2023 FISCHER RANGER SKIS - SERIES OVERVIEW

Today is an exciting day. I suppose we get pretty excited anytime we get to talk about new skis, but this feels different. For us (SkiEssentials), it’s the end of what’s been a much longer journey of ski development and testing than we typically embark. Almost 2 years ago now, Fischer reached out to ask if we would help in developing a new line of Ranger skis. The Ranger 102 in particular had started to gain some strong traction in the industry, and also among our staff, so naturally we jumped on the opportunity.

Our first experience on new Ranger prototypes was in December of 2020 at Stowe. We focused on the 96, 102, and 108. After a morning of testing, we submitted some feedback to Fischer, and had another round of prototype testing in January of 2021. Once again, we submitted feedback, and Fischer went back to work. This past June, Jeff and Marcus travelled to Mt Hood for a final round of testing. At this point, the Ranger 102 was all but complete. Fischer basically just wanted final approval on the performance of that ski, although they likely weren’t going to make any further changes at that point. Luckily, we all loved the final product for the 102. The 96, however, still needed some tweaks, and we had a great team of testers to analyze what could be better. Kyle Smaine, Foreste Peterson, and Deb Armstrong all brought unique skills and perspectives, not to mention the expertise of Mike Hattrup, who although was an integral part of the new Ranger development, has since moved on to a different company. After a fantastic day of testing, we met at the famous Huckleberry Inn in Government Camp for a mid-afternoon breakfast to discuss our notes. What was really cool to see was, despite a multitude of different backgrounds, there was great consensus about the necessary changes to the 96 and I think Fischer left that day with new confidence in additional tweaks to the ski.

Finally, this past December, Jeff traveled to Winter Park to see the final collection of skis. At this point, the testing and prototyping was completely finished and Fischer was proud to show off their new line of skis. Linsey Dyer, Kyle Smaine, Sophia Schwartz, Louise Lintilhac, and other accomplished Fischer athletes were all there to provide their feedback and experience on the new skis, which was really valuable. Linsey Dyer, for instance, had spent the entire previous season on a Ranger 108, and I thoroughly enjoyed picking her brain on that ski’s feel and capabilities in the terrain she likes to ski.

Since then, we’ve had the whole line of skis on snow at our home mountain, Stowe, a handful of times. There’s nothing quite like testing skis at your home mountain. You know the turns, you know the terrain, you know the snow… Any fondness I had for these new Rangers was exaggerated as soon as I got to ski them at Stowe. The 96 and 102 in particular are super fun skis for where we live, with the 90 in that conversation as well. We put them on the feet of skiers like Ryan Daniel and Kristi Brown too, who can both really push a ski and have a plethora of experience testing skis.

And that brings us to today! We’re ready to share these new Rangers with all of you, and we’re thrilled to do so! First, let’s talk about some changes to the skis that cover the entire line, then we’ll touch briefly on each ski in the line. To start, these skis are designed for versatility. They can carve, they can play, they’re trustworthy on steep terrain, yet feel energetic on mellow terrain too. Construction has changed quite a bit compared to the previous Rangers.

Aeroshape and Carbon Nose are both gone and we’ve got what we would describe as more traditional construction. Full wood core made from a blend of beech and poplar runs from tip to tail and the ski has a more traditional sandwich construction, vertical sidewall look than the outgoing Rangers. Fischer then uses what they’re calling Shaped Ti in a .5 mm thickness. This metal is shaped kind of like the H-Shaped metal we’ve discussed in Black Crows’ skis. It does look a little different in the Fischer, however. Almost full width underfoot, then it extends into the tips and tails into what I would describe as wings. On the narrower skis, those wings extend further, and as skis get wider, the metal is progressively shorter. There’s also a little notch cut into the metal on both side of the ski right at the midsole point. Fischer is calling it Flexcut and the idea is it’s giving the ski a more natural longitudinal flex right underfoot, allowing you to flex the ski into shorter radius turns. All of these skis have a rocker/camber/rocker profile with the wider skis using more rocker and the narrower skis less. It also corresponds to the length of metal in each width. Where the metal ends, is basically right where the rocker starts, which makes a lot of sense.

