Fun times on Fischer Koa 88's

I had the opportunity to take Fischer's Koa 88's out for a ride. These skis are currently in the Fischer lineup, but they have updated the graphics for the 2014-15 ski year. I quiet liked the new look – a nice mix of colours. Maybe slightly excessive on the pink side, but I also think it works fairly well.

These are an all mountain ski that Fischer sees as being a bit more off piste, aka choppy, not groomed runs. They come in 3 lengths, I rode the 160cm length, which has a 15m turn radius. The measurements of the ski are 128 tip, 88 underfoot, 115 tail.

I enjoyed this ski a fair bit. At first I felt that maybe it washed a bit in the tail when turning, but as I got the hang of the ski, I found the happy spot and how to make the ski work better for me. As I got the hang of the Koa 88 I found that it really popped at the end of the turn. This helped to kick you into your next turn and made the ski fun to ride.

While I found this kick in the skis fun, I also found that the Koa still transitioned well from turn to turn. There was a good flow and linking the turns was smooth.

One downfall was that I didn't feel that the ski gripped well on icier conditions. This is not too surprising when you realize that Fischer themselves see this as being a ski with a forte in the chop. So riding the Koa in the chop brings out the strength of these wonderful skis.

These are a ski that I can recommend to a more experienced skier that likes to get off the groomed track. A great consideration and something to look at for sure if you're in the market for new skis.

The Goods...

-fun

-really pops you into the next turn

-all mountain

-smooth transition from turn to turn

-good graphics

The Not-So-Goods...

-not a great grip on icy terrain

-bit of a tail wash at times

-maybe a bit too much pink on the graphic