For the past two seasons, a brand name that hasn’t been seen much lately in the freestyle scene has been popping up everywhere from Instagram clips to World Cup finals. That’s right folks: Fischer is officially back in the freestyle game.
Guess who's back? Fischer in freestyle, that's who—and riders like Julius Forer couldn't be more stoked.
Andreas Vigl
Gear
HighlightGuess who's back
Fischer debuts its new Nightstick collection — and the team riding it
Mathilde Gremaud has been putting the Nightstick on the podium of nearly ever contest she enters. Or it is the other way around?
This heritage Austrian brand has been around since 1924, and frankly, is known more for its racing pedigree and its Nordic department than for park skis. Even so, Fischer has dipped its toes into the freeski department more than once. Old heads will remember the Fischer team from the mid-2000s with riders like Derek Spong and Kyler Cooley. And lest we forget, the first-ever men’s Olympic slopestyle gold medal was won by Joss Christensen on a pair of Fischer Nightsticks.
That being said, it’s been a hot minute since Fischer has made any big moves in freestyle. With the launch of the new Nightstick collection, that lapse is officially over.
1.
Tyler Harding getting the blues.
Lukas Cairns
2.
Luca Pichler's been on the Fischer program for longer than almost anyone.
Lukas Cairns
The skis
Fischer has rolled out three different versions of the Nightstick at different widths: the Nightstick 90, Nightstick 97 and the Nightstick 104. With a range that jumps the 100mm-mark, the brand is setting its sights not just on pure park riding, but all-mountain shredding and backcountry freestyle as well.
Given that their celebrated Ranger freeride collection isn’t fully twin-tipped, it makes sense that their team needed new tools to ride switch in powder. That said, a range ending at 104mm underfoot still leaves a lot of space in the room for even beefier models. Is a plus-110mm Nightstick also in the cards? Only time will tell.
The Nightstick 90, Nightstick 97 and Nightstick 104. Fischer uses generative design to create a unique topsheet for each and every ski.
While we at Downdays haven’t gotten our hands on a pair of the new Nightsticks yet, it’s safe to assume that Fischer has built a freestyle platform that stays true to its racing roots (keywords: stability, performance, stiffness, fast bases, durability) while looking towards the more playful future of park riding (keywords: responsiveness, playfulness, flex).
In its Ranger collection, Fischer has already shown its ability to walk the line these two worlds, with skis that can charge hard while still offering a measure of forgiveness. We expect the same approach with the Nightstick collection.
Finally, the whole Nightstick line features something called “generative design.” In other words, Fischer says that the topsheet of each and every Nightstick is different. We aren’t sure exactly how they’re pulling this off, but apparently, the AI-generated future of ski topsheet design is here.
learn more about the new Fischer Nightstick
fischersports.comThe team
As noteworthy as the skis themselves are the skiers riding them. Over the past two seasons, Fischer has accumulated a grab bag of freestyle talent from across Europe and North America to rep the new collection. Leading the pack is none other than a leading lady, Mathilde Gremaud, who’s been putting the Nightsticks on blast from atop slopestyle and big air podiums, while Austrian big-air powerhouse Lukas Müllauer is the heavyweight among the men.
Besides these two, Fischer’s put together quite the diverse squad, from comp hustlers like the UK’s Tyler Harding and Sweden’s Isak Davidsson to the Finnish madman himself Juho Saastamoinen aka “baconjuhis.” And let’s not forget to give a shoutout to Austrian shredder Luca Tao Marco Pichler, who’s nearly single-handedly held up the freestyle side of the Fischer team during its years of wandering through the desert with no park skis. We’re sure he’s glad to finally have some company.
See the rest of the team and learn more about the new Nightstick at fischersports.com.
Lukas Müllauer is the marquee name on the men's side of the team.
Lukas Cairns