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The narrowest ski in the new Ranger collection is the Ranger 90. This thing is a blast to ski in a variety of different terrain. It lays over nice carves on groomers, but is also extremely agile in moguls and trees. I expect a lot of eastern skiers will love its performance. The 90 mm all-mountain category is already pretty darn saturated, but this ski will carve a little niche for itself with its superb versatility. It’s not going to be the most powerful ski in its category by any means, nor will it be the lightest or quickest, but it will be one of the most versatile and it does it with a very fun-loving feel. We were somewhat limited on available lengths for testing, but some of our lighter testers loved the feel of the 170 and 177, with our bigger testers waiting for a crack on the 184. The 90, 96, and 102 all are offered in 2 different colorways. Both of the 90s are a grayish hue, with one getting some bright celeste highlights. The gray/celeste ski does end its length at 170, however.

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The Ranger 96 and the rest of the Rangers differ from the 90 in the sense that they use a poplar and beech woodcore rather than just poplar. This gives the ski a slightly stronger feel, even though the metal is a little shorter. I had a blast laying this ski over and seeing what it could achieve. Like the 90, it won’t be the most powerful ski in its category, but it’s not far behind either and it does it with a smooth, easy feel that’s lost on stiffer skis. This was a good ski for Ryan Daniel to get on and it certainly didn’t look like he found much limitation when carving. Jeff’s lighter and a little less aggressive than Ryan, and it worked flawlessly for his skiing style when carving. On the other hand, the Ranger 96 is also quite maneuverable. There’s a good amount of tail rocker, especially compared to other skis in its category, which gives it a more playful feel and more freeride-inspired performance. Kristi Brown was getting it to dance around in soft snow, which was a blast to witness, and something that others will certainly enjoy about the 96. In the 96, we have gray and yellow color options. The yellow, however, is available in every length from 159 all the way up to 187.

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Then, of course, there’s the Ranger 102. This is basically the ski that put Fischer Rangers on the map in recent years. You’ve seen the pink ski at your local resort, you’ve seen people talk about it on social media. There’s some hype there for sure. The fact that Fischer wanted to change this ski did make us a little bit nervous, as the pink ski is great, but they nailed it. If anything, the new ski is just smoother and more supple, without giving up its versatility and fun factor. I will say that the new ski feels more directional to me, so maybe there will be some freestyle-focused skiers that prefer the previous version, but I think that’s going to be a very small percentage of skiers. This thing carves better than the outgoing ski, is quicker and more agile in tight terrain, floats better in soft snow, and if it loses a touch of park performance to gain all of those things, well that’s just fine by me. We also love the celeste color. Admittedly, I was kind of surprised they didn’t just make it pink again, but I can understand wanting to get away from that as a brand. Like the yellow of the 96, the celeste is available in every length from 155 to 190 (that’s a huge range in lengths!)

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We haven’t had ideal snow conditions for the 108, but we have skied it quite a bit at this point. We like to view the Ranger 108 through the lens of the outgoing Ranger 107 Ti. That ski was very, very strong, but somewhat demanding and unforgiving. Our initial assessment of the 108 is that Fischer has retained plenty of strength and stability, but similar to the rest of the line, has just made performance all that much smoother. There’s more rise in the tail than on the 108 and a slightly softer flex in the tail too. That helps a lot when you need to get the ski to break free, which is a valuable characteristic in a ski that’s going to be used in a lot of soft snow, steep terrain, and technical lines. We can’t wait for an ideal testing day on the 108 and will certainly report back once we can ski it as fast as we want through soft enough snow. Just a matter of time.

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Then there’s the 116, which we actually haven’t skied much at all, but are very excited about for similar reasons to the 108. The 115 was a burly ski. Stiff, powerful, but somewhat tiring. This 116 already feels much bouncier, floatier, and more playful than the 115 even though we haven’t really had it in deep snow. I love the amount of tail rocker on this ski, there’s a good amount of rise back there, which gives it a surfy, smeary feel that I think basically any ski this wide should achieve. I expect it’s going to have a superb blend of stability and playfulness, much like the 108, and realistically, much like this entire new Ranger collection.

This entire experience has been very rewarding for us, so big thanks to Fischer for including us in the process. We love testing skis, we love talking about skis, but we don’t often have the opportunity to give our input when it comes to actually developing skis. Personally, I was thrilled, and it makes seeing the final products that much more exciting. We will be releasing full-length reviews of the 90, 96, and 102 in the following weeks and months. Keep your eyes out for those, and in the meantime, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us directly or leave a comment below.

Written by Jeff Neagle on 02/01/22