2022 Fischer Hannibal 96

The 2022 Fischer Hannibal 96 is an extremely well-versed touring and backcountry ski that allows skiers who are seeking adventure to get all they need out of a ski. With a light-weight attitude that is as much fun going down as it is useful going up, the Hannibal 96 is a perfect blend of climbing efficiency and skiing fun. Built with a light weight wood core with carbon stringers, skiers will get a ski that tips the scales right around 1300 grams per ski in the 176 cm length. Fischer-specific skin fixations in the tips gives you the opportunity to have a perfectly-matched set of skins, buy any skin with a tip look and a tail clip will do just fine. Skis like this have come a long way over the past few years, and companies are able to do a lot of fun stuff with lighter skis. Pair them with a super-technical binding, or something a bit burlier, and you’ll have no issues with the combination of climbing efficiency and downhill prowess.

Marcus Shakun skied the 176, and noted that for next time, he’d prefer Fischer to bring longer skis to the test, especially in the lighter versions. Certainly, a taller and more powerful skier like Marcus should be on the longer 183 to maximize downhill performance. Regardless, Marcus scored the ski 4’s out of 5 for stability, playfulness, forgiveness, and overall impression. All other scores were 3’s, showing a surprising amount of performance and versatility built in to these skis.

Marcus states that the Hannibal 96 was surprisingly “Light and Stable in the Heavy Spring Stuff. For a light-weight touring specific ski, this ski didn’t get distracted in the heavy snow like most others. The carbon gives it a nice stable confident ride through varying snow. It felt pretty quick & light edge to edge. Designed and meant for that backcountry user, but feel that it can hold its own in an everyday scene.”

While resort use isn’t in the Hannibal’s list of priorities, you can certainly ride the lifts with it, as Marcus did on test day, but that doesn’t mean that it’ll shine there. As previously stated, it’s impressive what ski companies are doing with more touring-specific skis these days, and we love the versatility and well-rounded nature that these skis possess, showing their true character in an alpine world.