If the Stöckli Y85 was a warship, comparing it to the USS Nimitz would be a good analogy, if it wasn’t for its astonishing maneuverability. The Stöckli Y85 reminds us at every turn we cannot trust appearances. Quite often, they can betray us. The looks of an aircraft carrier mixed with the maneuverability from a sport boat. This could be a good summary of the Stöckli Y85. That’s high praise for a model that has suffered severe cosmetic changes since last season, but keeps all the good bits in place. Knowing that it is best not to mess around with things that work, Stöckli has kept the same mold and the same technologies for this season 2014-2015.

Stöckli Y85
© Stöckli Swiss Sports AG

Its huge tip allows for two things: sail over any snow covered surface while chaining short and medium sized turns very easily. On the piste, we will only be aware of its size when edge shifting, where it is a bit slower. If we are proficient skiers, we won’t care about this. Short turns come as easy as they would if we were skiing an SL ski. And that’s quite surprising taking in account the size of this model, particularly its waist. The difference is found in the touch and feel. The cut feels thicker than it would on an SL pair.

Concerning reactivity, the Stöckli Y85 is not an abrupt ski. We can try to annoy it by pushing it hard. Whenever we do that, if we close the turn and suddenly release that pressure while facing the next turn, chances are we get suspended and then just shift edges in the air. Having the ski well tamed and keeping our feet constantly on the ground, this reactivity will launch us directly into the following turn effortlessly.

The Stöckli Y85 feels comfortable in medium and short turns. If we go for a long pair, we will gain floatability off the piste, while inside it we’ll find a more Giant Slalom behavior in general, due to the radius increase associated to the length. The Stöckli Y85 transmits stability in all terrains. And it’s really surprising how good it is on the piste. Not being a racing-like ski, we will be able to ski quite fast comfortably.

Aesthetically, the Stöckli Y85 has changed a lot. If the rhombus pattern from the past season broke Stöckli’s general style, now the ski still stands out, but for different reasons. It has a complete new design showing a shinny, clean flat surface. Grey is the main color, with some flashy yellow notes breaking it. It resembles a painted sketch, with the big “Y” at the tip, followed by two long arches next to the sidecut and finished with an “85” number written in racy numbers at the tail. While we might support and even applaud some bold designs, we tend to dislike white or white-ish dominant colors such as this light grey, for obvious reasons. Snow, anyone? Closing the ski, as in all Stöcklis there is a small metal plate with the series number engraved on it.

Technical Specifications

© Copyright – All rights reserved