Playful and stout are probably the two biggest takeaways from the all-new 2019 Fischer Ranger 102 FR. With the same basic shape and construction as the Ranger 108 and 98, the 102 FR carves out its own little niche as a hard-core freeride ski with a fun side. That’s mostly due to the twin tip shape of the skis. There’s a lot of dilution in the industry as far as these little niches are concerned, and it takes a good product to stand out from the rest. Aimed at that sidecountry/backcountry individual who is looking for that swiss-army style pair of skis, Fischer has separated itself from other competitors thanks to the playful character of the 102 FR. Once again, as with the other Fischer freeride skis, our testers were giddy about the stability and edge hold of the Ranger 102. Visually, something that stands out is the different topsheet material. It’s no longer shiny like the Ranger series of yesteryear, but rather textured looking and matted. It’s a subtle difference, but Fischer hopes that this reduces some of the visual wear that the Rangers have undergone over the past few seasons. Additionally, the tail rocker of the skis is more pronounced than in the other Ranger skis, leading to a more playful feel that is less hard-snow oriented. Most testers skied the longest 184 cm length.
Somehow, Noah Labow already owns a pair. He is a great resource for input for the Ranger 102, and his comments are pretty darn positive. He scored the skis all 5’s for flotation, stability, torsional stiffness, versatility, and overall impression. “I love this ski” he says. “Nice flex profile with lots of tip rocker.” That tip rocker is the same as is found in the other Rangers; it is long and low. Noah comments on the tail difference by simply stating: “nice twin tip on tail.” He continues by saying “rails turns, very versatile. Hard to flex at slow speeds. Great on groomed, crud, and powder.” The difficulty that Noah is finding at slow speeds is most likely due to the slightly heavier weight found in the 102 FR as opposed to the Ranger 108.
Hans vonBliesen thought the skis felt short, and with the twin tip and tail design, the shorter effective edge is probably the cause. He comments on the feel of the ski being “loose because of the rocker, but don’t be fooled, it is solid underfoot. Because of the rocker, it skis short, and that allows it to be nimble, but I would hesitate to call it quick. At the end of the day, it’s a good all-mountain ski that will crush all snow conditions.”
Jamie Bisbee wasn’t sold right off the bat, but he came around. He actually skied the 177 cm length and found them to perform true to size. “Once I pressed ‘go,’ the Ranger became something different, something in the need for speed! This ski is full of two different personalities: slow, slashy and smeary as a sweet spring bump slayer, and fast, superior, soft snow slayer.” That’s awesome alliterative analysis from Jamie!
Bob St.Pierre thought they felt short, probably due to the low and long rocker, but the tails were all there. He scored the skis straight 4’s out of 5 for all categories, meaning this is an above-average, well-rounded pair of skis. He called them “fantastic, easy going high-end ski—great for advanced and expert skiers. They turn and pivot quite nicely and hold carves when pushed. It’s a perfect all-mountain ski!” That’s pretty glowing for a brand new product.
For a first effort, Fischer really impressed our testers with the Ranger 102 FR. The general consensus is that the Ranger 102 will be an ideal all-mountain ski that has no speed limit, whether high or low. Advanced and expert skiers will look to this ski as their go-to stick on any day, all day.
