Fischer tallies awards in both Alpine and Nordic categories for Winter 24/25

November 4, 2024

Auburn, NH /OUTDOOR SPORTSWIRE/ – Gear Guides for Winter 24/25 are on newsstands and once again Fischer Sports has tallied several notable awards in both the ski and boot categories in the industry’s leading winter gear tests.

Alpine Awards

Best in Test is always the goal for Fischer, and this year the Fischer Ranger 96 nabbed the coveted honor in SKI Magazine’s Best All Mountain Skis for Women category. Testers raved about the adaptability of the ski in particular: “Topping the charts in the versatility scoring department – the holy grail for this all-condition, all-terrain category – this ski proved itself in nearly every medium, ripping on groomers, bombing through crud, and sucking up bumps.”

SKI Magazine’s 2024 Gear Guide lavished the rest of the Fischer ski lineup with a number of other superlatives. Among the Best Women’s Frontside Skis of 2025, testers named The Curv GT 85 the “Best Ski For Hard Chargers.” The Fischer Ranger 102 snagged the “Best for Moguls and Tree Skiing” accolade in the Best Women’s All Mountain Wide Skis of the Year category, and the Fischer Transalp 105 CTi touring ski was named “Most Balanced” in the Best Backcountry Skis For Deep Days and Big Missions category. Other members of The Curv line – the GT 85 and the GTX – both received honorable mentions as selects in the Best Frontside Skis of 2025 and Best Women’s Carving Skis of 2025 categories, respectively.

Off-piste and out-of-bounds, The Fischer Transalp 105 CTi touring ski – first released in 2022 – won an Editors’ Choice Award in Backcountry Magazine’s 2025 Gear Test. Justifying its top spot in the Sport Touring category, testers noted its likeness to a “Formula 1 car. Tuned. Fast. Dependable and one hell of a ride. Cult favorite in chop.” Other Fischer selects in the Backcountry Magazine 2025 Gear Guide include the Transalp 92 Pro CTi in the Sport Touring category, with testers noting the ski’s ability to move “with precision for the challenging trio of steep, fast and firm conditions.” Among boots, testers at Backcountry highlighted the Fischer RC4 Pro DYN boot in the Free Touring category for its hard charging chops. “Fantastic,” they raved. “It was so supportive.”

In Powder Magazine, the Fischer RC4 Pro MV DYN BOA Zip Fit boot nabbed a spot as one of the Best BOA boots of 2025, with testers saying, “ This boot just feels really, really comfortable. It’s powerful, precise, and comfortable, a rare combination…If you’re looking for a freeride boot that feels like a luxury vehicle, the RC4 Pro DYN should be on your short list.” The same boot also won a spot as one of the Best Crossover Touring Boots of 2025. “…it might just be the perfect boot for those looking to go big with the help of a snowmobile, cat, or heli and lap a spicy zone where every bit of performance matters,” testers explained.

Over at Freeskier, the Nightstick line reigned supreme. The Nightstick 104 won a spot as one of the Best Freeride Skis of 2025. Testers called the ski “a supremely playful and surfy weapon that speaks to the freestyle skier in all of us. The Nightstick features a full wood core that produces a soft and consistent flex, conducive to schmearing butters, ripping switch and throwing spins.” In the All-Mountain category, the narrower Nightstick 97 grabbed a podium spot as one of the Best All-Mountain Skis of 2025. Appealing to the “jib-loving skier who prefers to roam the mountain,” the testers wrote, “the Nightstick 97 is perfect for big airs off natural features and quick turns through tight terrain.”

Thirteen Fischer products made it into the Blister Gear Review Winter 24/25 Buyer’s Guide. Among skis, the Ranger 90, 96, 102, 108 models, The Curv GT and GT 85 Redefine models, and the Nightstick 97 and 104 models all earned the “Blister Recommended” honorific. Among boots, the Fischer Ranger 115 W and 130 models earned top honors. Multiple RC4 options – including the RC4 105 MV BOA, the RC4 MV PRO MV, the RC4 LV BOA ZipFit, and the RC4 Pro MV DYN – earned the same.

Nordic Awards

Once again Fischer won awards in both Outside’s Winter Buyer’s Guide and Cross Country Skier Magazine’s annual gear guide—the two premier Cross Country gear tests in North America. Both new and in-line products were ranked highly in both publications, highlighting the brand’s dominance in the Nordic market. Fischer’s newest ski, the Aeroguide Skate 85, was ranked highly across the board. This is Fischer’s first entry in a new line of skate skis geared towards skiers with an interest in skate skiing without extensive technical training to efficiently drive a race ski.

Outside’s testers gravitated toward the design concepts of the Aeroguide noting the “more aggressive, hourglass sidecut (43-40-45) than higher-level skis,” and praised how the “aggressive side cut provides more grip on the edge, making it much easier to push off when initiating the weight transfer (something beginner skiers often struggle with.)”

Cross Country Skier featured the Aeroguide Skate skis complimenting the design and providing feedback that the ski “was easy to get in a comfortable, balanced position for long glides.” Another tester noted that “when you put it down, you could feel confident that it was going to stay put and not wander underfoot.”

Fischer’s S-Bound 98 Xtralite was another tester favorite at Outside with the consensus being that it was exceptionally fun and easy to ski. “On a day with particularly challenging conditions, when I expected testing to be all business and no play, the S-Bound surprised me,” one editor notes, while elaborating that she “found plenty of purchase on a steep climb with thin snow, which made it almost as much fun as the downhill. Thanks to metal edging and an enhanced rocker on this nimble ski, the downhill was a blast, too.”

Cross Country Skier Magazine awarded their coveted Editor’s Choice to both the long-time bestselling OTX Spider 62 Xtralite and the Carbonlite Classic boot. Other Ficher products that were featured in the Gear Guide included the Aerolite Skate 90, Aerolite Skate 80, Twin Skin Speedmax 3D, Twin Skin Aeroguide 95 EF, Aeroguide 95 Crown EF, Orbiter EF Crown, OTX Adventure 62 Crown Xtralite, XC Control boot, Carbonlite Skate boot, and the Carbon Skate boot. In all, the volume and diversity of products featured highlights Fischer’s broad product offering, with outstanding skis and boots available for skiers of any ability and terrain choice.

ABOUT FISCHER SKIS

Fischer’s vision is to be the winter athlete’s brand of choice through outstanding products, created for everlasting moments and new levels of individual performance. The privately held company employs nearly 2000 individuals who all share a passion for and dedication to winter sports. Fischer Sports GmbH was founded in 1924 in Ried im Innkreis, Austria, where the global headquarters is still located. Manufacturing takes place there and in Ukraine. For more information, visit www.fischersports.com