For Fischer fans who follow the brand’s fortunes, The Curv GT will bring back memories of the early Progressors. Fischer has a long-standing commitment to the Carving category, going back to the days when the brand first embraced the concept of shaped skis. Its experimentation with deep sidecuts has resulted in mastery of World Cup slalom construction, knowledge that always bleeds into consumer products at some point. The triple radius sidecut that dictates the skis’ on-edge trajectory is a product of years of experience making skis that turn fast at high speed without spinning out.
Fischer puts all its top-shelf technology into the new Ranger 115 XTi: Air Tec Ti, an intricately milled-out wood core with Titanium reinforcement; Carbon Nose, a carbon fiber weave up front that lessens swingweight; and Aeroshape, the dome-shaped top that helps the ski slash sideways in deep snow. Despite all the weight-saving tech, the Ranger XTi remains a granite-solid ski predisposed to big turns, behaving like a GS ski on PED’s.
It’s not necessary to have competed alongside The Curv’s designers, all World Cup veterans, to appreciate The Curv DTX, but it’s fair to say it favors those with some race training on their resume. The best Technical skis recreate the sensations of racing without the complications imposed by FIS-sanctioned shapes and World-Cup-level flexes. The Curv DTX makes it easy to carve like a champ: the triple radius sidecut pulls the skier into the arc on autopilot, and its softer flex allows it to be decambered by someone who doesn’t train every day.
The Curv Booster isn’t for an advanced skier looking for technical training wheels. It expects the pilot to have one leg extended and the other tucked up tight, with hips suspended just above the corduroy, setting up for the next exercise in total commitment. Skiers who want carving control that doesn’t require quite this level of athleticism should look at The Curv DTX, built with the same amount of muscle inside but without the supercharger effect of the Booster.
