REVIEW: 2015 Fischer E-99 Tour Easy-Skin

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 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.
• Would break trail more effectively with a broader, raised-elongated tip- FOR SURE.

The model I have was bought on clearance this past summer- it is a 2015-2016 model.  As far as I know the 2016 model has not been updated.

The E-99 is a versatile, high-performance, distance-oriented backcountry-xcountry (BC-XC) ski.  It is double-cambered for kick and glide efficiency, but it has a flex pattern designed for the backcountry.  

The stiff double camber makes for an exciting ride down-hill!  On the other hand they are so wonderfully light and snappy that I find I can navigate all kinds of weird downhill complexes of step turns, parallel turns, and step/jump telemarks.  They stride through turns beautifully.  That being said- they are nowhere near as easy to squash as a softer ski like the E-109.  In short- the E-109 is a better down-hill ski than the E-99 because of its flex pattern.

FAST- speed baby.

Specs

I am 5’10” and weigh 185lbs.  I am skiing on the 210cm.

Here are the specs:

• Lengths to 210cm.
• Sidecut profile: 66-54-61mm.
• Camber profile: significant, and moderately stiff initial camber; moderate and very stiff second camber.
• Flex pattern: stiff ski- period.
• Low profile tip- relatively soft- compared to the rest of the profile- and flexible.
• Flat stiff tail.
• Full length, but not wrap-around, metal edge.
• High-quality, sintered base.
• Integrated “Easy-Skin” kicker skin.

Background

What is the E-99?

Although I am aware that many a Fennoscandian skier would describe the E-99 as a “fjellski” or XCD ski- from a North American perspective, the E-99 is a backcountry CROSS-COUNTRY ski.  It is clearly designed to travel long distances in the wilderness and mountains.

Fischer originally designed the E-99 to be the “best Nordic backcountry ski in the world”.  Did they meet that mark?  I have a fairly wide range of BC Nordic skis to choose from in my quiver- from narrow, stiff, double-cambered, to wide, soft and single-cambered.  This winter I have already skied on the full range of temperatures and snow conditions that I would typically get in an entire season (e.g.  It was -35C on Friday morning, and +5C on Saturday afternoon!).  Despite the E-99 having very limited downhill control- the E-99 Tour may well become my most used ski on a day-to-day basis.  (I don’t typically take in much serious vertical unless I have at least a few hours to ski.  My typical daily BC tour is a 5km or 10km loop on relatively gentle terrain).

Performance

As I already mentioned- this backcouuntry ski is fast- really fast.  That stiff flex and double camber produces true classic kick and glide performance.  As a backcountry ski, the flex pattern offers brilliant kick and glide performance- even on soft fresh snow.  It does require a focused Nordic “kick’ in order to offer effective traction- but appropriate application of kick wax quickly resolves any issues..  For those skiers with little experience with xcountry skiing on double-cambered skis, this may- at first- produce a frustrating slip and slide experience.  If these skis are the appropriate cross-country length, they will have an effective, pronounced wax/traction pocket underfoot- you will need to fully weight the ski to compress the camber and get some grip.  Double-cambered skis require transferring all of your weight from one ski to the other.  If I have kick wax right, but I need a little more grip- extending the kick wax forward does the trick!

Easy Skin.  This integrated skin works very well.  Due to the double-camber- the 50mm skin works best on this ski.  Kick wax is so effective, that I will likely only use the Easy-Skin in the following conditions:

• Difficult and/or highly variable snow conditions.
• Climbing “steep” slopes.  I am a bit unsure about this…If I had to climb anything truly steep with this ski- I would probably want full-length skin.  HOWEVER- if I had to do a lot of steep climbing, I wouldn’t choose this stiff, double-cambered ski in the first place!  The 50mm Easy-Skin does offer some extra climbing grip- especially on difficult snow.
• Pulling/Carrying weight.  Kick wax definitely offers better kick and glide performance- but, when pulling or carrying a heavy load- the extra grip of the Easy-Skin is much needed.

Compared to an even narrower, stiffer ski.  As a comparison- I managed to test the E-89 again, before last winter was out (I have been debating between the E-89 vs. E-99 for a few years now).  The E-89 is even stiffer and faster than the E-99.  In fact- the E-89 is almost as stiff as my Atomic classic track touring skis.  The E-89 is so stiff that I think it is too stiff for soft snow.  If I had a lot of hard snow to ski on- I might consider the E-89.  But- I find the E-99 is plenty fast enough on hard snow, and it is much more stable and smooth on fresh snow- and it definitely offer better grip than the E-89 on soft snow.

