would stop making these stereotypical assumptions of what colors women like! But overall, they really did turn my day around magically and I couldn't really ask much more than that. Plus the shop was having a great end of season deal to sell the demo skis. So now you are looking at a girl who can't stop thinking about the next time she will take her new skis out!

 

[TNtoTaos]

I bought the Stockli Montero AW around 2 yrs ago in Taos, and I still love them! They were great to have this season when the snow was so variable, ranging from dense powder to frozen chicken heads, LOL. These skis cut through it all! The only snow I wouldn't use them in is deep (more than 7-8") powder.

 

[Susan L]

I have last year’s AW and while they are pretty nice, they are not poppy/playful like my Laser AX. I have only skied them 4 days out of the 62 days I got this season.

 

[mzhang]

Update: After skiing on these skis for a few more days across very mixed conditions (icy, slushy, crud, and fresh soft snow on ice), here are some more thoughts.


Pros:

• These skis are surprisingly versatile! They obviously shine on ice. I found that except for pure ice (trust me, after this season, when I say pure ice, I literally mean pure ice), I can get good grip in almost anything — even with just a very thin covering of snow over ice. They also performed well on slush, end-of-day crud, and even some powder (nothing too deep, maybe 3-4 inches). The only place I struggled was moguls, though not because of the amount of soft snow, the skis handled that just fine — more because I have a harder time making tight turns on these skis, which I'll expand on below.
• They are great for medium and large carved turns and really come alive at speed. I've always been a conservative, technical skier who likes to feel in control at all times — lots of turns and speed management, especially on steeps. Earlier this season I unlocked carving, which actually made me a faster skier, because being on edge makes me feel safer and more in control even at higher speeds than I used to ski. These skis really magnify that feeling. I now trust both my skis and myself to hold speed across all sorts of conditions. And perhaps unsurprisingly, not being afraid of speed has made me a better skier — I'm much more committed in my turns now instead of scrubbing speed every time I feel the slightest bit out of control.

Cons:

• They don't feel as nimble as my BP. It's probably partly a skill issue, but short turns are noticeably harder on these than on my BP. On groomers it's fine — I'm getting more comfortable with speed, and it might even be a good thing that they're teaching me to be patient at the top of my turn. In moguls though, it's a real challenge. I'm not too worried yet, as I think it's mostly still a skill issue — these skis reward more active pressuring and steering than I currently have. I'm curious to see how I feel about short turns next season as I get more time on them and just keep improving overall.
• I still haven't found the poppy or playful feeling on them. The pressure release is smooth rather than snappy — not wrong, just a personal preference.

Overall, I'm extremely happy with this purchase. They've been a lot of fun and I definitely prefer them over my BP. That said, I'm curious to try other Stöckli models next season — specifically the Montero AS — as I suspect it might give me that poppy, playful feeling I'm missing from the AW.

 

[BlizzardBabe]

Update: After skiing on these skis for a few more days across very mixed conditions (icy, slushy, crud, and fresh soft snow on ice), here are some more thoughts.

Overall, I'm extremely happy with this purchase. They've been a lot of fun and I definitely prefer them over my BP. That said, I'm curious to try other Stöckli models next season — specifically the Montero AS — as I suspect it might give me that poppy, playful feeling I'm missing from the AW.

Greetings @mzhang .

I'm a fellow Stockli fan and I skied the majority of my season this year on the Montero AS. It is a great ski and like all Stockli's it is smoooooth. It will hold an edge on the iciest of conditions and will plow a furrow right through crud and slush. It is NOT, however, a poppy or playful ski. It is heavy and damp and is great for a variety of long, medium, and short radius turns, and as mentioned above, holds an edge like glue.

The AS can be more demanding and somewhat unforgiving compared to the AW (which I have only demo'd), but driven correctly it will reward you several times over.

It wouldn't be my choice for bumps or trees. It will cooperate, but reluctantly. In those conditions I prefer my Volkl Blaze or Black Crows Vertis Birdie. The Fischer Ranger also has great flexibility for varying conditions. The above are lighter skis w/a lighter swing weight, which is what I like in bumps, especially.

That said, definitely give the AS a demo if you get the opportunity. I think it is an ideal ski for frontside eastern conditions b/c of the ease with which it handles both ice and slush (our two favorite flavors).

You may also want to try the Stockli Stormrider. It is wider than the AS and AW, but you may get more of the pop you are looking for. Also, the Stockli Nela 88 gets rave reviews for bumps!

 

[mzhang]

Greetings @mzhang .

I'm a fellow Stockli fan and I skied the majority of my season this year on the Montero AS. It is a great ski and like all Stockli's it is smoooooth. It will hold an edge on the iciest of conditions and will plow a furrow right through crud and slush. It is NOT, however, a poppy or playful ski. It is heavy and damp and is great for a variety of long, medium, and short radius turns, and as mentioned above, holds an edge like glue.

The AS can be more demanding and somewhat unforgiving compared to the AW (which I have only demo'd), but driven correctly it will reward you several times over.

It wouldn't be my choice for bumps or trees. It will cooperate, but reluctantly. In those conditions I prefer my Volkl Blaze or Black Crows Vertis Birdie. The Fischer Ranger also has great flexibility for varying conditions. The above are lighter skis w/a lighter swing weight, which is what I like in bumps, especially.

That said, definitely give the AS a demo if you get the opportunity. I think it is an ideal ski for frontside eastern conditions b/c of the ease with which it handles both ice and slush (our two favorite flavors).

You may also want to try the Stockli Stormrider. It is wider than the AS and AW, but you may get more of the pop you are looking for. Also, the Stockli Nela 88 gets rave reviews for bumps!

Thanks very much for this information! It sounds like AW is the perfect fit for me now.