2018 -2019 Fischer Ranger 98 Ti

 

 

Intro

At least on paper, there are a lot of skis that look pretty similar to the Fischer Ranger 98 Ti. After all, it’s a mid-fat ski that displays a healthy dose of tip rocker and a modest amount of tail rocker. So what sets it apart?

Fischer calls it “a lightweight ski that knifes through any condition.” We’ve now spent time on the Ranger 98 Ti across a pretty broad range of conditions, and we’d be inclined to agree: yes, this is a light ski, and yes, it does indeed knife through snow quite well.

Brian Lindahl reviews the Fischer Ranger 98 Ti for Blister Gear Review.
Brian Lindahl on the Fischer Ranger 98 Ti. (photo by: Grayson Tamberi)

But as we asked in our First Look, what type of skier is best suited for the Ranger 98 Ti? And how would it perform as a 50/50 ski? Of all the skis I’ve been on recently, the answer hasn’t been clearer than with the Ranger 98 Ti.

 

Mount Point

The Ranger 98 Ti has a recommended mount point of -7.5 cm, which is right between traditional and progressive. On the line, Jonathan and I both felt that the ski was balanced and responsive, and didn’t see a reason to move it forward or back. The skis felt comfortable both when driving the tips and when skiing with a more centered stance.

On-Snow Performance

The Ranger 98 Ti is lightweight and rockered enough to ski powder well, and it loves to carve. The torsional stiffness is solid for such a light ski, and I think Fischer has turned out an extremely impressive construction in this regard. It has tenacious edge hold while also being quick and snappy.

Groomers

The Ranger 98 Ti is best described as quick and energetic while offering up a smooth ride on clean groomers. In this regard, the Ranger 98 Ti reminded me a bit of a much heavier ski, the Nordica Enforcer 100. To be clear, the Enforcer 100 is a heavier ski with a higher top end — especially in variable snow. But on clean groomers, the similarities in flex and shape between the two skis was noticeable to me, and this is worth keeping in mind if you’ve felt or worried that the Enforcer 100 was maybe too heavy or too sluggish / not nimble enough for you.

Brian Lindahl reviews the Fischer Ranger 98 Ti for Blister Gear Review.
Brian Lindahl on the Fischer Ranger 98 Ti. (photo by: Grayson Tamberi)

Banging out slalom-esque turns on fresh corduroy in the morning is an absolute blast on the Ranger 98 Ti. Its tip initiates quickly and really pulls you into a turn. Even at slower speeds, high edge angles were achieved quite easily. Fischer and Nordica both have seemingly discovered a formula for an all-conditions ski that offers a pretty remarkable feeling when carving.

On roughed-up / end-of-day groomers, the Ranger 98 Ti diverges from the Nordica Enforcer 100 much more. The lightweight nature of the Ranger 98 Ti gives rise to more deflection than you’d experience on heavier skis. If the snow piles are rather small and navigable, the Ranger 98 is still a blast — stay nimble and light on your feet, and the ski’s blend of quickness and precision makes for some fun skiing. But at high speeds in more chunked-up terrain, you’ll be fighting to keep the ski tracking. But if you are willing to slow down a bit, we found these skis easy to bring back under control.

Moguls, Trees, and Tight Terrain

The same carving prowess exhibited by the Ranger 98 Ti on groomers can also be found when in moguls, trees, and other tighter terrain. Scope your line, commit to it with strong carves, and you will find a high level of precision that is very rewarding. On the other hand, if you ignore the line and attempt to slam your way down the mountain, you’ll falter.

That said, if there is no obvious line (as there often isn’t on steep, moguled runs), the Ranger 98 Ti’s agility lends itself well to quick pivots and smearing maneuvers. And if you get bucked off the front of the ski, its tails won’t punish you. So this isn’t the best ski to smash and bash your way down the mountain, but ski with some control and finesse, and the Ranger 98 Ti can navigate such terrain well, while also being very rewarding for more experienced skiers.
NEXT: Powder, Soft Chop, Etc.

25 comments on “2018 -2019 Fischer Ranger 98 Ti”

  1. I think the Motive name is being weaved into their All Mtn line for 16/17 replacing the Motive86 and 95 not sure if any design changes….The fellas at Blister reviewed the 86Ti and gave it high reviews….I bought them and have skied them 2x and they are exactly what the Blister folks say…I don’t think the Blister folks have printed a review on the last years outgoing Motive95 but other sites have and say awesome things and they are available online for a great value.

  2. “isn’t a particularly surfy or loose ski” – sounds like a Fischer (or at least my experience with the Watea from way back), but surprised given the splay in the tips. I was looking for a 50/50 but backed away from the Rangers as I’m not fond of that much tip rocker for everyday all conditions.

    I went with Volkl 90Eights which I really like for everything I’ve thrown at them. But they are light so roughed up groomers make you grit your teeth. Started with a pair with G3 Ion 12’s last spring, and liked them enough to buy another pair to mount up with alpine binders.

    • Hi Bruno,

      I would say that looseness and surfiness can often be more of a function of the tail rocker and width of a ski, rather than the amount of splay in the tips. The amount of splay in the tips plays a large role in how well the ski planes and floats in powder, especially deep powder. However, a ski can definitely plane and float well in powder without feeling especially loose and surfy – this is the Ranger 98 Ti (and some of the other narrower skis that I’ve been spending time on lately).

  3. Hello!

    Thank you for the review! Very helpful.

