Hemiboreal Skiing

  Ski Review:  2018-2019 Fischer Excursion 88 Easy-Skin (To do this review justice- please read my review on the Traverse 78 first!) This is a superb backcountry- cross-country ski. With a XC focus- this ski offers a simply amazing range of performance.  It- like the Traverse 78- performs well as a XC ski in every imaginable snow context. It is the only Nordic touring ski that I have ever tested with a waist as wide as 68mm that actually offers very good XC performance on dense/consolidated snow. Its full-length stable flex makes it completely stable in deep soft snow. Its full 68mm width underfoot gives it significant XC flotation and grip in deep soft snow. Fischer’s “Off-Track Crown” waxless scale insert offers highly effective grip (for a scaled base) and the stiff camber-and-a-half underfoot releases the scales form the snow when you stride forwards. The “Easy-Skin” kicker skin insert is the stuff of dreams- very quickly increasing climbing grip and/or XC grip on s...

Ski Review:  2018-2019 Fischer Traverse 78 Easy-Skin Light. Solid. Stable. This ski in all honesty is an excellent off-track cross-country ski. However, for someone like me it is just- well- a bit boring… Let me explain: Even at 199cm, it is not super-fast.  My E99 and my Gamme 54 are much faster XC skis. It is not easy to turn- with its traditional XC flex.  My Eon, E109, and Ingstad BC are all much better downhill skis.  HECK- even my E99 Tour- with considerable Nordic rocker is easier to turn than the 78. BUT- It is a fast enough XC ski on backcountry snow. It has an excellent stable flex- making it stable in all snow conditions- including deep snow. It has enough camber and stiffness underfoot to release the kick zone when striding forward- but it is soft enough to make it relatively easy to engage the traction zone. It is light enough to make quick step and jump turns. ……………………………… My wife’s favourite ski in this class used to be the Madshus Eon. As she became a...