2025 Fischer Ranger 96

Fischer has taken the Ranger 96 into the current year, bringing these highly versatile skis forward with new colorways. Overall, though, the skis return unchanged for 2025, much to the delight of advanced and expert skiers who are looking for the rare ski that does it all. By blending a rockered profile and tapered shape with a partial metal laminate, the Ranger 96 checks a ton of boxes for a lot of skiers. From steeps and trees to bumps and powder, the Ranger 96 is incredibly well-rounded, natural, and intuitive. Skiers who don’t like thinking too much about what skis to bring on a given day will love the mindless confidence of the Ranger 96.

Built with a blend of poplar and beech in the wood core, the Ranger 96 has a wonderful mix of sturdiness and energy. The beech does a lot of the heavy lifting here when it comes to stability, and you can feel that dense power running from tip to tail through the central chord of the ski. It’s sidelined by the poplar that keeps the ski floaty and maneuverable in adverse conditions and terrain. In the middle section of the ski, Fischer’s titanal laminate takes center stage. This .5 mm layer uses width-specific shaping and a flex cut notch in the middle to increase the flex while keeping dampness as a priority. The arms of the metal extend out towards the tips and tails to provide better edge grip on firm snow while leaving the ends of the ski floaty and fun with more flexible wood construction. The 180 cm length sits on the scale at 1950 grams per ski, so this is right in the sweet spot where we expect versatile all-mountain skis to land. Tester Jeff Carpenter notes that the Ranger 96 “felt a little less stable at speed in chopped up snow than I was expecting. I didn't get to ski it fast on groomers which is where I feel it would shine but it was fun in the moguls and trees with fresh snow.” That blend of metal sometimes doesn’t create the top end stability, and Jeff is noting that here.

In harmony with the build, the shape speaks to true all-mountain versatility. The mid-90's is money when it comes to mixing it up out there on the hill. You can carve, float, bump, skid, jump, smear, and skid no matter what’s under your feet. This is a supremely well-rounded footprint for a variety of ski-based activities. In the 180, we get an 18-meter turn radius, but somehow it feels a bit shorter. The softer flexing shovels and tails give into that theory, as the initiation phase of the turn is very simple in this ski. Those tips are pretty spoony as well, so they do ease right into the turn. Bob St.Pierre notes that “while the overall composure and shape of the ski is based around fun, heavier and more aggressive skiers may find that turn shape to not line up well with the build. I personally have a hard time getting the ski to engage smoothly on firmer snow. In soft snow it’s a blast, but I like a little more precision in the front of my ski in hard pack and carving.”

The 2025 Fischer Ranger 96 brings a slightly different look to the table but continues its trend of being one of the most respected and well-rounded skis on the planet. There’s a big range of skier type here, as the Ranger is amenable to slower speeds with easier turning while the metal underfoot provides good stability and grip for firmer snow. Tester weight matters here, as lighter skiers seem to get along better with the Ranger 96 than more powerful ones.