The 2024 Fischer Ranger 108 returns unchanged for this year, offering the same amazing flotation and big mountain freeride feel that we loved since we got on this ski over a year ago. As one of the wider Rangers out there, it’s most at home in deep and fresh snow, pairing a fun-loving shape with a pretty burly build. This ski is all there, so whether you’re planning on taking it aggressively down a huge mountain face or are looking to deal with a more technical zone with big drops and tight lines, this ski is built and ready for the task at hand. Because of the weight and the stiffness underfoot, it is better suited for advanced and expert skiers who know how to drive a ski and those skiers will certainly be able to access the entirety of the performance, mainly due to the relatively shorter radius and more maneuverable tips and tails.

In the core of the ski, we get a mix of poplar and beech. The poplar’s light weight and high energy makes for crisp and poppy performance while the beech quiets things down a bit to ensure stability and dampness to complement the metal laminate. Fischer’s Shaped Ti 0.5 takes a titanal laminate and makes it fit the intended use of this ski. As a full-width layer underfoot, the metal extends slightly into the forebody and tail, putting emphasis on the sides rather than the center. This increases playfulness by leaving the tips and tails metal-free as well as boosting confidence in more technical zones with the sturdier mid-zone of the ski. In the 185, the ski tips the scale at 2120 grams, putting it on the heavier side, but not overly so. This makes it a nice mix of stable and agile, and for those looking for mainly powder skis, this is the place to be.

The 185 produces a turn radius of 18-meters, which is on the short side for a ski this wide, with the 185 measuring 109 mm underfoot, 143 mm in the tip and 134 mm in the tail. We’ve found it’s a lot happier at longer turns than the radius may let on. Conversely, if you try to shorten it up and make tighter arcs, the ski can be somewhat disagreeable. As such, it fits in better with the big mountain attributes and styles that most advanced and expert freeride skiers can attain and enjoy doing so. For profile, the ski is pretty dramatic in both tip and tail, in both taper and rocker. The shovel is on the spoony side, and while that leads to smooth and predictable flotation, it’s not very easy to turn in a short manner, which is kind of antithetical to what we’ve seen in wider shoveled skis in the past. This is not a bad thing, just something to consider overall.

When it comes to deep snow and aggressive skiing, the 2024 Fischer Ranger 108 is one of the better floaters of the bunch. It may not be as burly as some or as turny as others, but it has its own thing going on and that’s just fine. The Ranger 107Ti over the past few seasons is a tough ski to replace and if Fischer was going for a more playful and freeride version of that ski, then they’ve certainly succeeded.