Pricey but worth it.
Written: Feb 08 '06 (Updated Apr 07 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: All round amazing skis
Cons: Kind of expensive
The Bottom Line: If you're an intermediate to advanced level skater, these skis will suit you very well. They are very fast, stable, easy-carving skis.
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| fortunecat500's Full Review: Fischer RCS CAP Skating Cold/Plus |
Purchased the Skate Cut Plus last year at end of season sale, along with the Fischer 9000s boots and Salomon Pilot skate bindings (You can read my review on the Salomon Pilot bindings here).
Now in my mid-30s, I used to race at a high level as a junior. My previous set of skating skis to this were a set of Peltonen Supra 4000g's purchased around 1996. I have also used Fischer RCS skate and classic skis circa 1990 (the ones with fluorescent pink and yellow decals, yucky colors but great skis).
I needed a new pair of skis as my previous ones were too soft for my, ahem, post-competition girth. All of my previous skis were medium camber. These ones are stiff and 192 cm in length. In my competition days I used to ski on 200 cm skating skis. These days they can apparently crunch a longer ski's camber into a smaller ski, which is great for control on the downhills and not catching an edge on narrower trails or when passing.
The first thing you notice about these skis is that they are extremely light, and they balance nicely in your hands. The tips have a very shallow shovel - compared to a pair of standard classic skis, these seem almost flat in the front. When you're going down hills with a thin layer of powder over the track, the tips float through the powder but occasionally the powder will obscure the tips of your skis.
These skis are thoroughbreds; made for groomed and set trails. They feel very light and quick on uphills. They won't make you a better skier, only concentrating on proper technique will do that, but their light weight will definitely shave a few seconds off of long climbs when you're going at maximal effort.
Where these RCS Skates really shine, however, is in the downhills. On sharp corners, when you're going into a step turn, it's really easy to lift and step till you're round the bend. On corners with more speed, they're very stable and carve smoothly through.
My old RCS skates (the ones from 1990) had a strip of metal embedded under the outside edges of the base - they carved through icy corners nicely as well, but they tended to want to run straight through. The were great for glide, straight runs and carving corners, but step turns were not their forte. The groove on the modern ones is much shallower; I think that's the key. The new RCS skates are a little more maneuverable, but they don't seem to run straight quite as nicely as the old ones. Still, they are very stable - they go where you point them. You just have to concentrate on where they're pointing. It's interesting actually - they feel much more like my old Peltonens. I always associated Peltonen with a softer, lighter maneuverability than Fischer. I used to use Peltonens in soft, fresh conditions, while Fischers were better for hard, icy conditions. These ones I feel are balanced more toward softer conditions than my previous ones.
Overall, I think the RCS Skates are great skis for intermediate to advanced skaters. They do everything you want them to in most conditions. To be honest I've not yet used them on icy tracks, so I can't comment on how great they are there, but if you're considering these, you could definitely do a lot worse. They're worth every penny. (Just try and get them on sale if you can.)
What I like most about these skis is that unlike a Ferrari, you can buy these thoroughbreds without taking out a second mortgage.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
fortunecat500
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Member: Fortune Cat
Location: Toronto
Reviews written: 19
Trusted by: 1 member
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