Review: Fischer The Curv (M/O Plate)

Model year: 2021-2022
Sidecut: 118-70-101
Size: 178 cm
Radius: 16,5 m
Technology: wood core, full sidewall, 2 sheets of 0.8 mm titanal, M/O Race plate  

About this ski

Fischer first launched The Curv about 5 years ago, in a quest of three former Worldcup skiers to find the perfect carved turn. Since then, it has become an entire series of four models, ranging from the ‘The Curv’ (the original, with a race plate) – the stirdiest – to the slighly wider GT and the more mellow and cruisy DTX and (D)TI. 

The Curv family sits in between the RC4 Worldcup series (with consists of the actual competition models and the consumer versions of SL and GS skis) and the RC One series. The latter is the frontside allmountain series, going as wide as 86 mm underfoot. Does that make The Curv allround, then? Well, more allround than the GS or SL models with race plates, but still aimed at the top 10% of skiers, in terms of technical ability.

The big friendly giant

Some changes have been made to The Curv for next season. It is now 4 mm narrower than the original. More importantly, the radius is a bit tighter now. The old model was very close to a Pro version (with race plate) of a consumer GS ski with an 18 m radius in a 178 ski. Now, that same 178 length has a 16.5 m radius. And that places it right in between the cheatre GS and cheater SL skis in terms of turnshapes and versatility.

In all other repects, the ski hasn’t changed much. It is still mighty powerful, butter smooth and it still takes some good skiing to get all the benefits. It is a bit more refined in feel than the old model. The narrower width helps in quickness edge to edge, and the new M/O plate helps in smoothness. And it accommodates demo and GripWalk-compatible bindings, which most other plates do not naturally do.

In conclusion

The Curv is still a ski for big boys. But a bit more refined and versatile than the original version. This is a ski for technically good skiers that ski on hard snow and get everything they can out of their skill set. Higher level ski instructors, high-end cruisers and carvers – they will all love this super stable yet versatile ski.

Characteristics

Playful		Stable
Forgiving		Punishing
Lively		Damp
Skidding		Carving
Low speed		High speed
Short turn		Long turn
Soft snow		Hard snow