Playful and stout are probably the two biggest takeaways from the all-new 2019 Fischer Ranger 102 FR. With the same basic shape and construction as the Ranger 108 and 98, the 102 FR carves out its own little niche as a hard-core freeride ski with a fun side. That’s mostly due to the twin tip shape of the skis. There’s a lot of dilution in the industry as far as these little niches are concerned, and it takes a good product to stand out from the rest. Aimed at that sidecountry/backcountry individual who is looking for that swiss-army style pair of skis, Fischer has separated itself from other competitors thanks to the playful character of the 102 FR. Once again, as with the other Fischer freeride skis, our testers were giddy about the stability and edge hold of the Ranger 102. Visually, something that stands out is the different topsheet material. It’s no longer shiny like the Ranger series of yesteryear, but rather textured looking and matted. It’s a subtle difference, but Fischer hopes that this reduces some of the visual wear that the Rangers have undergone over the past few seasons. Additionally, the tail rocker of the skis is more pronounced than in the other Ranger skis, leading to a more playful feel that is less hard-snow oriented. Most testers skied the longest 184 cm length.
Somehow, Noah Labow already owns a pair. He is a great resource for input for the Ranger 102, and his comments are pretty darn positive. He scored the skis all 5’s for flotation, stability, torsional stiffness, versatility, and overall impression. “I love this ski” he says. “Nice flex profile with lots of tip rocker.” That tip rocker is the same as is found in the other Rangers; it is long and low. Noah comments on the tail difference by simply stating: “nice twin tip on tail.” He continues by saying “rails turns, very versatile. Hard to flex at slow speeds. Great on groomed, crud, and powder.” The difficulty that Noah is finding at slow speeds is most likely due to the slightly heavier weight found in the 102 FR as opposed to the Ranger 108.
Hans vonBliesen thought the skis felt short, and with the twin tip and tail design, the shorter effective edge is probably the cause. He comments on the feel of the ski being “loose because of the rocker, but don’t be fooled, it is solid underfoot. Because of the rocker, it skis short, and that allows it to be nimble, but I would hesitate to call it quick. At the end of the day, it’s a good all-mountain ski that will crush all snow conditions.”
Jamie Bisbee wasn’t sold right off the bat, but he came around. He actually skied the 177 cm length and found them to perform true to size. “Once I pressed ‘go,’ the Ranger became something different, something in the need for speed! This ski is full of two different personalities: slow, slashy and smeary as a sweet spring bump slayer, and fast, superior, soft snow slayer.” That’s awesome alliterative analysis from Jamie!
Bob St.Pierre thought they felt short, probably due to the low and long rocker, but the tails were all there. He scored the skis straight 4’s out of 5 for all categories, meaning this is an above-average, well-rounded pair of skis. He called them “fantastic, easy going high-end ski—great for advanced and expert skiers. They turn and pivot quite nicely and hold carves when pushed. It’s a perfect all-mountain ski!” That’s pretty glowing for a brand new product.
For a first effort, Fischer really impressed our testers with the Ranger 102 FR. The general consensus is that the Ranger 102 will be an ideal all-mountain ski that has no speed limit, whether high or low. Advanced and expert skiers will look to this ski as their go-to stick on any day, all day.
For those reading this – I’m 170cm tall and 150 lbs, came off 177 V4 Mantras that felt too long. I got 170 Ranger 102’s and they’re incredible but definitely wish I went with the 177 Ranger 102. I agree with those reviewers who said it skied short.
I see that there aren’t any comments form Markus Shakun. As a 6’4″ 225 lb dude myself, I’d be interested in what he had to say 😉
You hit the nail on the head there. Would love to here the input as to me, 184 seems a tad short, especially with some reviewers saying it skis a bit short? Any chance Markus can put in some imput here?
Thanks for all the great reviews
Hi Tommy!
Just checked in with Marcus, and he’s of the opinion that for our eastern skiing with tighter trees and a need for more maneuverability, the 184 is just fine. If you’re out west and charging pretty hard, you might need something that comes in a longer length. Hope that helps!
SE
I am currently looking at these and a few others, namely the armada arv 96/106, line sick day 104 and faction prodigy 3.0
pretty much exclusively i ski resorts and try to go off-piste whenever i can, but i want my ski to not let me down on-piste.
Looking for one single ski to take out pretty much every day. I wanna say im playful, but really i want to be more playfil than i am and im still learning the whole freestyle side.
I used to only ski race carvers and id say i am at an expert level at that, but a couple years ago i switched it up with mostly off piste and im comfortable in any terrain now, though id say im an advanced intermediate in pow and off piste in general. parks arent really my thing yet, but if i wanna explore there id want my ski to handle it.
Sorry for this wall of text, but hardly anyone i know can help me with that as i mostly ski with boarders, so i hope to get some help deciding on ski.
Hi Leon!
I’m going to have a hard time talking you out of the Ranger 102. It has a metal layer in it, a turned-up tail, and a very versatile shape, so it checks all of your boxes. The other skis are fine, but I found the Ranger to stand out of a crowded field. Have fun!
SE
what i forgot aswell, I’m 180cm tall, would you say the 177 will feel too short? and will the 184 still be nimble and playful enough? again, thank you for answering!
Hi Leon!
Just based on height, I’d go with the 177. If you’re super-aggressive, you could size up, but I think the 177 is the proper length. Have fun!
SE
5’8″, 155lb, Skied the 177s last season mostly around Tahoe and Mammoth and these will be my primary skis this season. Would highly recommend them as an all-round ski.
They are super fast and stable on-piste and float pretty well in deeps. I agree they feel just a tad short (at least coming from the heavier 178 Volk Gots) but that makes me feel like I have better control. Note they are not the lightest of skis so if you size up, you will be carrying more weight so something to consider depending on type of skiiing you do.
I would probably get another ski if you primarily ski off-piste or only BIG powder days, but for your average mixed condition ski days on and off-piste, it’s a solid one ski quiver especially if you value fast and stable skis with a little playfulness. I think it works better for medium radius turns, not so much if your style is really short, quick turns. I want to emphasize they are pretty fast skis or it could be the solid edge hold that makes you want to race as fast as you can down the mountain so it’s fun even when the powder has dried up.