Fischer "30-Second" ski reviews

These reviews are of new and updated 08/09 models. More detailed reviews of many more models, current and past, are now available on the subscription site.

Progressor 9+It would be easy to lament the passing of the RX Fires were it not that the Progressors, now 3 in number, legitimately replace the classics. These all feature Fischer's dual radius sidecut in which the tip has a deeper sidecut than does the body and tail making for, Fischer says, faster tip hook up and turn entry. The truth is that it really works and these are among the quickest fall line carvers available. Not only does the ski carve short radius turns as well as anything else, the longer radius body sidecut enhances the skis ability to hold a longer radius turn, even on hard snow at speed. Anyone who lives on the front side should take one of these for a test ride.

Progressor 8+A touch less demanding than the 9 with little loss of high performance and excellent for anyone either learning to carve or working on building up current carving skills. This model, we predict, will turn out to be the best selling Progressor. Superb carver, tolerant of traditional technique, stable at speed and capable of light-duty off-piste skiing.

Progressor 7+Get the 8; the 7 is likely to be outgrown fairly quickly with technical development and no one not interested in technical development should be on this type of ski in the first place, in our humble opinion.

Watea 101Aggressive, powerful big mountain free ride ski. No speed limit, smooth and undemanding for a pro-grade backside ripper. Like all wide rides, the 101 is focused on stability and predictability, but it also handles well in less challenging conditions and even on the groomed. The Watea, several skiers noted, skis "more like an 88 than 100mm ski." That's versatility of a rare level for this kind of power plank.

Vision ZealFemale-specific Watea, positioned to cover performance ranges of both the 94 and 84. Superbly balanced: smooth, quick, stable at speed and at the same time relaxing. Female all mountain skiers would profit from a test run on the Zeal. It raises the bar for backside versatility and was among the highest scoring skis in this year's test.

MisfitPowerful crossover backside/freestyle ski. Skiers who actually need a twin in the outback will find this a good compromise. Those who do not may do better with the Watea 101 or 94. The turned up tail can be tricky on really steep terrain; late free ride legend Doug Coombs (who rode for K2) felt that twins do not hold as well on truly steep terrain as do skis with conventional tails. Still, for a big mountain/freestyle 1-ski-quiver, the Misfit fits well.