Stockli is a 76 year old Swiss company that has always run like, well, clockwork. However, last year they transferred their North American distribution to a new company organized by legendary freeskier Scot Schmidt and partners Dan Burgess and Ian Lamphere. These guys also own Backcountry TV, along with Legend of Aahhhs filmmaker Greg Stump and cinematographer Adam DesLauriers of the famous freeskiing family, and others with similar pedigrees. Stockli's association with this group is bound to revitalize the marketing of the brand, which traditionally has been low-key to the point of nonexistent. Since every pair of Stockli skis is handmade, production is limited to about 50,000 pairs per year and only a handful of select dealers are allowed to carry the brand. Their skis fetch a price that is around $1000 and it's extremely rare to find them discounted anywhere. Stockli has always relied on the fact that, "Once you've owned Stockli, you won't consider any other product."
As part of their collaboration, Backcountry TV produced an episode called "Empire Builder: Skiing the Rails in the Pacific Northwest" featuring Scot Schmidt and narrated by Micah Black (2011) in which Stockli skis are prominently featured.
As it happened, on the shuttle ride in to the SIA show from the airport we met Erv Wolfe (right), a sponsored skier from Squaw Valley who both appears in the film and wrote and performed two songs on the soundtrack. As he explained to us, this film is not your basic ski porn. There's a plot that reflects the core lifestyle and takes the protagonist/skiers on a quest from Chicago to Seattle in search of powder, and from Crystal Mountain in Washington to Whitefish in Montana along the "haute route" of the renowned Empire Builder train, with stops at Stevens Pass and Leavenworth to sample the goods along the way. Check your TV Guide -- the film airs on national TV through April 15.
What's New for 2013
"It looks like a powder ski, but it really isn't. It's an all-mountain blaster."
Scot Schmidt's signature Pro Stormrider model for 2012-13 has an early rise tip and full camber through the tail. This is "great ski for a good skier." It has no rocker whatsoever. This model is for the more aggressive skier who wants a stable and powerful ski.
Also new for 2013 is the Y Series -- with a V-shape like the Salomon BBR -- that are billed as "the next generation of all-mountain skis." That's it to the left of the Stormriders in the collegiate argyles. Here's a recent company video about these skis:
![th_dunno-1[1].gif](/img/vbsmilies/smilies/th_dunno-1%5B1%5D.gif)
), they are skis that demand to be skied hard all the time. You cannot get lazy on them or you'll hate 'em! I purchased this model as I didn't want a rockered ski. As a bigger dude - 6'1" @ 225lb - the slightly softer tip with early rise, wide waist and stiff tail, meet exactly what I was looking for in an all mountain ski for me. I have skied all over the mountain and been amazed at how they respond.
