Jim's reveiw: Every year in early December the ski reps put on a shop demo day for all the dealers. I use this two day event as a refresher on the mid level men's and women's skis that I didn't have time to really wring out the previous spring. This year as usual, the early season conditions were varible between hard manmade snow and very hard manmade snow. The first thing that impressed me about the Red was the edge grip. ...

The Vision Breeze is the optimum choice for the advanced woman looking to tackle all the conditions that Mother Nature throws at her. This ski is light weight and has excellent grip. From styling to technology, all bases are covered with the Breeze. The Vision Breeze utilizes a shape that is conducive for those who want to rip on the groomers and occassionally adventure off-piste. A progressing intermediate to a conservative advanced skier co...

The Vision Allure has the same footprint as the Exhale with a softer flex. The softer flex allows the skier to exert less energy while creating a round arc. As our Fischer Vision team says, "It is My Turn to have a ski specifically made for me". The Vision Allure makes a great ski for a solid intermediate rider. It is light and lively. A conservative advanced skier who doesn't want to spend a lot can get plenty out of this ski,...

Update by Jim....late March '08 I've had the chance to ski a lot of different 50/50 skis this winter and spring and the Watea 84 is emerging as one of my favorites. Within the 50/50 category there are some skis that have a bit of a bias toward hard snow (such as the Volkl AC-30 and Nordica Jet Fuel) The 84 shades its bias a bit toward softer snow. Like most Fischers the characteristics of energy vs dampness, grip vs. forgiveness, are s...

We brought back the Fischer RX 6 Fire (formerly the RX 6) because we were missing this niche in our selection. The only change between the '07 model and the '08 is the name and graphic. It is a great choice for intermediate who has aspirations of progressing to an advanced level skier or the advanced level skier looking for a good ski on a budget. Here is Jim's review of last year's ski. Jim Says: Smooth, damp, and stab...

The Fischer White Heat is a step above the average entry level ski. I don't often get to test this level of ski but it happens that I did get to try this one. The ski displays grip and stability well beyond that demostrated by many "cheaper" skis. The White Heat with it's integrated Railflex binding system gives the first time buyer somerthing to really grow with that is well above the expectations of it's price range. T...

If your kid is at that point of out skiing you heres the ski for him. The Villain Pro is a great "tweener" ski for that kid that is advanced enough for an adult ski but is still not big enough to flex those skis. The Villain Pro excels on groomers, in powder and in the park. With Fischers legendary build quality your junior will not be disappointed by this ski. **Note this ski is sold flat, bindings are not included**

The Addict Pro is a beefier version of last years runaway best seller (the Addict). This ski has a thicker solid wood core and is a more solid choice than the Addict for a combo of all mountain-park skiing. While the flex is still a little softer in the tail for park use, this is not a typical noodly park ski. In fact, the park specialist should be looking elsewhere as the Pro is a very equal mix of park and all mountain characteristics. The symm...

The 101 is biggest of the fine Watea series from Fischer. This ski has a similar feel to all the others in the series but of course, it's big.......really big. Despite the wide waist and the 192 length, this is not a difficult ski at all. I like the combination of a moderate flex ski in a long size. There is a lot to be said for a long platform in soft and especially rough and broken snow. As long you keep the longish turn radius in mind, th...

While most of our mostly groomer skis start in the 74mm range, this one, at 70mm is the narrowest that we carry. Some might wonder why, in the face of a trend toward wider skis, we even carry this ski. The reason is simple, for it’s intended usage, this is about as good as it gets. The Progresser 9 is about as close to a real GS ski as most skiers will need to get. This baby can be skied in a lot of conditions and turn shapes but the grins reall...

The Cool Heat is the same basic ski construction as last year’s version but without the burly flowflex plate. The addition of the simple and effective Railflex binding system has dramatically improved the Cool Heat. The ski is now much lighter, lively, quick with great grip and well modulated energy. When I got the Fischer Cool Heat out on a steep face with choppy wintry snow, it was very nimble in the tight spots and smooth in the area where som...

Every year in early December the ski reps put on a shop demo day for all the dealers. I use this two day event as a refresher on the mid level men's and women's skis that I didn't have time to really wring out the previous spring. This year as usual, the early season conditions were variable between hard manmade snow and very hard manmade snow. The first thing that impressed me about the Red Heat was the edge grip. It was way bette...