Compared to the E-109.  The flex pattern of the E-109 is narrowly tuned in for soft, fresh snow.  It is much easier to compress the camber and engage the traction zone of the E-109.  HOWEVER- using grip wax on the E-99 Tour- the E-99 has every bit as much grip as the E-109.

The tip on the E-99 is low profile.  To be honest- it basically sucks when breaking trail.  The Nordic rocker does help- quite a bit.  I was actually surprised by how much these tips open up when the camber is completely compressed.  The tip is softer and more flexible than the rest of the profile. This was very noticeable- and appreciated- on hard icy snow earlier this ski season.  A broad, raised-elongated tip would be much appreciated on this ski.

The tail is flat and stiff, and tracks beautifully- just like a xcountry ski should!

Sidecut…Does this ski need sidecut?  I don’t know- doesn’t every ski need sidecut?  This ski has 12mm of sidecut…At a length of 210cm- what is the turning radius of a ski with only 12mm of sidecut?  Do you still think it needs sidecut?  I offer this- you put this ski on edge and try and carve your way through the glade- and guess what happens- YOU HIT THE TREE!

Flotation.  This is not a powder ski- of course it isn’t.  But I need to be completely honest here….I don’t find that my wider midwidth skis (e.g. E-109/Eon) offer any more effective flotation than the E-99…If the E-109 performs “better” in deep, soft snow, it is because of the flex pattern, not its width.

Downhill skiing!  To a high-performance track xcountry skier, the E-99 might actually feel wimpy and soft.  BUT- no matter what you compare the flex to- one will definitely discover that this ski is double-cambered when downhill skiing!!  The pronounced, stiff second camber on this ski makes for a bit of a wild ride down-hill- especially if one is trying to get the ski to perform like a downhill ski.  One would need a very short E-99 in order to be able to completely control its camber in a downhill turn- with both skis equally weighted.  (This short length would ruin its xcountry performance.)  However- on moderate terrain- I find even my 210cm E-99 to be a lot of fun on the downhill.  Why?  How?  These skis are incredibly light and responsive.  I find I can easily make them turn on moderate slopes, through a mix of step/stride/stem/jump turns- stride your way down the hill.  If you are comfortable transferring weight from ski to ski- these skis are great on the down-hill.  Obviously, on truly steep terrain, one needs more stability and control than this xcountry ski has to offer.  The Nordic rocker on this ski is unavailable unless the ski is completely weighted- something that is not always possible when downhill skiing on a long, stiff, double-cambered ski!

Conclusion

This is a finely-tuned backcountry-xcountry touring ski.

For anyone wanting to travel long distances at speed in the backcountry- the E-99 is the real deal.  It is a truly double-cambered ski, offering a very effective wax/traction pocket- true Nordic kick and glide.  However, Fischer has finely tuned the flex pattern of the E-99 for off-track snow.  With some skill and focused “kick”, the camber is easy to control on variable terrain and snow.  (This ski would feel relatively “soft” and slow on a groomed track- compared to a high-performance track ski.)

The combination and versatility of kick wax and the integrated Easy-Skin are unbeatable.

The E-99 offers- to me- an excellent balance between stability and speed for a xcountry ski in the backcountry.  If the snow you are skiing on is typically hard and dense, an even narrower ski would be faster- but, I prefer the greater stability of the E-99 for fresh snow and hilly terrain.

In my opinion, the E-99 offers as much effective flotation as wider mid-width skis like the E-109.

The E-99 breaks trail very poorly- despite the Nordic rocker.  It would GREATLY benefit from a higher profile, broad, raised tip.

If you want to- or need to- climb and ski down relatively steep terrain, a softer flexing ski is probably a better choice (e.g. E-109)- but nowhere near as fast as the E-99.

The expedition-grade dependability of the E-99 is legendary.  I have heard many reports of the current generation E-99 being less durable and prone to breakdown…I hope that Fischer resolves this critical issue.

For me- the E-99 Tour Easy-Skin has become my go-to daily, speed-oriented BC-XC ski.  Speed baby.