2022 Fischer RC4 The Curv GT

There’s a lot of room for a lot of skis, and we’re certainly thankful for that. One of the most fun categories is this mid-70's underfoot carving ski, exemplified by the 2022 Fischer RC One Curv GT. These skis, at 76 mm in the waist, is referred to as a “race ski for the whole day,” and we like that way of thinking. By borrowing a lot of the same concepts from the race room and applying them to a front side ski, we get a fantastic combination of power and agility that will make a lot of advanced and expert skiers quite happy. Built with a wood core, two sheets of metal (with the top sheet being shaped, and not a full laminate), and a carbon laminate underfoot, these skis are certainly business-like when they need to be. Fischer’s other big story here is the triple radius, which allows for a shorter turn shape when pressuring the tails, a longer one underfoot, and then even longer in the back. This type of progressive sidecut works really well at a variety of speeds, and it’s noticeable that it works. Slower turns take place in the shovel, and longer in the tail. Not much in terms of rocker profile, as these skis like to be on edge and engaged, and they’re about as smooth as it gets in that regard.

Dana Allen was on the 182, and noted it was perfect for him at 5’10”. He scored the ski 5’s out of 5 for quickness, maneuverability, torsional stiffness, and edge hold, with 4’s for stability and overall impression. Flotation and versatility did not rank so high, and that’s mostly by design. “This ski is perfectly designed to do what it is meant to do, which is crush groomer laps. Super quick edge to edge and will absolutely hold a turn in all conditions once set. Super stuff torsionally and longitudinally. Definitely requires an attentive driver and will spank you if you’re not paying attention - not the most forgiving ski. Loves short and medium to long radius turns. Not playful at all but that’s not why you buy this ski.” Dana definitely is picking up on the advanced to expert skier target range. A groomer crusher for sure.

Also on the 182, the slightly taller Nate Gardner also found the Curv GT to be properly sized. His scores topped out at 5’s out of 5 for stability, torsional stiffness, edge hold, and playfulness, with 4’s for quickness, maneuverability, versatility, and overall impression. Between these two testers, we’re seeing a lot of high scores, even for categories that aren’t normally associated with a front side carver like the Curv. “At first it felt a bit twitchy, like sitting on a horse that wants to run, but once I push into it, this ski pulled beautifully. Definitely prefers to be up on edge and carving instead of flat and skidding. It’s a high-level ski for those who know how to create big edge angles and handle the forces.” We had other testers comment on that as well, that the front of the ski does like to dig and dive in to the turn, and it’s something that isn’t necessarily intuitive about the ski, but once you understand where to stand on it, the Curv GT makes a lot more sense, especially in terms of that triple radius.

There’s definitely room in a lot of skier’s quivers for a ski like this. Most skiers will leave their front side ski on the wide side, using something like a Brahma 88 to do the carving, but it does make a big difference when you drop down to the 76 range and have the build and profile to match. One of the most surprising things is the versatility of these skis, as they certainly do not get bogged down by a whole lot. Sure, perhaps a bit stiff for the bumps, and yes, too narrow for pure powder skiing, they nevertheless have a lot of power to move through the crud and chop, and it wasn’t too long ago that 76 mm underfoot was considered wide.