    Any thought on how the Ranger 98 Ti compares to the K2 Pinnacle 95? Very interested in both.

    Much appreciated!

    • Hi Cameron,

      I haven’t skied the K2 Pinnacle 95 before.

      However, Alex Adams in his review of the Pinnacle 95 says:
      “Down in New Zealand, my most direct comparison to the Pinnacle 95 was the Atomic Vantage 100. I skied the Pinnacle 95 one day and the Vantage 100 the next at Craigieburn Valley Ski Area. The Vantage 100 instantly felt more lively to me. It has a more forward recommended mount position and some nice camber underfoot that gave the ski a more energetic, poppy feel. To put it bluntly, I just felt like jumping off of things more when the Vantage 100 was on my feet.”

      He also says:
      “The heavily rockered tips and lack of camber underfoot enable the Pinnacle 95 to stay afloat and pivot easily in soft snow”

      The Ranger 98 Ti is a very lively ski with lots of energy. It also prefers to carve over pivot in soft snow. I’d wager that these are the main ways in which the Ranger 98 Ti will differ from the Pinnacle 95 – the Pinnacle 95 would NOT be as carvy or energetic of a ski. It’s probably a bit more laid back and loose. Again, though, I haven’t skied the Pinnacle 95 before, and Alex Adams hasn’t skied the Ranger 98 Ti (at least to my knowledge).

  4. Im 5’11…in between lengths. Which size would you recommend in this ski (Intermediate Skier). Their website says 188…but that seems long?

    • Hey John,

      For an intermediate skier at 5’11, I’d recommend the 180 length. 188 would feel a bit too long for handling tight spaces and moguls for many intermediate skiers — unless you’re used to that length or only really ski wide-open spaces, with the anticipation of taking lessons to get you to the advanced/expert level.

  5. As a tall skier (6,5”), I feel that I need the longer length of skis for fore aft stability in rougher terrain.
    But, I am also fairly lightweight (175lbs), and an advanced, moderate speed skier, without a racing background, so I like less stiff, more nimble and agile skis.

    So my strategy has been to look for skis whee reviewers suggest to size up, or ones that are notably quick and agile.

    It seems like you are saying this is a quick and agile ski, but at the same time, not recommending sizing up.

    I suspect that 180cm skis are just to short for me in any kind of funky snow or when landing jumps. Do you think the 188 would be a good choice, or should I keep looking for a different, more nimble, ski?

    • You need to go up to the 188 in my opinion. You will want the edge length of the longer ski for groomed snow (especially with the tip rocker on this ski). For softer snow (pow or chopped up snow) length will help.

      • “Will you have have a different ski for soft/powder snow?”

        Maybe not, I live in MN, so fly out west with a family and luggage space is at a premium.
        Maybe, yes I might keep my (only current) ski, the 184 (185cm measured) K2 Marksman. I bought those because I wanted something nimble and ‘pivoty’ for tight trees and low speed moguls. I love them for that, but wish they made a longer size.

        What I think I need to look for is a longer ski, with a fairly short side cut radius (since the longer sizes always increase that anyway), lightweight and quick. Often the advice for people wanting a quicker, more agile ski is to size down, but I suspect that doesn’t work well for me, due to my height. Anything that throws my weight forward puts my center of mass way out over the tip on shorter skis.

          • Hi Tjaard,

            You’re a pretty tall guy. Since you don’t have a different soft snow ski, I’d consider looking at the 188s instead of the 180s. I think that would be the more appropriate size. Perhaps demo them next time you’re out west? Or perhaps locally?

  6. I’ve got the 188s. I didn’t get on with them at 1St, mounting Marker Barron touring bindings centered as suggested far to much tail and hard work. I took them to Colin at the Piest Office Notts UK who after some discussion and comparing with the 180 and similar freeride skis decided to change to Marker Griffon bindings mounted 25mm further back. This has transformed them into a great easy to use All Mountain ski.
    My Fischer Ranger 188s are the 2015/16 model are a bigger ski all round and are actually 100mm underfoot Not 98mm as are 2018.
    Tip 136mm Tail 126mm radios 19m and weight 4080G compared to the 180
    Tip 132 waste 98 Tail 122 Radios 18 and weight 3540.
    Incidental the 172 length is 96mm wide.
    Food for thought, there’s more usable edge on my 177 volkl kendos than the 188 Ranger due to the massive front rocker.

  7. Hello! I have a Fischer RC4 RC skis, but I find them too stiff (I go out of balance easy) + not usable or fun in non-perfect on-piste conditions (hard, icy is best).
    I am trying to descide what Skis to buy to go along with the RC4s- Ranger 98ti or MTN 95 ti. How would you compare them? I also looked at Head Kore / Nordica Enforcer series

  8. Hi Brian, ordered a pair of the 98’s in 180 (and Look Pivot 14’s) and will be recieving within the week. 6’1”, intermediate-advanced, but really love exploring all parts of mountain and want to improve on moguls, chutes, and glades. Right call with the 180? 188 seemed to be if I wanted to spend most of my time in GS mode. Always love your reviews; thank you!

  9. Hi! Is there any difference between the 2017/2018 model compared to the 2018/2019 one, or is it just graphics upgrade? I seen couple pages claiming the older model being 1700g/180 and the newer one being 1800g/180.

    • From what Fischer has told us, the ski was not changed apart from graphics since the 16/17 model that we reviewed. So the 16/17, 17/18, and 18/19 versions should all have the same construction.

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