Model: Stockli Snake BC (2007)
Size(cm) / Radius(m): 166/18.9 177/22.3 188/25.4
Sidecut: 122-88-11
Manufacturer’s Description of the Stockli Snake BC:
"Twin tip freestyle ski for park and powder."
Ski-Review’s Verdict:
I approached Stockli’s Snake BC as an all mountain ski after hearing raving reviews from colleagues and peers about the performance of the original Stockli Snake.
New Years Day, it started snowing and it did not stop for nearly 2 days. After charging around a snow barren resort on short piste carvers, the day after it started snowing seemed perfect timing to take the Snake BC out, with the snow not forecast to stop. There was plenty of new snow, between 12 and 24 inches. We had some fatter Stockli skis in the quiver (namely the Stormrider DP Pro and TT) but I did not want to miss out on a chance to take the Snake BC out in the circumstances, especially given their reputation in the deep.
So with great snow conditions, a lot of runs ‘closed’ due to the lack of piste bashers the day was set. I had just finished the biggest skiing gap in my snow career of recent years and I had not touched true powder snow like this for a while.
I am 5’10, medium build and we had the 177 which was perfect for me. Most Stockli skis radiate exceptional build quality and the Snake BC is no exception.
Working from the bottom of the mountain up, the Snake allowed you to add arcs to what could be groomed nearer resort level. Not exactly snappy from edge to edge and the turning circle could be better described as a straight line but it railed like something a lot stiffer and blasted through the low level chopped up stuff and I was smiling already. The fact that the metal capped tips make the tips of the Snake BC look like the tails took a while to get used to.
Steering clear of the majority of the off piste due to visibility and avalanche reasons, we spent the majority of the day skiing steep closed reds and blacks. A quiet resort and a big CLOSED sign meant more or less untouched runs. The Snake BC performed fantastically well reacting well to a range of turn types. In some instances the Snake BC was a little bit stiffer than I had expected, but this was a positive thing for me and made the Snake BC a joy pretty much all over the mountain. Anyone familiar with the French resort of Courchevel: Favourites here were the Roc Mugniers red and the Suisses Black, both deserted and powder laden.
Overall, a fantastic powder ski, blissfully happy all over the mountain. Apologies for the lack of comments on how this ski performs upside down and back to front, I was having far too much fun facing forwards and the right way up.
Big thanks to Stockli for the loan of our demo quiver.
Real time prices for the Stockli Snake BC 2007, or similar ski products:
Written by Ski Review Guest on 11/22
These skis are simply amazing. They rip hardpack and pow and are super playful everywhere else.
Written by Ski Review Guest on 03/06
i have a pair of snake BCs, and i am not impressed at all by them. They are just way too floppy, and i only weigh 120lbs. I skied them for a month at La Grave France(very challinging terrain) and i was out of controll the whole time since they bounce around everywhere, and half the time if your in any crud you’re in a full tail butter with the tips a foot of the ground just to make it through. They also dont have that much width, so once you get into anything more than 6 inches deep, you’re working hard. Iwas supreised by these, since i had a pair of original snakes that were great, but those were also wood cores instead of these shitty foam cores