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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.
Powderworks Lotus Tour 117 — a specific kind of day: skins on before dawn, an open face nobody has touched, and a descent measured in a handful of long turns rather than fifty short ones. 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 Lotus Tour 117 | Laser SX |
|---|---|---|
| Carving | 2 | 8🏆 |
| Park | 1🏆 | 1🏆 |
| Playfulness | 5🏆 | 5🏆 |
| Forgiveness | 6🏆 | 6🏆 |
| Stability | 5 | 7🏆 |
| Powder | 9🏆 | 2 |
A specific kind of day: skins on before dawn, an open face nobody has touched, and a descent measured in a handful of long turns rather than fifty short ones. If that is what your winter looks like — and if the climb is done by you, not a chairlift — this ski was drawn for it. It also answers a narrower question well: you already like how the Lotus rides in deep snow, but the resort version is more ski than you want to haul several thousand feet.
Lift laps. Firm groomers will feel vague underfoot, and nothing in DPS's material claims otherwise — there is no hardpack performance statement for this model in either official source. Skip it too if your descents are narrow: a 21m radius on a 117mm platform does not pivot out of trouble, and the Koala Tour 111 is DPS's own answer at 111mm and 18m. Skip it if you want the calmest possible ride through chopped-up snow at speed, because the weight you are not carrying uphill is the weight that would have damped it. And skip it if being able to reorder matters — Powderworks runs are small, and DPS does not publish how many are made.
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 Lotus Tour 117 is best for a specific kind of day: skins on before dawn, an open face nobody has touched, and a descent measured in a handful of. 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 Lotus Tour 117 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.
