Where: Skied the Fischer WC RC at Killington on 11/23 & at Stratton on 11/25
Skied the Fischer RX-8 at Stratton on 11/25
Skied the Dynastar Intuitive 74 at Killington on 11/23 & 11/24
Conditions at Killington: 6 to 12" of new natural snow on a 6? man-made base. Snow was falling in the morning; then trailing off to blue skies at closing both days. It was pretty much soft all day long with only a little bit of hard stuff in the merge areas. Conditions at Stratton were hard man-made and natural providing a perfect racing surface. Blue skies and cold windy ?January? weather.
My specs: 5? 11", 215lbs. male, 40th season skiing, former USSA & High School 7-day-a-week competitor in New Hampshire. I use a modern carving technique and I like ice as much as I like soft snow. (maybe a little more?) Boots, Skis & bindings: 2003 Salomon Course (red, 130 flex). The Fischer 175cm Worldcup RC with the race plate is mounted w/ a Rossignol Race 140 binding with T-plate. The 175cm Fischer RX-8 features Railflex bindings. I used my son?s Tecnica Explosion 8 boots while skiing the RX-8.
In general, I enjoy more specialized skis. I used race stock slalom straight skis for many years, then a Volkl G30, Salomon Supermountain, Fischer Scenio S500 and Volant Sin. Now the Fisher WC RC, Head iXRC & Dynastar Intuitive 74 complete my current quiver.
Ski: Fischer 175cm RX-8
Comments: I spent 3 hours on the RX-8 while my son sat the morning out. This is another great ski with multiple personalities. I enjoyed the edge to edge quickness and the slalom like turn shapes that are very accessible. The ski is very cooperative at all speeds. At 175cm, it will give you long turns with superb stability and then throw down a series of rapid shorties like it was a 165cm Atomic SL:11. At one point I followed a couple of local skiers on racing slalom skis and I was able to duplicate their pencil-line tracks with no problem.
One issue I had with the ski that could be resolved with more experience was the use of both carving and soft edge technique; the ski will accommodate either type of turn and seemed to have no preference. I set the Railflex position at +15mm and this may have reduced the skis long turn carving ability a little.
The ski is not tiring or demanding. A great ski for the experienced users looking for a great on-piste ride. My son found the ski very stable in the soft natural snow at Killington. He was using it as a crud-buster with no problem. A great ski for all East-Coast conditions.
Fischer 175cm Worldcup RC with the universal race plate
Comments: I skied the RC in both soft snow at Killington and the hard snow at Stratton. I?ll get my soft snow comments out-of-the-way first. The ski was competent in the very soft (boot-top) conditions at Killington the edge to edge quickness was there at all times. The ski felt damp and was not thrown-around by the loose conditions. I?m sure it would submarine like a u-boat in deep snow, but for on-piste natural snow it is doable, if not ideal.
The hard snow conditions at Stratton were a revelation. The edge grip, edge to edge quickness, stability and carving ability put this ski in a league of its own. It simply was totally solid on hard snow and ice with 100% edge grip and perfectly carved turns at all times. Most skis want a little bit of finesse before great carved turns emerge; The RC provides high G-force carving thrills without a hint of hesitation. It could produce short turns on the steep headwalls as intuitively as a beating heart. I angulated the skis way out & away from my body core and I found the turn would be quickly completed with flawless edge-hold and super smooth rebound.
My only complaint is that the ski is really too-much for mere mortals like me. It is smooth and easy to use at moderate speeds, forgiving even. But those massive g-forces are tiring. It also rewards warp speed and you will be overtaking everyone on the hill without really trying. Yes, slow-speed turns are tricky. It won?t give you a ski school turn. It wants some speed and wants to carve. If you keep that in mind; you will be very happy (if a little worn). I better increase my fitness program!
In summery, the RX8 is the king of on-piste versatility. Its a ski for active carving technique; it likes to be on edge and will link one perfectly carved turn after another. Long turns, short turns, high speed, low speed, ice, bumps, crud, boot-top deep snow. it will not punish you for relaxing and will also skid without complaint. If I had to use only one ski for east-coast skiing, this would be it.
The Worldcup RC is more specialized. A true race-bred laminate construction carver for high speed hooligan skiing. The 16 meter turn radius is sharp enough for slalom turns yet stable at GS racing speeds. It will provide the kind of edge-grip that encourages heroic edge-angles and super-sudden directional changes. Its feels unhappy with skidded turns at slower speeds and is a little too demanding for all-day skiing. But, if you want to a high-performance machine to complement your all-mountain midfat, this will make your day.
Cheers,
Michael