[english PRODUCT REVIEW] Fischer Ranger 99 Ti 2019

I am well aware of the fact that I am spoiled. It’s a luxury problem to be able to decide every morning anew which ski is the right one for the current snow situation, the planned tour, the respective mountain. As with bicycles, the perfect number of skis in your wo-man cave is n+1, but every now and then you ask yourself which model you would choose if you had to go with one model only for the entire winter. Sturdy or light? Extra wide, wide, narrower, narrow? Stiff or playful? Does the perfect ski exist at all?

If the conditions were the same throughout the season, then maybe. In a season that goes from late October to late May, they are not.
So: which ski enables fun on the slopes and on tour, in (deep) powder, in firn, on ice, in the steeps, is neither too heavy on the foot nor on the backpack?
If I really had to decide - it would be the new Fischer Ranger 99 Ti.

Why? Please read on.

Technical Information 

Construction / Technology:
Carbon nose, SW sidewall, titanium, poplar wood core, glass fibre laminate, Air Carbon Ti 0.5
Weight/Ski: 1950g/181cm
Radius: 18m/181cm
Sidecut: 130-97-121
Lengths [cm]: 174, 181, 181, 188

 

For the 2019/20 season Fischer changed the Ranger Ti series: new shapes and new construction features and like this one of my "old" favorites, the former Ranger 98Ti gets a makeover. The main difference between the Ranger 99 Ti and the Ranger 98Ti can be found in the nose: the Ranger 99 Ti tapers less than its predecessor, the tip is more angular.
The new skis have press molds cut to each model, that’s why the Ranger 99 Ti brings a somewhat flatter nose and tail rocker in the comparison to the Ranger 98 Ti. Like the new Ranger 107 Ti, the Ranger 99 Ti is a very robust and stiff ski. It doesn't quite play in the league of the Ranger 107 Ti, but is still stiffer than many other ~95-100 mm wide skis on the market.

Compared to the Ranger 98 Ti, the Ranger 99 Ti is significantly stiffer at the nose and slightly stiffer at the tail.

The 98s were quite light with 1800g/181cm, which is not quite achieved with the new generation. (Hard to believe, but every now and then the trend towards compulsive lightweight construction is ignored.)
With 1950g/181cm the Ranger 99 Ti is still a lot lighter than "normal" skis.

The insides of the R99 have been changed, but not too serious compared to the R98: the Titanal laminate has been lengthened and widened to increase torsional stiffness and stability, there are still sandwich sidewalls, and the carbon nose, which reduces the ski's swing mass and guarantees sensational maneuverability for such a stable ski. Although the ski is called "99", center width of the 181cm is 97mm - depending on the length of the ski, the center widths / shapes adapt accordingly.

If you've made it this far, bravo - now it's all about riding!

I liked the 99 right from the start - and was positively surprised that it is (even) more stable than the 98. You realize that the extra weight is worth it as soon as you let the ski go and put it on the edge. The classic nose results in precision and edge hold during turns and carving, especially on hard surfaces. But you shouldn't let yourself be deceived by the performance on piste and allocate the ski in the all-mountain segment (whatever AM should be, I never really understood it).  Even if it's a lot of fun to carve down fresh groomers in the morning, I got to know the real advantages of this ski when taking it to the backcountry.

That’s where the R99 really shows its strengths under any condition. The Ranger Ti line (92, 99, 107) is not as playful as the Ranger FRs (94, 102, 115), but the carbon nose also does its job off-piste by ploughing through everything. Point it fall-line and let it go, the Ranger 99 goes where you want it to go. Treelines, powder, rough terrain or even trickier steep descents, no matter what you throw at it, the ski can handle it. The nose guarantees you float through powder, the tail guarantees stability.

By the way: the ranger lines recently got divided into „FR“ and „TI“, this should make it easier  for customers to make the right decision when deciding which skis to get. If one had to characterize the Ranger series, the following probably be the most appropriate: 
FR = "Park goes Powder" and TI = "Giant Slalom goes Backcountry" - both ways are fun.

"Freetouring" is the big thing these days - the R99 is a powerhouse when it comes to downhill-oriented touring (assumed you got the appropriate riding skills for a stiff(er) ski).  If you have accepted the fact that you’re carrying some extra grams up the mountain - which is almost obsolete with a light binding - the downhill will be „real“  freeriding. Only your choice of  boots could limit the Ranger: you will simply not want to jump cliffs wearing a 2 pounds touring boot. Using one of the more beefy boots there aren’t any limits.

My personal freetouring setup:
Ranger 99 Ti with Superlite 2.0 PIN binding and Ranger Free 130 Walk Dyn.

In contrast to Twintips (measure, think, re-think, go back and forth...) I used the recommended mounting point of the 99 - in my opinion it fits perfectly (you won't ride switch with a Flat Tail anyway). 

Conclusion

The Fischer Ranger 99 Ti is the ski of choice for:
the well equipped aka "Gear Nerds"
...who have more than 1 pair of skis in their basement and are looking for a setup for challenging freetouring and spring activities, as they have a super wide ski for "Deep Days" anyway.

"1-Quiver“ Searchers
...who want a ski that does anything anywhere. Be it with pin or classic alpine binding - The R99 really does what you want.

Ski Tourers
...who are downhill oriented and who don't care about weight but performance.

It’s less suitable for:
Endurance Tourers
...who prefer an ultralight setup and for whom the downhill is not so important anyway. (wayyyyyyyyy too heavy!)

Oldschool tourers aka „The Wedeling guys“ and beginners
...the R99 will be too stiff, too heavy, too aggressive.

Piste tourers
...too wide and heavy

***
I try to be as objective as possible when doing a subjective review of the pros and cons of equipment I use. I hope the info helps readers filter out the gear that don’t fit to you in comparison to the one that does. So many personal factors have an impact on whether a piece of equipment is best for you depending on weight, experience, style, skills, location, etc. 

Disclaimer - (original quote from Stephan Skrobar)
I have been riding for Fischer since 2004, am a founding member of the Fischer Freeski Team and get treated extremely well by the people in Ried - where Fischer is at home - and always get at least one cup of coffee when I visit. So you can attest bias and you will probably be right. On the other hand, nobody forces me to write this text, nor do I get any money for it. So I try to describe my experiences as objectively as possible. Nevertheless, the analysis will be positive. Why, see above.