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PTO Review
We know them. Here's how they stack up.
These skis span 2 categories (Powder, Carving). Scores reflect each ski's intended use — direct comparison across all dimensions may be misleading.
Bent Chetler 120 — advanced and expert skiers who ski soft snow first and want a light, forgiving, playful ski that floats without a fight - deep resort days, tree runs, pillow lines, and cat, heli or touring laps where the snow stays soft. 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 | Bent Chetler 120 | Laser SX |
|---|---|---|
| Carving | 2 | 8🏆 |
| Park | 3🏆 | 1 |
| Playfulness | 9🏆 | 5 |
| Forgiveness | 8🏆 | 6 |
| Stability | 5 | 7🏆 |
| Powder | 9🏆 | 2 |
Advanced and expert skiers who ski soft snow first and want a light, forgiving, playful ski that floats without a fight - deep resort days, tree runs, pillow lines, and cat, heli or touring laps where the snow stays soft. It also suits a confident intermediate who mostly rides powder, since the big float and low swing weight do a lot of the work.
Anyone skiing mostly groomers, or after a do-it-all ski. At 120 mm the Bent Chetler 120 barely grips firm groomers or ice - it reaches the lift and no further - so on-piste skiers and true one-ski buyers are better served by the Bent 110 or Bent 100. It is also the wrong ski for hard-charging skiers who want a metal ski's calm at speed in broken snow; a heavier directional charger does that better. And it is a poor fit for budget-first buyers, or anyone who rarely sees deep snow: it is a $1,100 specialist sold flat, so a binding and mounting come on top, and it earns its keep only on the days it was built for.
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 — 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 Bent Chetler 120 is best for advanced and expert skiers who ski soft snow first and want a light, forgiving, playful ski that floats without a fight. 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 Stöckli Laser SX scores highest in Stability at 7/10, 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 Atomic Bent Chetler 120 is the most forgiving option with a Forgiveness score of 8/10. It doesn't punish imperfect technique, making it the easiest ski to progress on among these.
Not sure? Ask us.
