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PTO Review
We know them. Here's how they stack up.
Pisteworks 89 — resort skiers whose week is mostly firm snow but not only groomed snow. 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 | Pisteworks 89 | Laser SX |
|---|---|---|
| Carving | 9🏆 | 8 |
| Park | 1🏆 | 1🏆 |
| Playfulness | 7🏆 | 5 |
| Forgiveness | 6🏆 | 6🏆 |
| Stability | 7🏆 | 7🏆 |
| Powder | 2🏆 | 2🏆 |
Resort skiers whose week is mostly firm snow but not only groomed snow. This is the frontside ski whose own maker names chopped-up groomers and terrain that pulls you off the fall line, and 89 mm on 27% rocker is the shape that buys that. It also suits a buyer who wants the length question kept separate from the turn-shape question, because the 16 m figure is printed against every tabled size rather than climbing with it. And it suits anyone who specifically wants the carbon build, since only two of the five 26/27 DPS construction lists carry a Carbon Power Plate and this is one of them.
Deep snow. The page reaches for words like slash and slarve, but it never once claims float, powder or soft snow, and 89 mm on a 73% effective edge is a firm-snow shape whatever the vocabulary suggests. It is also the wrong buy if you want the sharpest turn DPS draws, because five of its 26/27 models publish a shorter radius and the Pisteworks 79 does it at 13.5 m for identical money. Skip it if you need the maker's numbers to be complete, because one official source publishes four weights and the other leaves the row empty, and a 158 cm sits in the size selector with nothing published about it at all. And skip the US$2,095 Satin Carbon Red if you expect it to ride differently, because DPS only ever describes a topsheet.
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 Pisteworks 89 is best for resort skiers whose week is mostly firm snow but not only groomed snow. 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 DPS Pisteworks 89 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 DPS Pisteworks 89 leads in Carving with a PTO score of 9/10. Its edge grip on hard snow and groomed runs is the strongest in this comparison.
The DPS Pisteworks 89 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.
