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PTO Review
We skied them. Here's how they stack up.
These skis span 2 categories (All-Mountain, Carving). Scores reflect each ski's intended use — direct comparison across all dimensions may be misleading.
Orb Freebird — experienced ski tourers who climb to descend: steep couloirs, alpine objectives and technical spring lines, plus long corn-harvest days where a light 91mm ski walks efficiently. 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 | Orb Freebird | Laser SX |
|---|---|---|
| Carving | 5 | 8🏆 |
| Park | 1🏆 | 1🏆 |
| Playfulness | 5🏆 | 5🏆 |
| Forgiveness | 6🏆 | 6🏆 |
| Stability | 6 | 7🏆 |
| Powder | 4🏆 | 2 |
Experienced ski tourers who climb to descend: steep couloirs, alpine objectives and technical spring lines, plus long corn-harvest days where a light 91mm ski walks efficiently. It also fits smaller skiers - the run starts short for the class - and anyone upgrading from the previous generation for the new sidecut's added bite on steep terrain.
Resort skiers and 50/50 resort-touring setups: this light touring build is not an inbounds daily driver and gets pushed around in chop. Deep-powder-first tourers, who should look at the Camox, Navis or Draco Freebird for float. Gram-counters chasing the absolute lightest setup - the Mentis and Ova Freebird below it walk cheaper, and prior-generation tests put skis like Blizzard's Zero G 95 under it on weight. And buyers who want a published rocker profile and flex number before committing: Black Crows has not published them for 26/27 yet.
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 Orb Freebird is best for experienced ski tourers who climb to descend: steep couloirs, alpine objectives and technical spring lines, plus long. 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 Black Crows Orb Freebird 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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