The Fischer Watea 78 has a new graphic for this year but it is otherwise unchanged. Many of our 70/30 skis are biased more towards hard snow and groomers but the 78 is a bit biased the other way. This is a great nimble, easy going ski that is among the best in category in bumps. The first day that I tested the 78 was in late January at Mammoth where there was an assortment of firm groomers that softened a bit in the sun, and also a few patches of...

The Watea 84 returns for ’09 with a graphic update but no other changes. Following is my review from last spring after quite a bit of mileage on the 84. Update by Jim....late March '08 I've had the chance to ski a lot of different 50/50 skis this winter and spring and the Fischer Watea 84 is emerging as one of my favorites. Within the 50/50 category there are some skis that have a bit of a bias toward hard snow (such as the Volkl AC-...

There are not many skis this wide (94mm waist) that we rate as 50/50 skis. To us that means that ski is not a specialty powder tool but is very capable as a daily driver. The Fischer Watea 94 is among the wider skis in this category yet it is very versatile and capable in a variety of conditions. I've had the Watea 94 out twice this year in typical Sierra "day after" conditions and it is a superb choice. This ski chews chop and flo...

I have tested the Fischer Vision Vapor twice and my cohort Katie once and we are both amazed by the Vapor. This is one of the best balanced women's skis on the market. It is easy to make a ski stable and grippy....heck you just make it a plank. However, those skis can often feel....uhhhh.....welll....planky. The Vapor doesn't feel that way at all. It is nimble enough, grippy enough, and conditions friendly enough for almost anyone. Both...

Back for another season with a graphic upgrade but no other changes, the Fischer Vision Exhale remains a standout among skis for good intermediates. The Vision Exhale is tremendously popular (I think) in part because of its light weight. Unlike some low end skis that are light, the Exhale doesn’t give up much performance. Fischer uses a very high tech construction of wood, carbon fiber, and composites to make a ski that is solid, grippy, and vers...

Jim's Review: There are not many skis this wide (94mm waist) that we rate as 50/50 skis. To us that means that ski is not a specialty powder tool but is very capable as a daily driver. The Watea is among the wider skis in this category yet it is very versatile and capable in a variety of conditions. I've had the 94 out twice this year in typical Sierra "day after" conditions and it is a superb choice. This ski chews chop and ...

The 101 is biggest of the fine Watea series from Fischer. This ski has a similar feel to all the others in the series but of course, it's big.......really big. Despite the wide waist and the 192 length, this is not a difficult ski at all. I like the combination of a moderate flex ski in a long size. There is a lot to be said for a long platform in soft and especially rough and broken snow. As long you keep the longish turn radius in mind, th...

I have tested this ski twice and my cohort Katie once and we are both amazed by the Vapor. This is one of the best balanced women's skis on the market. It is easy to make a ski stable and grippy....heck you just make it a plank. However, those skis can often feel....uhhhh.....welll....planky. The Vapor doesn't feel that way at all. It is nimble enough, grippy enough, and conditions friendly enough for almost anyone. The balance of chara...

Dennis says: The Fischer RC4 Progressor is made for the expert who is looking for a race ski made for ripping up open slopes rather than a race course. The Progressor uses some of the same technologies in Fischer's World Cup skis like sandwich sidewall construction, FT frame, and Air Carbon Ti cores. The 70 mm waist width makes for a wider platform to stand on when the groomers start getting chopped up. Although the Progressor is wider t...

Tyler says: Fischer calls there new Heat series the RX on Steroids and that is just what the Cold heat is the new Fischer power house. With an underfoot width of 82mm the Fischer has finally introduced a ski to compete with every other company out there. With the overall great construction that Fischer is known for the Cold Heat allows you to throw down big GS turns on hard pack and then on those powder days you still have a ski that will float v...

Tyler says: New for this season the Cool Heat continues the Fischer tradition of building great all around skis. With the core of carbon you find yourself with a ski that is damp, smooth and full of energy. The edge grip that the Cool Heat brings to the table allows you to ski anything from east coast ice to sierra cement. This 70/30 ski will allow you to shred everything to powder to hard pack with ease.

Update 12/21: The graphic on the picture is the 2008 model. I will update the picture soon. DDE This NEW world-class race ski was perfected by Fischer's most elite athletes- World Cup ski racers- they are the real testers in 'real time' race conditions. Speed and results determine the best construction, flex and sidecut for the 2006 World Cup Giant Slalom. The GS delivers unbelievable power, resilience and response. A new sid...