2023 Stockli Stormrider 88

The Stockli Stormrider 88 returns unchanged for 2023, which is great news for skiers who want both the ultimate in versatility and the best in quality. There’s no need to compromise with the Stormrider 88—you're likely getting one of the most versatile, well-rounded and upper-end skis on the planet. Most skiers fret for hours and hours about what the best ski for them to buy is, and Stockli has done a fantastic job in simplifying that process with a ski like the Stormrider 88. It has the top-end construction and the versatile shaping that make it a fantastic one-ski quiver for skiers in mid-snow areas. You can certainly complement it with a wider or narrower ski if you so choose, but for most skiers, this 88 will be all you need. Built with a wood core and two sheets of metal, the Stormrider 88 is smooth, solid and stable. In the 175, the ski produces an 18.4-meter turn radius, so it finds itself right in the middle—able to let it run as well as tighten it up for shorter carved turns. The amazing part is how light and accessible the ski is for how strongly it performs—the 1775 gram per ski weight in the 175 is pretty light overall, and especially for a ski with metal.

On that 175, Dave Hatoff notes that it’s “just right” and scored it all 5’s out of 5 with the exception of a 3 for flotation. The 5’s for versatility and overall impression stand out quite a bit, as that’s exactly what Stockli sets out to do with these skis. Dave calls it a “Pure Cadillac! So smooth, precise, and stable. A hard snow dream with some fun off trail capability. Any turn shape at any speed.” Also on the 175, Brad Schauermann found it to be true to size and perfect for him. Like any good all-mountain ski, we expect to see a run of high scores on the card, and Brad has all 4’s right down the line. It’s “Like driving a high-end sports car... super smooth super damp and no speed limits. This ski is super stable at speed and also fun to slow down and play around on. Fun on and off trail, handles well in all conditions. Very fun ski.”

Bumping up to the 184, Marcus Shakun calls the size “perfect,” scoring it mainly 5’s out of 5 for overall impression, forgiveness, playfulness, quickness, maneuverability, and stability. 4’s were given for versatility, torsional stiffness, and edge hold. “Silky smooth ride. Nice forgiving flex, but doesn’t affect the liveliness of the ski. Just gives it that nice smooth feel. Quick edge to edge and initiates with ease. Advanced skier to expert that wants a ski to do all but wants a narrower waisted ski.” Nate Gardner skied the properly sized 184 and had all 5’s across the board, so it’s fairly easy to tell that Nate had a nice overall experience on the Stormrider 88. “If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to tie yourself to a freight train and feel comfortable, this is the ski. Quick and agile in a short turn. Stable at speed and a long turn. This thing will hold anywhere.” It’s nice to get that type of feedback from an upper-level PSIA member like Nate, and while I’ve never really wondered what it would be like to tie myself to a freight train, I do understand what he’s getting at here.

Versatility, precision, power, and fun—that's what the Stockli Stormrider 88 is all about. There aren’t many advanced and expert skiers on this, or any, planet that’ll find a lot of fault with this ski—it's about as good as it gets.