The rebound out of the tail and into the next turn surprises me most. They definitely have some "pop." I ski the 168 at 5'7"/ 165 lbs.
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Individual Review Long-Term Review: 2020 Fischer RC One GT 86
My old skis had more pop when you loaded the tail, but it was really sudden and hard for me to manage the sudden impulse. There would be very little feedback as you went back, then suddenly a huge push as the tail suddenly loaded and the skis jetted forward. So, I did not spend much time aft since it could be really punishing if you didn't time it just right. So I erred toward skiing 'too forward on them.'
The 86 GT also have a lot of rebound if you get aft far enough, but the tail loads more gradually and I could feel the tail flexing earlier. The tail is friendlier for carving than my old skis. I suspect some people won't like the more gradual tail feedback in a hard snow ski, but I like it since I can ski more centered and play with moving aft a bit without worrying about the skis suddenly loading up and jetting out. There's more warning before that happens.
I took mine out yesterday for a bluebird day at Northstar. It was my first time on them this season and I forgot how much I love these skis. As a reminder, I bought them to ski with my kids and they could not be more perfect for that. They are easy to cruise slowly behind my 9 year old and just as good when I break away and want to bomb down the hill. They come alive.
As has been said, are they best carving skis out there? No, but they carve great and can easily bend into any turn shape I want. Likewise, they are not the best for moguls and trees, but they were an absolute blast on the moguls yesterday. And they handled everything from patches of ice I hit to piles of pushed around snow on the groomers. They remain stable and inspire confidence.
In short, these are just as great and versatile as I remember them from last season.
About me: 5'9" 150 lbs. Skis are 175s with the system bindings.
As has been said, are they best carving skis out there? No, but they carve great and can easily bend into any turn shape I want. Likewise, they are not the best for moguls and trees, but they were an absolute blast on the moguls yesterday. And they handled everything from patches of ice I hit to piles of pushed around snow on the groomers. They remain stable and inspire confidence.
In short, these are just as great and versatile as I remember them from last season.
About me: 5'9" 150 lbs. Skis are 175s with the system bindings.
I know this is the 86 GT thread, but I'll throw in a plug for it's little brother the 82 GT. In the 173cm version, this is a ski with plenty of stiffness for most and provides a good amount of pop from turn to turn. It was the one ski I used the most in Taos and I took it everywhere and skied it in every condition; 6" of powder, end of day glare ice, sun-baked crust, moguls the size of a VW bug... you name it. It's shape makes it quite versatile and probably the biggest surprise is that it can charge quite well without feeling particularly nervous at top speed.
Oh, and it carves almost at the level of my Fischer Curv GT. Evidence below...
Oh, and it carves almost at the level of my Fischer Curv GT. Evidence below...
The 86 was the one and only ski I used for 4 days at Mammoth last spring. It could easily be a OSQ for me.
With the recent launch of the new re-vamped Ranger line-up, any news on an RC One GT series refresh ?
Nooooooooo!!!!!!!
It just means it's time to stock up when they go on sale!
Just happens there's a brand new pair of 175 with system bindings for sale at Phil's Garage:
RC One 86 GT
RC One 86 GT
^^^ surprised no one has grabbed yours yet.
They've already been cheap for a while now -> typically $400 flat and $550'ish with stock system binding. I prefer the original topsheet with the larger Fischer Triangle on the front. My 82's with the green Triangle look awesome IMO, and matching sidewalls in green
They've already been cheap for a while now -> typically $400 flat and $550'ish with stock system binding. I prefer the original topsheet with the larger Fischer Triangle on the front. My 82's with the green Triangle look awesome IMO, and matching sidewalls in green
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I've been successful so far in not purchasing these
They seem like a fairly good bargain at this point in the season. I have a pair of Speedzone 12s in 174 and find them slightly short for me at 6' and 175 or so.Skied my pair another 11 days -- 5 at Deer Valley and 6 at Telluride -- 17 days on them total. DV had not had significant natural snowfall in 3 weeks, and likewise for Telluride, so conditions were not great. Snow was firmer at DV vs Telluride, though both mountains were doing well preserving what they had received in late December/early January.
Got a tune in DV (1 deg base, 3 side) on day 7 with the skis and did not notice much difference in performance of the ski. So I suspect the factory tune was quite good (I do not have the tools to measure it). Had them sharpened/waxed again at about day 15 to remove some burrs.
