The center width skis strike a suspiciously good stability of float, stability, energy, and lack of weight
I couldn’t assist however remorse my ski alternative for a scorching second once I confirmed as much as a contemporary foot of snow blanketing the glaciers round Chamonix. I had agonized over which skis to convey on the journey for weeks. One ski to do all of it in a mecca of massive snowboarding on huge, glaciated, and difficult terrain? It’s a tall order. Fischer’s Transalp 98 CTI’s bought the nod. However that remorse alleviated fairly shortly as I bought to know them higher.
It seems they’d the contemporary powder lined. They powered and surfed by means of fluff, corn later within the week, and held a confidence-inspiring edge on steep hardpack. And 1,500g per ski on the pores and skin tracks didn’t go away me with many excuses.
Even after returning to my house mountains in Colorado, I’ve continued reaching for the Transalp 98 CTI’s over wider, skinnier, shorter, and longer skis alike. The Transalp 98s verify quite a lot of bins for a lot of the terrain I usually discover myself in. And as you’d count on from their all-rounder geometry, they’ve proved extra versatile than my conditions- and mission-specific setups.
Picture: Clayton Herrman
Fischer Transalp 98 CTI
The Transalp 98 CTIs are Fischer’s second widest touring-specific ski behind the powder-oriented Transalp 105 CTI. The Transalp line additionally consists of 92mm and 86mm underfoot fashions in each “Professional” and regular variations. The Transalp RC skimo race ski rounds out the gathering.
The Transalp 98 CTIs sport a full wooden core milled out to avoid wasting weight, carbon stringers, stout ABS sidewalls, and an externally seen 0.5mm fork-shaped Titanal sheet in the course of the skis (CTI stands for Carbon Titanal). It’s a construct practically equivalent to the Transalp 92 CTI that I’ve skied extensively. Only a bit wider.
One bizarre quirk that may solely affect skiers on the japanese tail of the skier peak/weight/aggressiveness bell curve is that the Transalp 98 CTI’s prime out at 183cm size. That’s a hair shorter than my most well-liked 185cm – 190cm vary for “large boot” skis (I’m 6’1”, 195lbs for reference). They’re additionally provided in 155, 162, 169, 176, and 183cm lengths for everybody else. However given their straightforward character, I wouldn’t hesitate to dimension these puppies down into little boot territory.
Ski Setup
I mounted the Transalp 98 CTIs with the bindings that, for my part, maximize the weight-to-price-to-performance trifecta higher than most – the Marker Alpinist 12s sans brakes which weigh in at 297g every. Pores and skin traction was courtesy of Pomoca’s new grippy and glidy Tour Professional skins.
I threw a spectrum of various boots on the helm of the Transalp 98 CTIs, starting in Chamonix with my four-buckle Tecnica Zero G Tour Execs. That gentle four-buckle boot was the extra highly effective part of the pairing, however general the 2 skied in concord. That boot squeezed each ounce of juice out of the Transalp 98 CTIs in freeride situations. Within the mixture of snow high quality and partially lift-served terrain round Chamonix, they have been the best alternative. However in my day-to-day backcountry snowboarding in Colorado, they felt like overkill on such a light-weight ski.
Scarpa’s latest Maestrale RS felt like an nearly excellent match for the Transalp 98 CTIs in most situations. Their wider vary of movement in comparison with the Tecnica Zero G Tour Professional and Fischer Transalp Carbon Professional boots matched the light-weight character of the skis on the pores and skin observe. Their ahead lean and stiff cuff have been plentifully highly effective for the simple however directional character of the Transalp 98 CTI’s.
On the light-and-fast finish of the spectrum, my very gentle La Sportiva Kilo’s didn’t present fairly sufficient assist to ski the full-sized model of the Transalp 98 CTI’s in blended situations, so I moved away from that pairing after one tour. However I’d wager that one dimension shorter would yield a pleasant little light-weight pairing.
So yeah, these middle-width skis pair finest with middle-weight boots. 
Snowboarding Efficiency
We’re in fairly deep at this level, however I might finish this ski overview right here by changing the remaining with the next sentence: The Transalp 98 CTIs are gentle, intuitive, well-rounded, and versatile. They’re actually not that sophisticated. So if that’s what you got here right here for, be happy to skip the remaining.
Going from finest snow to worst, let’s begin with powder. The Transalp 98 CTI’s large rocker and 133mm shovels ideas made them lots floaty within the fluffy stuff. Floatier than you’d count on given the middle-of-the-road dimensions. Higher than a powder ski? In fact not. However when our crew was bouncing by means of a foot of contemporary on the Argentière glacier, I wasn’t desperately lacking my 4FRNT Renegades. Their shovels have been keen to remain afloat and remained vigorous, keen to pivot with a flick of the ft and a bit of ahead strain.
