Me: Advanced skier, 110 lbs, 5′ 1-1/2″
Skis: 149 (13.5m—115/68/98). These skis jump in length from 149 to 157, so on the advice of a friend who’s about my size and ability — and who’s tried them herself — I went with the 149.
I’ve always heard about how wonderful Stockli skis are — easy to flex and fantastic on the ice. Hand made in Switzerland, each ski gets 22 passes on the stone (the bases are a thing of beauty). And they’re not easy to find. The company only ships 4,000 to the US each year. So my expectations for this ski have always been somewhat high.
Maybe too high.
I’ve been waiting for the perfect day to try them. So today, when the snow was particularly, shall we say, hard packed, I figured the time was right.
I wish I could say I was wowed. Though they do edge quite nicely, I just felt like there was nothing there. No pop. No fun. No spirit. Just damp to the point of being dead.
It’s always disconcerting to think that you’re the only one in the world who doesn’t like a ski. Makes me think, what am I doing wrong?? So maybe it is me. Maybe someone else would really love these. Maybe I would’ve liked them better in the 157. Who knows. All I can say is, the Stockli Spirit was a disappointment. I expected better.
