OVERVIEW
If one were to distill Fischer’s essence, the resulting elixir would be made of equal parts precision and speed. Rigorous quality control is the driving force in the corporate culture, a comforting thought for a brand that also makes components for aircraft. The infatuation with speed comes with the territory, namely Austria, where winning World Cups is considered a national necessity on a par with strudel and snow.
Despite the recent spectacular results of American racers on the World Cup, American interest in alpine racing remains a pale shadow of Austria’s national obsession with the sport. As skiers, we gravitate towards models that are more forgiving than precise. Except where Fischer is concerned. The models our panelists prefer from this brand run contrary to the Zeitgeist of the smeared turn; they are unapologetically accurate and geared to run smoothly on the Autobahn. In the language of realskiers, Fischer excels at making Power models that reward speed and technical skill.
In an odd twist of fate, Fischer’s alpine boot division has led a resurgence of interest in the brand. Fischer has been making skis practically since the era of barrel staves, but didn’t elbow its way into the boot market until roughly a decade ago. A few years ago they commercialized a means of vacuum molding the ski boot shell – not just the inner boot – to the skier’s foot. The technology earned instant accolades and swift market acceptance as boot fitters discovered the effectiveness of this breakthrough in customization.
When the same people who are flocking to Fischer boots for their precision realize that the same brand specializes in Technical skis every bit as precise as their malleable footwear, Fischer skis will earn an ever-widening circle of fans.
The 2017 Season
This season marks the end of the trail for two of Fischer’s mainstay model families, Motive and Progressor, replaced respectively with Pro Mountain and The Curv. The Pro Mountain series follows the lead the Ranger collection took last season, adopting the Air Tec Ti core that’s been whittled by a 5-axis milling machine to pare away every gram of excess mass. Razorshape replaces square sidewalls with sloping shoulders that slice easily through 3-D snow. Free-milled Titanal sheets and carbon stringers ensure that the Pro Mountain models retain the edge grip that was a Motive hallmark.
The Curv series is so cool it will make old Progressor fans switch their allegiance to the new generation of Technical skis. The creation of the combined input of World Cup stars Michael von Grünigen, Kristian Ghedina and Hans Knauss, The Curv is all about the carve. Essentially a race ski unfettered by FIS restrictions, The Curv uses a multi-radius sidecut to accentuate turn entry and exit, plus carbon and Titanal to keep it connected to any snow condition. The longer lengths make full-bellied GS turns; the 164cm will whip its way through slalom arcs without ever taking a timeout.