Review: Fischer's Super-Secret Freeride Ski

2026 Fischer Nothing Specs

• Size skied: 186 cm
• Lengths available: 176cm, 186cm, 196cm
• Sidecut: 143mm – 112mm – 134mm
• Radius: 22m (186cm)
• Profile: directionalrocker
• Weight: 2120g (186cm)
• Price: $899

Shape, Flex and Construction

Of course, once I had the ski in hand, it wasn't that hard to deduce the actual specs of the ski. Keeping in line with Fischer's intentions, I skied them for a few days before looking into what the shape and construction was all about. It's something I honestly wish that I could do for all skis I test, but then I would be ignoring a lot of emails and be doing a bad job as Gear Editor. I applaud Fischer for keeping all that info under wraps and I think it's a really cool way to market something.

At first glance, the Nothing looks remarkably similar to the Fischer Ranger 116, the brand's current offering as a freeride powder ski. There's the directional shape, squared off tips, kicked up tail, and visible metal inlay under the topsheet. However, there's a few subtle differences that give the Nothing a very unique character.

The Nothing's tip shape is a little less tapered than on the big Ranger, and the tail is much more twin-tippy. Underfoot, the 112mm waist is a little narrower than the Ranger, though the turn radius is quite a bit longer (22m vs. 19). The metal layer (presumably Titanal...Fischer wouldn't tell me) also extends closer to the tip and tail, adding damping and some rigidity to the Nothing. Overall, it's stiff but not 2x4-stiff, with the back half feeling quite a bit stiffer than the front.

A cool thing to note is the fact that the Nothing comes in a 196cm length–that might the longest production freeride ski on the market right now. Tall guys and girls, take note.

On-Snow Performance

I spent the majority of my time testing the Fischer Nothing at Grand Targhee, with a few days at JHMR and in the backcountry around both resorts. The ski was mounted with a pair of the new Atomic Shift 16 MNC, and I mostly rode it with my pair of pin-toe modded Atomic Remedy 130 boots. Conditions ran the gamut from scary firm refrozen BS to slushy spring snow, with a few very deep powder days in between.

On first impression, the heavy weight, stiff hand flex, and long turn radius had me thinking these would be absolute hogs to drag around the mountain and would want nothing to do with terrain that didn't resemble big-mountain movie lines. While it certainly excelled in that setting, I was truly impressed at how it handled everyday skiing in the resort—something that skis of this caliber tend to have trouble stooping down to.

The Nothing is without a doubt a very powerful ski, but it doesn't have as much of a barrier to entry than some competitors. Even with the 22m turn radius and stiff, powerful construction, the balanced swing weight and somewhat more centered mount point makes the Nothing feel very pivoty and drifty, making it easy to throw sideways and scrub speed in tight situations—not to mention tossing cheeky shifties off every sidehit. I particularly liked this in steep and technical terrain like Targhee's Bobcat or Reliable or JHMR's Alta Chutes, where a run will include everything from drifty, high speed turns to quick pivots, slashes, and direction changes to piece together a line through rocks, trees, and other obstacles.

Perhaps the most appealing aspect of this ski however, is its stability at speed and the way it smooths out variable snow conditions like they simply don't exist. I comfortably hit the biggest and most technical airs I did all season on these skis, dropping into unknown (to me) terrain several times without any hesitation. I tend to pick and and choose my airtime these days...these knees aren't getting any younger...but I kept surprising myself with how these just invited me to point them off a cliff with no qualms, knowing that the stiff tails and super-damp ride would help keep me on my feet even after a big impact.

In pure powder, these are also an absolute hoot, providing plenty of float and offering a nice surfy feel. Meanwhile, on firmer snow, the metal layer, long turn radius, and less tapered tip give these a super-powerful GS-ey character that will make ex-racers smile.

Comparisons

Three current skis come to mind that feel very similar to the Nothing. First would the current Salomon QST Blank. The shape of the Nothing looks and feels very similar, offering a combination of hard-charging fun and slower-speed maneuverability. However, the added metal layer in the Nothing gives it more powerful top-end performance.

This might be going out on a limb a bit, but another comparison I'd like to make is to the 4FRNT Hoji, which shares really similar soft-snow performance characteristics. While the Hoji is a fully reverse-camber design, the sidecut shape and stiffness make these similarly drifty and fun in soft or even chalky snow.

Finally, perhaps the most similar ski—also a new one for 2026/27—is the Armada Antimatter 114. At first glance, the spear-shaped tip of the Antimatter might make it look like a very different ski, but it's the skis' back halves and metal-layer construction that have me drawing the comparison. Both feature a shaped titanal sheet and a pronounced twin-tip tail shape, and strike a balance between aggressive, planted high-speed power and poppy, energetic handling. Unsurprisingly, the Armada might be better suited for a more freestyle-oriented skier looking for something that can butter and press a little better, while the Fischer would make a more traditional, perhaps race-trained, skier happier.

What type of skier is the Fischer Nothing best for? 

With the release of the Nothing, Fischer set out to create an "experimental freeride ski." I'd say that the experiment was resounding success, creating one of the most powerful, yet extremely fun big skis in recent years. This one reminds me of older hard-charging directional "fat" skis like Atomic Automatic 117, or the 4FRNT Kye 110–meant for skiing fast and showing off to your friends both in and out of the resort.

For good reason, ski design—particularly on the powder and freeride end of the spectrum—has become more "inclusive" in recent years, meaning that the performance envelope has shifted a little closer to the easier-to-ski end of the spectrum. That has sometimes come at the expense of top-end performance. The Nothing is a refreshing change from that, offering a ski that will make even the hardest-charging skiers happy, with enough weight, stiffness, and oomph to encourage the dumbest ideas on the mountain.