RC4 WC RC PRO
RC4 WC RC PRO
116-71-100@170 cm | R 17 | $1,375 w/b
116-71-100@170 cm | R 17@175 cm | $1,375 w/b
So you think ice is nice? So you’ve got a need for speed? Here’s a ski to satisfy any latent racer urges that lurk within. One tester called it “a Fischer out of water in deeper snow,” but once the slicker stuff was underfoot, the ski entered its element. It might not be the most versatile ski in the world, but if your idea of fun is laying a fast edge on racecourse-hard snow, go with the RC Pro.
In a democracy, majority rules, and a majority of testers voted for the RC Pro as their favourite ski in the category. This is a fairly stiff ski that’s almost ridiculously stable at high speeds, able to make both big and tight turns with confidenceinspiring ease. Wrap that kind of talent in a good-looking package, and you’ve got a winner. It’s a powerful board that might not be for everyone, but it sure gets the SkiPress team’s vote.
PROGRESSOR 10+ C-LINE
ZEPHYR C-LINE
121-73-102@170 cm | R 13/16 | 1,375 w/b
118-68-98@165 cm | R 14 | $999 w/b
You know that feeling — you’re whizzing along on hardpack, when suddenly a clump of crud or windblown snow appears in your line. You wish you could do the Bewitched thing — wiggle your nose and magically transform your skis into fat boards. Fischer has a more practical idea: the Progressor 10+. What testers liked best about the ski was its ability to travel from one snow surface to another seamlessly. Or from one turn shape to another. That’s magical.
Like a waterbug, the Zephyr can make lightning-quick changes of direction with balletic grace. Yes, it has the stability to make fast, long turns, but it’s really on its game in linking quick, short squiggles. A ski loaded with this kind of energy can be hard to control, but not in this case. “Great for a woman who likes to go hard and fast in the morning but take it easy in the afternoon,” was one tester’s summation.
PROGRESSOR 8+
PROGRESSOR 8+
120-72-103@170 cm | R 12/15 | $1,125 w/b
120-72-103@160 cm | R 12/15@165 cm | $1,125 w/b
Somehow, Sunday in song comes to mind here — easy like Sunday morning and groovin’ on a Sunday afternoon. The Progressor 8+ is for those who like high-speed cruising — rolling the ski on edge and letting it ride smoothly through its prescribed arc. It’s an obediently responsive ski; you are in command of the ski, rather than the other way around. Weekend warriors will like its Sunday-morning ease, while technically inclined experts will appreciate its ability to get its carving groove on.
Some people like coffee, some like tea. Some people like bagels, others croissants. But they all go to the same café for breakfast. The Progressor 8+ is like one-stop dining, a ski that different testers praised for different characteristics. Some liked its soft-snow performance, others liked the way it carved on ice. But all loved its super-stable ride, regardless of snow conditions. The result is a confidence-builder for strong riders who like ordering just about anything from the all-mountain menu.
MOTIVE 80
MOTIVE 80
122-80-110@175 cm | R 17 | $1,249 w/b
122-80-110@161 cm | R 17@175 cm | $1,249 w/b
Some skis are like the good, old family station wagon — a vehicle lacking sports-car sexiness but with a workmanlike functionality that grows on you. In time, you might even become infatuated; as one tester wrote, “I fell in love, but don’t tell my girlfriend.” The Motive 80 gives you a solid and dependable day’s work, especially in softer snow. “Easy” was a word testers used repeatedly, and no wonder — the ski negotiates any turn shape like an old, woody wagon with power steering.
How you stand on a ski can make all the difference in the world. A few testers complained that the tips of the Motive 80 could be a little chattery. Solution? Move forward. Pressure the front part of this ski, and it becomes, as one tester put it, “a very versatile ski, stable and easy to turn. It excels in powder.” Soft snow is better, but when ice is encountered, wrote one tester, “the ski really grips.” As long as you maintain forward pressure.
VIRON 6,6
VIRON 6,6
118-68-98 @170 cm | R 14@165 cm | $935 w/b
118-68-98@160 cm | R 14@165 cm | $935 w/b
The Viron 6,6 is all about killing it softly, using a soft, light touch on soft snow. Agility in short-radius turns is its forte, and skiers who like playing a light-footed game of hopscotch will be rewarded. Muscling the ski through big, fast turns on hard snow can be sketchy, but ease off the pressure and tighten up the turn, and, as one tester wrote, it can be “like skiing on a cloud.” For the Viron 6,6, light is right.
Visualize this analogy: you’re wearing a belt that’s a bit too tight, but when you loosen it one notch, it’s a relief that makes your whole body feel better. Phew! The Viron 6,6 is like that belt opened to a more comfortable girth, a ski allowing all-round game improvement by being neither constricting nor demanding. This, wrote one tester, was skiing “without any fuss.” Consistent test scores across the board come from an easygoing, relaxed, and fuss-free character.
MOTIVE 74 SW
KOA 75
120-74-102@170 cm | R 16@165 cm | $749 w/b
119-75-104@160 cm | R 16@155 cm | $875 w/b
Message to Fischer from the SkiPress Ski Test team: Danke schön. Rare is the ski that turns with such effortlessness and yet still packs a powerful punch. Rarer still is a ski designed for intermediates that expert skiers can also fall in love with. “Switch on autopilot and enjoy your flight,” is the way one tester describes the phenomenal ease with which the ski handles any turn shape or snow texture. Message to intermediates looking to make the next step up: Get a pair.
Some skis can exhaust you in just a half-dozen turns. Others make you feel like you could ski all day and still have the energy to run a marathon after the lifts close. Count the Koa 75 among the latter. The ski flows through all turn shapes with remarkable ease, and should you get lazy or off-centre, it will generously forgive your mistakes. It is especially generous in softer snow, where flotation comes to the fore. An all-day, all-terrain sweetie.
WATEA 78
KOA 78
122-78-107@174 cm | R 17 | $1,125 w/b
122-78-107@159 cm | R 15@167 cm | $799
Cross the border from on-piste to the sidecountry, and many skis have a hard time adjusting to the new language of softer snow. Not the Watea 78, which makes the transition from firm snow to the softer stuff with a seamless fluency. Testers also praised the ski for its surprising performance in shorter turns, where a wider ski is supposedly out of its element. This ski can talk the talk and walk the walk no matter where you take it.
Take the Koa 75 and throw in an extra three millimetres tip to tail, and what do you get in the Koa 78? Answer: a bit more of a big-turn bomber, a ski that trades a little all-mountain versatility for high-speed stability. One tester called it a “big, sweeping, turning ski,” adding that short turns are possible but require extra effort. Easterners might prefer the 75, but Westerners might like an extra three millimetres for travelling through wide-open spaces.
8 | SkiPress Ski Test’ 11
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