The Transalp 98 CTIs remained stable as soon as the powder began consolidating into denser piles. The reasonably stiff underfoot part of the ski, supported by the Titanal fork, resisted folding once I plowed them into extra fortified pillows. They didn’t flop all over like gentle skis can. They stayed poised once I pushed them to increased speeds in uneven snow, and the identical goes for corn. They’re formidable and admirably Austrian in character.
It’s chunky snow and a mixture of exhausting and smooth situations the place the Transalp 98 CTI’s felt extra fortified than different skis on this weight class. They don’t shrink back from leaning into quick and unfastened freeriding. However they do have a restrict, like all gentle skis do – their lack of mass and deep rocker can get a bit of bit squirrely at full blast. However whilst a big, aggressive skier with large boots, I didn’t hit that ceiling simply or typically. 
I ended up selecting my Transalp 98 CTIs extra typically than the rest in my quiver for couloir looking and longer spring days, particularly for the blended snow situations that Colorado has provided this season. When issues bought steep and agency, the 98 CTIs felt straightforward. The rocker, low swing weight, and usually straightforward character helped them soar activate a dime. But, it was straightforward to plant their edges with out sliding round an excessive amount of, too.
In actually horrible snow, the Transalp 98 CTIs weren’t dangerous , and I imply that as principally a praise. Being so gentle, I needed to dial down the velocity large time in exhausting, abrasive snow and coral reef situations. I didn’t die in breakable crust. The large rockered shovel stored them agile. A steadfast spine gave them ample stability. The tapered, barely rockered tail didn’t precisely disappear, however they launched with out an excessive amount of effort.
Comparisons
It’s been a couple of years since I’ve ridden the Black Crows Navis Freebirds, however I believe they’re a very good distinction to the Transalp 98 CTIs since their dimensions are in the identical ballpark, and quite a lot of skiers are aware of the lime inexperienced French crushers. In comparison with the Transalps, the Navis Freebirds are a bit of bit “extra” in nearly each method. They’re clearly wider, and logically extra floaty in powder, extra freeride-oriented, and extra on the size at about 1,825g per ski.
The Transalp 98 CTIs are not any slouch in these regards. However these two skis are essentially completely different in that the Fischers are very gentle – they do rather a lot with a bit of. The Navis Freebirds do rather a lot with extra (~1.4lbs heavier per pair). The Fischers do have the sting in tight areas – they’re a lot faster and simpler to whip round.
For Fischer aficionados, the Transalp 98 CTIs are one step up in width from the Transalp 92 CTIs. Regardless of sharing most design traits just like the milled out wooden core and titanal fork, the 2 skis are fairly completely different on the snow. The 92s are stiff, exact, and never notably freeridey with a typically lengthy efficient edge. They’re steeps weapons that may deal with different terrain too.
The 98s are extra enjoyable at baseline. By “enjoyable” I imply looser, floatier, and pivoty-er. They’ve considerably extra rocker that lets them eat crud and navigate breakable crusts extra fluidly. A comparatively shorter tail means you possibly can level them down the autumn line with out feeling such as you’ll go over the bars. The place the 92s float like 85cm large skis, the 98s float like skis within the 100cm+ vary.
And regardless of the sooner and looser vitality, gentle weight, and beneficiant rocker, the 98’s can maintain a stable edge on steep ice and crust in the identical common league because the 92s – the familial resemblance and a spotlight to torsional stiffness is apparent even when the 98s have a a lot shorter efficient edge.
Conclusion
The Fischer Transalp 98 CTIs are probably the most well-rounded backcountry skis I’ve been on in a very long time. They handle a very nice stability of sufficient rocker with out going overboard, stable torsional stiffness, an agreeable but comparatively highly effective flex profile, and a light-weight weight that’s powerful to argue with. For these causes, I’ve discovered them notably versatile. They’ve became my default ski March by means of Could in Colorado.
So who’re they for? Skinny ski diehards might realistically discover a light-weight powder ski within the Transalp 98s. Freeriders with different powder skis might slot them in as their skinnier couloir or volcano ski on condition that they’re plentifully gentle on the backpack. Ski hoarders like me with an unreasonably giant quiver may discover themselves reaching for the Transalp 98s greater than the rest.
On the flip aspect, these skiers useless set or restricted to proudly owning a single pair of backcountry skis might hardly do higher than the Transalp 98 CTIs with their stability of weight, profile, and general character by means of the snow spectrum.
Bergen Tjossem is a ski fanatic, conservation skilled, and nature nerd primarily based in Vail, Colorado. His life and profession have centered round defending the pure setting and public lands that raised him, however as Ed Abbey put it, “It isn’t sufficient to struggle for the land; It’s much more necessary to take pleasure in it.” So when he’s not working his day job, you’ll discover Bergen ski touring earlier than daybreak, mountain climbing in the dead of night, operating trails till his legs fall off, snowboarding 13er’s together with his mates, or making the world’s finest pizza together with his spouse, Rachel. Yow will discover him on Instagram.
