Curated Ski Experts Sara Beeken and Jessica Whittam tested the Women’s Fischer Ranger 96 at Powder Mountain in Utah this spring. Check out their overall impressions of the ski and how it performed in the carving, freestyle, and freeride categories. Keep in mind that every skier is unique, so be sure to chat with a Curated Ski Expert for more information and personalized ski recommendations.

A quick note before we dive in, Curated experts are not sponsored and have no ties to any particular brand, so these are honest and unbiased opinions of the gear.

Brand Claims

What does the brand claim about this ski? [Sarah] Fischer says that these are a freeride, all-mountain type ski for advanced level skiers.

Overall Impression

What was your overall impression of the ski? [Sarah] My first impressions of these skis were that they were a lot lighter than I expected and a lot more maneuverable. I've always known that these as a pretty hard charging ski and expected them to be a little bit stiffer and a little bit burlier. But, they were actually pretty easy to ski on.

[Jessica] These were really great on the hard pack and the groomers. They maneuvered in the trees just fine, and they floated in powder. I found these skis to feel stiff to me, they have the freestyle rocker and they're not supposed to be a super stiff directional ski. Maybe because of my weight, I'm 110 pounds, 5'7", and these skis felt like a lot of ski for me. Where the Ranger 102s really felt like a powder ski and really surfy and really playful.

How does the shape of the ski affect the way it rides? [Jessica] They have early rise in the tips with freestyle rocker, and they have rise in the tails as well. This helps the ski be a little bit surfier in more snow. 96mm underfoot is going to be the middle mid range of this ski, but it does come in wider sizes.

They’re built with a Poplar wood core with Titanal underfoot. This helps the ski maintain flexibility and softness in the tip and tail while being hard charging and stiff underfoot.

Carving

How well does the ski carve? [Sarah] The Fischer Ranger has titanal underfoot, and I could feel that when I was carving. It had good edge hold on snow, and I could carve some really nice turns in on the groomers. It does have some camber, but not a lot of camber. So, I didn't get that pop across the hill, like you would in more of a carving-oriented ski.

[Jessica] These skis were pretty stable when carving, but when I hit the crud they were a little bit chattery.

How do the skis feel at high speeds? [Sarah] I felt like these held up really well at speeds on the groomers. They felt a little bit unstable when I was on some of the cruddy snow, it was just chattering a little on the front. But, if you're not skiing at the speeds that I am, then you're probably not going to have that problem.

Freestyle

Can you speak to the ski’s playfulness and pop? [Sarah] These are definitely pretty playful. They have a pretty soft tip.

[Jessica] Yeah, these were really fun to just butter and play with on groomers.

Do they feel stable on landings? [Sarah] I didn't have any problems with that. I could take it into the trees and find some little side hits in there, and they felt really good.

Freeride

Are the skis maneuverable in the trees? [Sarah] In the trees, I had a really easy time turning these. Like I said, they're pretty light, so that was really helpful. There's a little bit of rocker in the tail and the rocker in the tip makes the quick turns around the trees really easy. The titanal underfoot helps you hold that edge as you're turning.

How do you think the ski would feel in powder? [Sarah] These actually felt a little bit wider underfoot than they are. They're 96, which is still a decent size ski, but it's definitely not like a big powder ski. I think these would do really well in powder because of the rocker in the tip and how light they are. I would not hesitate to take these in a few inches of powder.

How does the ski handle chop and chunder? [Sarah] I think the only place where I felt the chatter on these skis was in the chunder. It was a little bit floppy and a little noodly in there, but I think if you're an intermediate or advanced level skier, you're probably not going to be running into that problem.

[Jessica] These were a little bit chattery when I went through the trees and hit some of that hard pack. I think these skis would be much better and floatier if there were just better conditions out here.

What conditions do these skis seem best suited for? [Jessica] This could be a really great option as a powder ski for the east coast or a daily driver for the west coast. I wouldn't recommend these skis for anybody who skis in mostly icy conditions. These are a surfy and playful ski, so you're definitely going to want to be on soft snow or powder.

What conditions were you skiing in today? [Jessica] I think the conditions weren't super ideal for this ski today. It was two inches of light powder over a lot of crud and hard pack.

Who would you recommend this ski to? [Sarah] I'd recommend these skis to a wider range of people than I thought I would before I skied them. These would be a great West Coast daily driver ski for someone that's not looking to hunt out powder every day.

I think that as an introductory level powder ski, it's not a bad choice. It's still pretty narrow, so it's not a huge jump into these massive boats of powder skis. It's also just a great all-mountain ski. If you're looking for one ski that's going to be able to handle the whole mountain, this is a great width, and this is a great ski.

[Jessica] I would recommend these skis to an advanced skier. They’d be a good fit for somebody who's looking for a powder ski on the east coast, or a daily driver on the west coast.

Who would you not recommend this ski to? [Sarah] I would not recommend this to a beginner skier. I think it's a little too much ski for a beginner with the width, but I think that it would be a great ski for intermediate, advanced, and even expert skiers.

Keep in mind that skis work differently for different types of skiers, and everyone has a unique style and needs. Chat with a Ski Expert here on Curated to learn more about the Fischer Ranger 96 and to get personalized ski recommendations.