These Race-Ready Skate Skis Made Me Faster Almost Instantly

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If you didn’t know that Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Høsflot Klæbo broke the record for the most gold medals won at a Winter Olympics—taking home 10 gold medals (and counting) and coming second only to swimmer Michael Phelps for the athlete with the most Olympic gold medals—chances are good that you’ve at least seen the meme of Klæbo sprinting up the Zorzy climb during the men’s classic sprint race in Milano-Cortina.

While I can’t claim a fraction of Klæbo’s speed, I do at least know what it’s like to ski a mile in his boots, as I was lucky enough to test the brand-new Fischer Speedmax 9 Skate RL BOA boots and the Fischer Speedmax 90 Skate Plus 610 skis, which is just one step down from the Speedmax 100s Klæbo skied to various victories in this Olympics. 

And while I’m not competing on the world stage, I can say this about the Fischer Speedmaxes: They gave me the gift of seeing measurable—not just incremental—progress in my skiing this winter. I love to Nordic ski, but I’m almost entirely self-taught, with the exception of a few pointers gleaned from YouTube and skiers more proficient than me. But even I knew my current skate skis were tired, with worn-down edges, scratched bases, and too much flex. In comparison, the Fischer Speedmax 90 Skate Plus 610s came roaring into my life like a speeding bullet, revolutionizing my power transfer and speed and maximizing the fun factor. 

What It Is

Fischer Speedmax 90 Skate Plus 610 is a high-performance/race-ready cross-country skate ski that’s ready to rip. Unlike classic skiing, with its traditional diagonal stride and parallel skis, skate skiing relies on dynamic lateral movements for forward propulsion. (Think speed skating or inline skating.) As such, the sidewall angle, the flex and camber, and the overall weight of the ski all determine its performance. Length matters too, but only as a point of preference; skate skis mostly only care how much you weigh, not how tall you are. 

The brand-new Fischer Speedmax 9 Skate RL BOA boot is a low-profile, ultra-lightweight carbon boot with two-zone BOA closures. I paired skis and boots with Fischer’s WorldCup Skate IFP TURNAMIC bindings.

Fischer Speedmax Skis and Boots Overall Impressions

I felt like a wobbly kneed colt for my first few hundred meters on this ski-and-boot combo. The skis were stiff and felt razor-sharp—great for cornering—but my cautious, exploratory movements had me awkwardly skidding across the snow on the tips and tails, or, alternately, digging my edges into the snow. It wasn’t until I cast caution to the wind and fully committed my weight over the ski that I felt the Speedmaxes flex under my weight and glide smoothly across the snow.

Delighted, I repeated that commitment on the opposite side, then switched from the workmanlike V1 stride (skate skiing’s granny gear) to a V2, a powerful, smooth technique used for rolling flats and slight uphills. The reward was instant. Maintaining a V2 stride requires power and commitment. Ski too timidly and you’ll lose all momentum, or—worse—fall over. The only option is to go all in, and on the Speedmax 90s, commitment equals speed.

I was giddy as I zoomed across the open meadow at Sleepy Hollow Nordic center, exploring the technique required to flex the ski beneath me and send me shooting across the groomed corduroy. Because here’s the thing: a high-performance ski like the Speedmax 90 provides instant feedback, particularly if you’re skiing a stiffer flex value than is technically recommended for your weight. The flex amount (FA) on my skis is 89kg, which is 140 percent of my body weight.

For intermediate skiers, Fischer typically recommends an FA of 110 to 130 percent of your body weight in kilograms. I’ll let you do the math, but these skis are stiff. Like, pro-skier stiff. Without side-by-side testing a medium-flex ski, it’s hard to know exactly how much the FA factors into the feel, and how much it’s the ski/boot combo—but what I do know is that being forced to flex this ski was a better teacher than any of instructors I’ve watched on YouTube.

The aggressive nature of the Speedmax 9 FL BOA boots was also a factor; the double BOA-style closure on the 9s is all-new this year, and the two distinct zones let you precisely dial in the fit until the boot feels like an extension of your ski. And, since the BOA are on the outside of the boot, you can reach down to adjust the fit while skiing down the trail, even with poles in hand. 

These boots aren’t for the faint of heart: they’re incredibly stiff (“RL” stands for race last, which means a slim, rigid, close-to-ski fit), and you won’t find piles of plushy insulation to keep your toes warm here. Rather, they’re a highly tunable tool designed to move you as quickly and efficiently as possible across the snow. 

Key Features and Tech

The Fischer Speedmax 90 Skate Plus 610s have a stiff, lightweight Air Core HM Carbon core, which is reserved for the brand’s top race skis. About 80 percent of the core is air, with strategically shaped carbon channels to provide structure without added weight. Breaking down the Fischer marketing parlance, “90” designates this ski as one step down from the top-level 100 series currently dominating the World Cup podiums; “plus” signifies that the base is optimized for warmer temperatures (14 degrees and above); and 610 is Fischer’s most versatile camber profile, designed to suit a wide range of snow conditions. At 5'6" I’m on a size 181, and perhaps most importantly, I’m skiing the “stiff” version of these skis, with a flex value of 89 kg. 

The new Speedmax 9 RL BOA boots are the first to debut the dual-BOA system, although the tech will trickle down to all three levels of the Speedmax boots next year. In addition to the new BOA fit, the 9s have a redesigned carbon chassis for stability and power transfer, a new carbon-fused cuff for lateral stability, and an ultra-lightweight, low-profile outsole designed to help you feel more connected to the ski. And while I haven’t explored the full range of the TURNAMIC bindings, which can be adjusted fore and aft to impact control on surfaces ranging from icy hardpack to soft new snow, I have played around with them enough to appreciate the tool-free tuning that provides options on variable-snow days.

Pros

• Skis and boots are stiff and extremely lightweight
• The BOA system makes it simple to adjust boots with gloves and even while skiing
• A low-profile fit makes the boot feel like an extension of your ski
• The camber profile is versatile; adjustable bindings make it even more so

Cons

• The boots are quite stiff (a low-profile insole is recommended)
• If you’re not skiing aggressively, it can be hard to control these skis
• Price

Final Verdict

This ski-boot combo is optimized for strong, powerful, skiers. It’s meant for racers, which I’m not. But in my experience, being forced to ski above my skill level has pushed me from an avid—but average—intermediate skier to an average-plus skier. I find myself V2ing up hills on these skis that I definitely would have granny-geared up before.

Why You Should Trust Me

I’ve been testing and writing about gear for 15-plus years, with bylines in publications including Outside, NYT Wirecutter, Dwell, Backpacker and the Washington Post. I’m usually on the bike beat, but am an avid skier (all types), hiker, and camper, too. I try to get at least 200 miles on Nordic skis per year, weather-permitting.