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PTO Review
We skied them. Here's how they stack up.
These skis span 2 categories (Freeride, Carving). Scores reflect each ski's intended use — direct comparison across all dimensions may be misleading.
Anima — strong freeriders who want one powder-width ski that charges and plays in equal measure — pivots and jumps as much as big lines and switch — on a season weighted toward soft, deep and mixed snow, ridden lift-served or with short hikes. Laser SX — piste skiers who want one comfortable, wide-range carver and prefer all-day ease to race-build effort. Check the radar chart below to see where each one wins.
Each row compares all skis on one dimension. 🏆 marks the highest score.
| Dimension | Anima | Laser SX |
|---|---|---|
| Carving | 4 | 8🏆 |
| Park | 4🏆 | 1 |
| Playfulness | 8🏆 | 5 |
| Forgiveness | 4 | 6🏆 |
| Stability | 8🏆 | 7 |
| Powder | 8🏆 | 2 |
Strong freeriders who want one powder-width ski that charges and plays in equal measure — pivots and jumps as much as big lines and switch — on a season weighted toward soft, deep and mixed snow, ridden lift-served or with short hikes. Reviewers put its floor between strong intermediate and advanced; it rewards an active pilot.
Beginners and cautious intermediates: 115 mm underfoot with a directional -6 cm mount and a 19 m radius rewards commitment, and the third-party consensus is advanced-leaning. Skiers whose season is mainly groomed hard snow: its edge hold is good for a 115 — Black Crows' own qualifier — and the narrower Corvus, Atris or Camox is the right tool there. Touring-focused skiers: at 2150-2450 g per ski this is a lift-served ski; the Freebird line (Navis, Draco) exists for the uphill. Deepest-day surf purists: the 122 mm Nocta is the family's dedicated deep-snow tool. And skiers who want metal damping to bulldoze crud should look at the titanal-plated Corvus — the Anima carries no metal.
Piste skiers who want one comfortable, wide-range carver and prefer all-day ease to race-build effort. It suits medium-to-long-turn skiers at moderate-to-fast speed — the Laser SX runs the longest radius in the line — who value low-input, forgiving manners on groomed and variable hard snow over maximum edge bite. Stöckli's own brief calls it a genuine all-rounder among piste skis.
Powder and off-piste skiers: at 74 mm on a pure on-piste geometry the Laser SX has no float, and the wider range Stöckli talks about is range within the groomers, not off them. Short-turn and slalom-rhythm skiers: the radius bottoms out at 13.1 m, and quick edge-to-edge belongs to the Laser CX or the shorter Laser SL. Skiers chasing race-level grip and power: there is no Race Core, no carbon, and no racing sidewall here, and the 1.5° comfort base bevel is not the 1.0° race tune of the SC and WRT — that bite lives on those skis, not this one. Anyone who needs a published on-snow test before buying should wait: this generation is completely redesigned and no independent review of it exists yet — every existing Laser SX review is of the older, narrower ski and does not apply. And Stöckli lists no skier level of its own; read this as an intermediate-to-advanced piste ski, inferred from its mechanics rather than measured on snow.
The Anima is best for strong freeriders who want one powder-width ski that charges and plays in equal measure — pivots and jumps as much as. The Laser SX is best for piste skiers who want one comfortable, wide-range carver and prefer all-day ease to race-build effort. The right choice depends on your primary terrain, ability level, and riding style.
The Black Crows Anima scores highest in Stability at 8/10, making it the strongest all-mountain option. It handles groomers, chop, and variable conditions without losing composure, so it's the best single-ski choice for skiers who want one pair for the whole mountain.
The Stöckli Laser SX leads in Carving with a PTO score of 8/10. Its edge grip on hard snow and groomed runs is the strongest in this comparison.
The Stöckli Laser SX is the most forgiving option with a Forgiveness score of 6/10. It doesn't punish imperfect technique, making it the easiest ski to progress on among these.
Not sure? Ask us.
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