Fischer Skate Skis at LCN

Descriptions of our curated selection of Fischer skate skis.

Just a wee bit of history.
When skate skiing was established as a discipline separate from classic skiing in the mid to late 1980’s, there was an explosion of experimental designs. It is amusing to see that some of the tried and failed concepts (such as hourglass type sidecut) are creeping back in. Certainly, changes in material have made old discarded concepts viable.

And then there is Fischer.

The first viable skate ski design came from Fischer, with their RCS Skate. All of Fischer’s current models are far superior to that first generation and yet some things haven’t changed at all. The profile of 41/44/44 mm is the same, and surprisingly enough the camber concept – what is known at the 610 camber – came from that first iteration. But don’t make the mistake that nothing has changed! A Speedmax skate ski using the 610 camber design from ten years ago is not as competive against the same Speedmax 610 of today – Fischer tends to work incrementally and they are always working on improving the design.

There have been some blips in their incrementalist process, such as the Revolution and the SkateCut designs, but these failures reflect well on their gradual and quality control orientation.

Major construction concepts

The fundamental design and material using their AirCore as their basic layup has been stable since the 1980’s. The AirCore provided light weight and high strength (at least in the vertical mode), and perhaps best of all, stability and reproducibility. There have been a handful of significant change. In 2007 Fischer modified the sidewalls of the RCS AirCore using the AirCore material placed in a transverse orientation, leading to lowered weight; this became the Carbonlite. Side-by-side comparisons could reveal some minor differences in on-snow response of the Carbonlite compared to the RCS, but the fundamental feel was recognizable. Of note is that at the World Cup level the Carbonlite took a long time to be adopted over the existing RCS types. In 2013 Fischer delivered the Speedmax, using a new construction method to attach the base without heat after the molding process; the Speedmax returned to a modified RCS core instead of the lighter Carbonlite. The Speedmax became adopted at the World Cup in short order (relatively short - athletes tend to be conservative). In 2023/23, Fischer brought out the Helium, which went back to a core construction and lighter weight somewhat similar to the Carbonlite. Much like the Carbonlite the Helium is only recently being welcomed at the World Cup level.

The takeaway from all this is that the theme of Fischer race skis is quality control and repeatability of cambers that yield best results.

Camber Concepts and Base Materials

Easiest to describe are the two base materials from Fischer. In all the “Plus” skis Fischer employs their “28” base. Recommended for temperatures above t 14°F (-10°C), this has been one of the most remarkably versatile bases in the industry. Even in this era of specialty skis with clear bases that have narrow use range intended for old dirty snow, a Fischer with the 28 base is still competitive. For the racer owning only one pair of skis who is faced with very cold conditions, a  28 base Fischer can be hot waxed in a manner to harden the base sufficiently to become competitive.

For truly cold, slow, and abrasive conditions, for a long time Fischer relied on their A5 Cold base. But it was notoriously fussy, and while it could run well in some cold conditions it wasn’t so great in normal cold. In preparation for the Beijing Olympics, Fischer’s R&D came up with their new 31 Cold base, and wow, did they strike a home run. More like a grand slam! The 31 Cold base is outstanding in all cold, slow, abrasive conditions, but is remarkably fast up to 28°F (-2°C).

For camber concepts, the 610 camber has to be considered the top candidate for any skate ski design, possibly having the widest performance range available in a single pair of skis. Perhaps the only weakness is that it can be less stable in truly hard conditions (look up the notorious World Cup Biathlon Race in Dec ’22 at Annecy-Le Grand Bornand, where conditions challenged the world’s best skiers). For super hard conditions, Fischer does make the 115 camber concept which modifires the pressure distribution leading to a longer and more stable wheelbase. The 115 is very rarely used by top athletes, even in hard conditions, but for the casual or norive level skier the extra stability of a 115 ski can make skiing more fun. There is a good way to think about the differrences - which design would allow the skier to move comfortably well? The 610 design can be looked at as being “less stable” or “more responsive” depending on the skier’s needs. For competitive skiers, and athletic skiers seeking performance to enhance their growing skills the 115 has a limit, especially in snow conditions that are soft and/or wet.

Of note is the 61K skate ski. This modification of the 610 isn’t a chasm of difference; indeed, in friendly conditions even a novice might have difficulty feeling the difference. The changes in contact area, tip splay, and bridge are slight and most noticeable in soft and/or wet conditions where there is some gain in speed. The potential for a slight advantage in acceleration can make this a great sprint ski even in harder conditions, but in those hard conditions the directional response is different than a typical 610. Not quite the difference between a speed skate and a hockey skate, but that analogy is useful to understand the response difference. Worth noting that of the many skiers we have fit with the 61K the majority call it their favorite skate ski.

A word about stone grinds

There is good but perhaps oversold advice about having new skis go in immediately for a high quality stone grind. The premise is that factory stone grinds are either innapropriate for North America conditions, or that the factory stone grinds are of poor finish quality.

We take a more nuanced take.

First of all, in our Pacific Northwet…er, Northwest conditions, the Fischer P5-1 stone grind has remarkable performance. Arguably not true in the Midwest or Rockies, but around here the P5-1 has delivered.

As to the quality, Fischer’s factory stone grinds can easily be claimed to be at a standard far better than other factory grinds.

For the top competitor, especially one who has a quiver of skis, an aftermarket stone grind can be a good idea.

In their Cold skis with the 31 base, it is likely that the grind is a C8-1. This does tend to emphasize performance in cold, old and artificial snow; for the skier wanting top performance in new fine grained dry snow, a different grind might be good.

Very good to know that the P5-1 and C8-1 grinds are very fine linear and symmetric; this gives very good results when using hand structure tools.

Skis at LCN

Skis in Bold Italics are in stock, others can be ordered.

Speedmax 100HE. $950. Helium construction. Available in Plus 610, Cold 610, and Plus 61K. Worth noting again that despite the 61K being marketed as a specialty ski for soft and wet conditions, in our area many top skiers find it to be their favourite skate ski.

Speedmax 90. $800. The original Speedmax construction. Available in Plus 115 and Plus 610. The Speedmax 90 Skate Plus 610 is LCN’s favorite ski to recommend.

Speedmax 80. $575. Available in Plus 115 and Cold 610. The Plus 115 is a big favorite with recreational skate skiers because of enhanced stability. The Cold 610 is highly recommended for the race oriented skier on a budget. The upper limit of the 31 base is more than compensated in warmer/wetter snow due to the 610 camber.