Hemiboreal Skiing

2015 Fischer E-99 Tour Xtralite Easy-Skin FAST. Smooth. High-performance grip and glide. Very light, responsive and manoeuvrable. Finely-tuned flex for efficient xcountry skiing on highly variable snow. Summary Excellent backcountry xcountry ski: double-cambered with a moderately-stiff flex pattern.  Excellent Nordic kick and glide off the groomed track.  This is first and foremost a xcountry ski- the strengths of this ski require using an appropriate xcountry length. Relatively stiff double-camber makes climbing steep terrain challenging without climbing skins.  Extending kick wax forward and/or using the Easy-Skin takes this ski up much steeper slopes than the waxless-scaled E-99 Crown. Camber-flex pattern makes for highly efficient xcountry skiing in the backcountry.  This ski is FAST! Significant, relatively stiff second camber requires focused “kick” in fresh, soft snow. Flex pattern is finely tuned for efficient backcountry-xcountry ...

2014 Fischer E-99 Crown Xtralite Summary Excellent backcountry xcountry ski: double-cambered with a moderately-stiff flex pattern.  Excellent Nordic kick and glide off the groomed track.  This is first and foremost a xcountry ski- the strengths of this ski require using an appropriate xcountry length. Excellent waxless scale traction for kick and glide skiing- on warm wet snow. Relatively stiff double-camber makes climbing steep terrain challenging without climbing skins. Camber-flex pattern makes for highly efficient xcountry skiing in the backcountry.  This ski is FAST! Significant, relatively stiff second camber requires focused “kick” in fresh, soft snow. Flex pattern is finely tuned for efficient backcountry-xcountry skiing on variable terrain and snow. Probably best suited to gentle to moderate terrain- due to second camber being difficult to control when climbing and turning. Downhill performance is challenging due to stiff second camber....

2015 Fischer E-109 Tour Easy-Skin Dawn. Twelve inches of fresh cold powder on top of 2 feet of condensed frozen base. -15C, brilliant clear sky- not a breath of wind. Kick wax- MAN. Flying through a snow-covered canopy.  EPIC. Specs of my new love: 205cm length. Sidecut profile: 82-60-70mm. Camber profile: significant, but soft initial camber- low but very stiff second camber. Nordic rocker: the tips open up significantly when the camber is fully compressed. Flex pattern: moderately stiff.  Smooth, soft, round initial flex pattern from point of “Nordic rocker” to tail.  “Wax” or traction pocket is somewhat preserved by shallow, stiff, second camber. Low profile tip. Flat tail. Full length, but not wrap-around, metal edge. High-quality, sintered base. Grip wax in the backcountry- on a ski designed for XCD skiing on fresh soft snow- WICKED. Supposed to remove the grip wax before applying the “Easy”-skin.  Not going ...

2015 Fischer E-109 Crown Excellent backcountry Nordic ski: cross-country skiing on fresh snow with a mix of old-school and new-school downhill performance.   Perhaps Fischer’s last remaining distance-oriented XCD ski, with lengths up to 205cm. Excellent waxless scale traction. Brilliant flex-camber pattern- providing controllable camber, with enough camber and stiffness to offer very good xcountry performance on fresh snow. Would be even better with less sidecut and more width underfoot. Would break trail more effectively with a broader, raised-elongated tip. Here begins my intimate relationship with the 2015 Fischer E-109 Crown. The model I have was bought on clearance this past summer- it is a 2015-2016 model.  As far as I know, the current E-109 has not been updated for 2016-2017. I will start with some disclosure.  When it comes to backcountry-xcountry (BC-XC) skis, I am a lifelong (43 years old) Karhu enthusiast.  The legendary...