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PTO Review
We know 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.
Powderworks Koala Tour 111 — someone who already wants the koala shape and does the climbing. 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 | Powderworks Koala Tour 111 | Laser SX |
|---|---|---|
| Carving | 3 | 8🏆 |
| Park | 3🏆 | 1 |
| Playfulness | 6🏆 | 5 |
| Forgiveness | 6🏆 | 6🏆 |
| Stability | 6 | 7🏆 |
| Powder | 8🏆 | 2 |
Someone who already wants the Koala shape and does the climbing. The outline is the resort Koala 111's, figure for figure, so what changes sits underneath: the carbon-flax and paulownia layup DPS reserves for touring. How that layup changes the ride is not quantified in the workbook, and there is no product page to add anything. Workbook copy points it at steep lines and technical descents in deep terrain rather than at distance, which is a narrower brief than a pure float-and-glide touring ski. It also suits a buyer who wants the limited Powderworks build specifically, and who is content to buy the touring layup on the strength of its name, because no figure for it is published.
Anyone who needs to see the weight before spending $1,795. Three dashes in the workbook and no product page mean the figure a touring layup exists to change is not published, and that is a documentation problem, not a rider problem. Skip it if your descents are tight and technical, because 18m under 111mm is a long arc, and it is the same published sidecut the resort version carries — a change of layup does not shorten a radius. Skip it for lift-served firm snow: no hard-snow claim is made for this model anywhere, and there is no metal layer in the five-item construction list. Skip it if you need to know today that a replacement pair could be had later, because Powderworks runs are small batches and DPS publishes no quantity to judge that by. And skip it if you want a spec sheet to answer your questions, because seven of the figures you would reach for are not published.
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 Powderworks Koala Tour 111 is best for someone who already wants the koala shape and does the climbing. 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 DPS Powderworks Koala Tour 111 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.
