Fischer Red Heat System Skis

Jim's reveiw:

Every year in early December the ski reps put on a shop demo day for all the dealers. I use this two day event as a refresher on the mid level men's and women's skis that I didn't have time to really wring out the previous spring. This year as usual, the early season conditions were varible between hard manmade snow and very hard manmade snow. The first thing that impressed me about the Red was the edge grip. It was way better than expected for a mid priced ski. As I got more confident, I pushed the ski harder and it still held and stayed solidly stable. The Red Heat is a ski that performs well above it's price range in all aspects of ski performance. It was also exceptionally well balanced between grippy and forgiving, energetic and damp, and short radius vs. long radius turns. This would be a great work ski for a ski instructor who was driven by practicality rather than ego. Any intermediate could handle the red heat without undue effort but would also have a ski to grow with for the long haul.

Dennis says: The Fischer Red Heat is made for that intermediate skier who wants to get to the next level and keep the same ski. An advanced skier would enjoy this, too. I categorized the shape of the Red Heat as "moderate," but it can be turned tighter than most of the skis in the category because it has a 15 meter turn radius. This is great for that intermediate who hasn't developed some techniques that are helpful to get out of some situations. The Red Heat is great for confidently swooping down nice open groomers. It also is great for those days when there is a thin layer of fresh snow. Most skiers will enjoy the 170. Lighter skiers should ski the 165.

Fischer Binding systems:
All Fischer skis use avariation of the Tyrolia Railflex plate system. This system uses a light, dovetailed rail that is integrated onto the ski. The binding slides onto the rail and attaches with one central screw. This is a very effective free flex system and it also allows the skier to easily "tune" the performance of the ski. By unscrewing the one central screw, you can slide the entire system fore and aft on the ski without affecting the boot/binding adjustment. Jim played with this system extensively over the season and found that the forward position really makes the ski turn quicker while the aft position makes the ski more stable and allows a little more tip float in powder. The central position of course is best for the skier who doesn't want to "mess with things." The Red Heat comes with the Fischer FS11 Railflex binding.