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PTO Review
We skied 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.
Nocta — advanced to expert skiers with real deep-snow days on the calendar - resort storm cycles, soft backcountry lines and powder tree skiing - who turn by pivoting and smearing and want a dedicated deep-day ski that stays composed when pushed, ideally alongside a narrower daily driver. 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 | Nocta | Laser SX |
|---|---|---|
| Carving | 3 | 8🏆 |
| Park | 1🏆 | 1🏆 |
| Playfulness | 7🏆 | 5 |
| Forgiveness | 4 | 6🏆 |
| Stability | 7🏆 | 7🏆 |
| Powder | 10🏆 | 2 |
Advanced to expert skiers with real deep-snow days on the calendar - resort storm cycles, soft backcountry lines and powder tree skiing - who turn by pivoting and smearing and want a dedicated deep-day ski that stays composed when pushed, ideally alongside a narrower daily driver. The level call rests on third-party testing and listings of the identical gen-3 platform; Black Crows itself prints no ability level.
Anyone whose season is mostly groomers and hardpack: at 122 mm underfoot with a 19 m pivot-oriented sidecut, the Nocta is slow edge-to-edge and wasted on firm snow - the Atris or Corvus is the everyday Black Crows tool. Carvers should skip it; this ski smears, it does not bend into quick high-angle arcs. Intermediates and lighter skiers have no business on it: it is an advanced-expert platform with no length under 177.6 cm, and the width punishes soft technique everywhere except deep snow. Weight-counting touring skiers should look at the Freebird line instead. And if you are chasing higher speeds and bigger impacts on a freeride-comp line, the Anima is the better tool.
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 Nocta is best for advanced to expert skiers with real deep-snow days on the calendar - resort storm cycles, soft backcountry lines and. 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 Nocta 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 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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