An Austrian guy called Josef Fischer started making sledges & handcarts in a wooden shed way back in 1924, fast forward a few decades and Fischer had become, by the 1970s, the biggest ski manufacturer in the world. In 2025 they remain a global leader in both Nordic and Alpine ski production.

The Fischer Europa 77 appeared in the 1970s, one of the first to embrace new plastic and composite technology which was rapidly replacing wooden skis. It was a Nordic ski, though very strong with aluminium edges and bindings of choice, it was often designated as a ‘Mountain Ski’.

The Fischer E99 was the next model to come along on the evolutionary scale and we have an excellent example here in the collection. Seems they are a wee bit wider than the 77s with stronger metal edges, rather than aluminium, and in this case they are waxless, using radial grooves in the base to prevent slippage. We reckon this pair date from the 1980s and have been fitted with a Royken binding. They were kindly donated by Ian and Gill Cooper on behalf of their late uncle and aunt, John and Ellen Cooper.