DV groomers were definitely on the firm side, but with some technique improvements I could get solid edge hold on all groomers. Most of the time skiing at DV was groomers. Time at DV was also spent mostly in lessons/drills and these skis were great for doing 'technical groomer stuff.' Bumps at DV were quite awful -- very solid and horribly shaped. Our lesson group spent little time skiing bumps due to conditions - I found about one good line in Empire (lookers right of the chair) among ~10 different bump runs.
Telluride was a similar story for groomer snow quality, but bump shape and spacing were much better and the snow a bit softer (even though little new snow in about a month time). The GT86 was great everywhere at Telluride - favorite runs being stuff accessed by Chair 9, Stuff under Chair 6, and Revelation Bowl (the parts with snow). With my prior skis (Kendo), I would be skiing bumps/off piste all day for fun, but the GT86 have made skiing groomers so much fun I was splitting time a bit more evenly between groomer and off piste. I don't feel like I gave up much in bumps (if anything) with these skis. They just make my time on groomers much more enjoyable, which is great when the snow is lacking.
Got a tune in DV (1 deg base, 3 side) on day 7 with the skis and did not notice much difference in performance of the ski. So I suspect the factory tune was quite good (I do not have the tools to measure it). Had them sharpened/waxed again at about day 15 to remove some burrs.
DV groomers were definitely on the firm side, but with some technique improvements I could get solid edge hold on all groomers. Most of the time skiing at DV was groomers. Time at DV was also spent mostly in lessons/drills and these skis were great for doing 'technical groomer stuff.' Bumps at DV were quite awful -- very solid and horribly shaped. Our lesson group spent little time skiing bumps due to conditions - I found about one good line in Empire (lookers right of the chair) among ~10 different bump runs.
Telluride was a similar story for groomer snow quality, but bump shape and spacing were much better and the snow a bit softer (even though little new snow in about a month time). The GT86 was great everywhere at Telluride - favorite runs being stuff accessed by Chair 9, Stuff under Chair 6, and Revelation Bowl (the parts with snow). With my prior skis (Kendo), I would be skiing bumps/off piste all day for fun, but the GT86 have made skiing groomers so much fun I was splitting time a bit more evenly between groomer and off piste. I don't feel like I gave up much in bumps (if anything) with these skis. They just make my time on groomers much more enjoyable, which is great when the snow is lacking.
Thanks for the detailed update. Everyone seems to be quite happy with their RC One 86 GT. I am still debating whether, in addition to my The Curv DTX, to go with RC One 86 GT + Ranger 96 or try to cover both with Stormrider 88.
Anybody else notice the weight of these skis? I've skied mine a bunch and my legs get noticeably more tired than when I'm on my AX78's.
Oh, I like the way they feel, it just took a few days of going back and forth between these skis to realize my legs start feeling it sooner with the Fischers.Tip, don't twist.
That weight can be your friend, not your enemy.
I bought them as a one ski quiver for 'out west', and I am very happy with them in that role. Worked great in haven't-had-snow-in-weeks at Deer Valley and Telluride. Also fun to ski in great snow conditions (chop and wind buff powder) at Kirkwood and Heavenly (week after Christmas and the epic snow storm in Tahoe area).
I was a little worried they would be too wide for skiing DV in such conditions, but they did not feel that way and I was not tempted to demo a narrower ski.
I notice it when packing the ski bag since I cannot get as much stuff in there as I used to without going over 50lbs (2 pairs of skis plus other stuff). On snow, I don't notice the weight. I also don't jump off things so the weight is really only a factor for me when hanging from a chairlift without a foot rest.
All you need to do is buy a pair of Fischer The Curv GT skis and then you'll appreciate the "lighter" feel of the 86 GT.
Striking how similar.
I'm also working out how good the SoothSki data is. Enter a Deacon 84. It's shockingly similar to....wait for it....an '18 Monster 88 (I always have an '18 M88 in my checks as I know it well, but it too has that Head 'trademark' soft torsional flex (overall, won't get into details)). Anyway, considering how stiff torsionally all the latest crop of Volkl's are that use the horseshoe metal tops, the absurdly soft torsional flex of the Deacon 84, tip to tail, is cause for skepticism.
I'm seriously looking at the GT86 as a replacement for the M88.
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