Fischer Skis US announced that Adrian Ballinger, IFMGA-certified guide and professional ski-mountaineer, will join athlete ranks starting with the 2022/23 season. Ballinger has made a name for himself by reaching the summit of world’s tallest mountains – 17 8,000-meter peaks to be precise – and has tallied ski descents on a few of them. Perhaps his most notable achievement was to be the first to descent by skiing from the summit on Manaslu, the planet’s eighth tallest peak.
For Fischer, bringing on an athlete and guide of Ballinger’s caliber is exciting because of the athletic talent he brings and because of his unique perspective on Fischer’s product lineup when testing skis and boots on-piste and in the high mountains.
Ballinger explained, “The boots and skis that Fischer has developed the past couple of seasons for backcountry and freeride really excite me. Towards the end of last season, I began testing out Rangers inbounds, and the Trans Alp Pro boot and Hannibal ski backcountry and was so impressed by the downhill performance of both lines. The boot especially impressed me—it climbs so well and is so lightweight, yet totally rips on the downhill.”
For Ballinger, the link between the quality of the products and Fischer’s dedication to its athlete community and the input it provides is key.
“I spent last February skiing in Switzerland, mostly in Andermatt and Engleberg, and really enjoyed the dedication of the Fischer backcountry and freeride community there,” Ballinger said. “So many great skiers were pushing hard on Fischer. It’s exciting to be a part of.”
Ballinger doesn’t just log ski descents and summits for himself, however. As the founder and owner of Alpenglow Expeditions, his company guides more than 6,000 people a year on peaks around the world.
“In 2004 I decided I wanted to professionalize my guiding, start my own guiding company (Alpenglow Expeditions), and start spending more time ski guiding in the Alps,” Ballinger said. “Those three goals led me to begin the AMGA process. Since I already had almost a decade of varied guiding experience my certification process went quickly. I became a full-cert IFMGA guide in 2007.”
Fischer has been a partner of the American Mountain Guiding Association since 2017 and looks forward to deepening the relationship with the AMGA through the support of Ballinger.
Fischer Sports US Marketing Director Brian Landrigan said, “We’re excited to have Adrian join the Fischer team. He is an accomplished mountaineer and skier whose abilities match perfectly with the new Ranger and Transalp product lines. His IFMGA certification and deep connection with the AMGA community match perfectly with Fischer’s long-standing support of certified guides specialized in backcountry skiing, ski mountaineering, and more.”
For more information, visit www.fischersports.com
