Review: Stereo Race Carve RC

[jbotti]

Stereo is a Norwegian ski company owned and or backed by Kjetil Andre Aamodt (one of the great Norwegian ex WC Racers). They have a full line of skis from FIS race skis to freeride and backcountry touring skis. I did not see any shapes that appealed to me in their off piste and freeride lines, but their recreational carvers looked quite nice. The Race Carve RC is a recreational slalom carver. The only size of this that they brought was a 166 which I skied for a few runs. Dimensions are 116-66-100mm with a 13.5m TR. Normally when I get on non FIS slalom skis that are 165cm long they feel very short for me and the tips are usually a little too soft for the way I like to ski. Not so with these skis. They absolutely rocked. Tips were quite firm but very bendable. Rebound was otherworldly and I was getting popped way off the snow in tight slalom arcs. They skis were super stable but at the same time quite forgiving. I was on pretty close to hero snow, quite grippy and perfectly groomed and there had been almost no skiers on the terrain. Perfect conditions. The skis had Head Freeflex 14 bindings on them and they had a head race plate. I asked if it was the WCR 14 or the Evo 14 and they didn't know but promised to email me with that information. I had my Head eRace Pros with me and I should have taken them for a run right after these, but we were mostly skiing pow and there was plenty left, so I went back to that. They aren't as stiff as the eRace Pros but performance was very high on these skis. Super fun and really nice skis. They aren't cheap, but not crazy either at $1300 per pair. I have no idea what kind of US distribution they have, but you can order the skis in the US direct from their website. These come in sizes: 158, 166, 170, 174, 179. The 179 has a 16m TR and 15m and 14m TR for the 174 and 170 respectively. I would likely go for the 174 but the 166 was so stable and didn't feel short at all so I'm sure the 170 would be great. I could easily ski the 166 all day long and be very happy.

Here is the link to the ski:'
https://www.stereoskis.com/product/race-carve-rc/

[jbotti]

In case anyone cares, the race plate that was on the skis I demoed was the WCR 14 long version. I think this ski is pretty versatile for a wide range of skiers. Those that want less stiff can put the Evo 14 plate on it (or even PRD plates) and this ski will have a friendly flex with those plates. For those that want more, the WCR long made it a very high performance ski.

[jbotti]

So, total coincidence, or great minds think alike, HSS will be carrying Stereo Skis next season. Harald and Diana skied them last week with the stereo rep and Diana's comment was: "fantastic skis!"

I usually try not to think too far ahead about what skis I might get for next year, but I definitely have a pair of these on my list.