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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.
H-Power 89 — intermediate-to-advanced skiers whose day genuinely splits between the groomer and everything else - firm snow early, variable terrain by midday, softer snow late - and who want one ski to carry all of it. 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 | H-Power 89 | Laser SX |
|---|---|---|
| Carving | 7 | 8🏆 |
| Park | 1🏆 | 1🏆 |
| Playfulness | 5🏆 | 5🏆 |
| Forgiveness | 5 | 6🏆 |
| Stability | 8🏆 | 7 |
| Powder | 5🏆 | 2 |
Intermediate-to-advanced skiers whose day genuinely splits between the groomer and everything else - firm snow early, variable terrain by midday, softer snow late - and who want one ski to carry all of it. It suits a skier moving up who wants metal and stability underfoot without committing to a race ski, and it suits anyone shopping this line who has found the 68 and 78 too narrow for the off-piste days they actually ski. Length is a turn-shape choice: 159 or 167 cm for quicker, tighter turns, 175 or 183 cm for bigger, faster arcs.
Beginners: this is a firm, twin-Titanal ski on a race plate - it rewards a skier who drives it and gives back little to one who does not. It is not a forgiving first ski. Frontside-only carvers should not buy it either. If your skiing is groomers and hard snow, the narrower H-Power 68 and 78 grip harder and change edge faster, and the 89 gives up both. Powder-first skiers should walk away - 89 mm floats better than anything else in this line, but a genuinely deep day runs it out of surface area, and the Freeride 98 or 108 is the ski you actually want. And a racer chasing maximum rebound is in the wrong series: the SL, GS and PRO are the real race skis. Van Deer's own page says intermediate to advanced - treat that as a floor, not a formality.
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 H-Power 89 is best for intermediate-to-advanced skiers whose day genuinely splits between the groomer and everything else - firm snow early,. 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 Van Deer H-Power 89 scores highest in Stability at 8/10, 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.
