2022 Fischer Hannibal 106

On the wider side of Fischer’s alpine touring spectrum, the 2022 Hannibal 106 is built and ready for your wildest ski adventures. In the 185, the skis actually measure 108 mm underfoot, so these skis are shaped to float through the deepest stuff you can find in the backcountry. In that 185, we’re looking at a stated weight of 1600 grams per ski and a 23-meter turn radius. Light, agile, but still stiff enough to handle the burliness of big-mountain skiing, the Hannibal 106 will find a strong following amongst skiers who spend most, if not all, of their time in the backcountry. These skis are strong enough and wide enough to handle more of a hybrid-style of tech binding, but you could certainly put the techiest binder on here as well. There is a metal mounting plate underfoot, so fears of pull-outs should be assuaged. Thanks to that longer turning radius, you will get a more direct line to the bottom, which is great news for aggressive backcountry skiers without a doubt. They do have holes in the tip for a Fischer-specific skin, but any skin with a tip loop and a tail clip will do just fine.

Phil McGrory skied the 185, and noted it was a good length for him and skied true to size. Scoring skis with a backcountry emphasis is done a bit on a weighted scale. Phil scored the Hannibal 106 a 5 out of 5 for versatility, and gave 4’s for flotation, stability, torsional stiffness, edge hold, and overall impression. These are the types of scores that we usually see from more downhill-oriented skis, so it’s nice to see that come through in more of a touring application. Phil notes that “the Hannibal 106 has one of the best power-to-weight ratios. The ski is light enough to give the skier a great uphill experience. The ski can pivot and steer through variable terrain like trees and bumps but can power through crud and chop just as well. Great touring ski for the skier who wants a lightweight powerful ski.” And while we didn’t get the opportunity to tour on these skis, the feeling is the same, and you can certainly get a good sense of how and where these skis will excel.

Also on the 185, Steve Sulin noted its trueness, as that’s the size of ski he’d normally be on in this application. He had a lot of top marks of 5 out of 5 for flotation, quickness, maneuverability, playfulness, forgiveness, and overall impression. A lowly score of 2 for versatility does show the relatively single-mindedness of the ski, as it doesn’t have a whole lot of front side implications. Steve notes as such: “Pretty easy to touring ski. Light going up but plenty of ski for the down on mixed conditions. not an everyday driver for me but a super sweet touring setup.” For most skiers, that’s going to be the way things are, and that’s just fine, and one of the big reasons why ski companies make a variety of skis.

Best-suited for deeper snow in the backcountry, with a lighter weight, makes the Hannibal 106 able to scale steep peaks and descend tricky couloirs, chutes, and wide-open powder fields. These skis have a strong flex to them and a longer turn radius that encourages aggressive skiing, so these are not for the faint of heart in the least. Advanced and expert skiers who value adventure will glean the best performance out of these skis.