Van Deer TOUR 95
By PTO Team, Based on Van Deer official specs; no independent on-snow test of this model was found in English, German or Japanese · Spec analysis on this ski ·
The take
“Van Deer prints a flex map and a position on its own uphill-downhill scale, then leaves the layup blank.”
The Van Deer TOUR 95 is a touring ski - you walk uphill on it - and Van Deer is direct about which end of touring it was built for. Its touring page runs a seven-segment scale from uphill-oriented to downhill-oriented and prints this ski at five to seven, the descent end. The brand's word for the job is freetour; the TOUR 85 below it gets skitour. Buy it if the climb is the price you pay for the run down.
The TOUR 95's spec sheet is worth reading twice: once for what is on it, once for the blanks. A 95 mm waist, a 129-95-115 mm sidecut that does not change with length, a sintered base, a wood core Van Deer calls lightweight, Hirscher's factory tune - and a flex map, a stable mid-section with softer tip and tail. That last is rare from this brand: its race skis publish no profile at all. Then the page goes quiet. The wood species is not named, no camber or rocker figure is given, and metal is never mentioned - so we will not tell you it has Titanal, and we will not tell you it has none.
The TOUR 95's defining number is 1,190 g per ski at 170 cm, quoted without plate. Set it against the FREERIDE 98: 3 mm wider on paper, and 1,920 g per ski at 172 cm on the same convention. That is 730 g in every step uphill - these two are not alternatives, they are different sports. How the TOUR 95 skis, we don't know, and we looked: no on-snow test in English, German or Japanese, no independently measured weight, no owner reports. A stiff middle with softer ends on a 95 mm platform turning at 17 to 21 m has a legible intent - hold in the centre, give at the ends instead of hooking - but intent is not a test result.
The real decision on the TOUR 95 is the TOUR 85 below it. Same $1,000, same three lengths, same three radii; ten millimetres of waist, and 80 grams per ski lighter at 170 cm. Van Deer calls the 85 balanced and reliable; it calls this one stable, with float. If you want one touring ski for mixed conditions, the brand is pointing at the 85, and so are we. Take the 95 when the deep, steep descent is the reason you left the car.
The TOUR 95 arrives bare, and that matters more than the sticker. The matching mohair skin is a separate $280 product we did not stock, and Van Deer names no binding for it - every binding in its 26/27 range is an alpine Marker, and it publishes no mounting spec. So we will not guess. Binding compatibility is a safety question, not a copywriting one: bring the binding you have in mind and we will look at the ski with you before anything is drilled. PTO's 26/27 buy is a single 170 cm.
Bindings we'd pair with it
Mount point: Flat ski, no plate - Van Deer publishes no mounting or insert spec for it. Our pick: We name none - bring your binding plan to the shop.
Van Deer specifies no binding for the TOUR 95 and sells no touring binding in its 26/27 range - every binding it lists is an alpine Marker. It publishes no core or mounting spec either. Binding compatibility is a safety question, not a copywriting one: bring the binding you are considering to the shop and we will look at the ski with you before anything is drilled.
Common Questions
- Does the Van Deer TOUR 95 come with skins?
- No. The matching KOHLA TOUR 95 mohair skin is a separate product at $280, cut for the ski in 162, 170 and 178 cm. PTO did not stock it, so it has to be ordered. The ski does not climb without a skin, so budget past the sticker.
- What binding does the Van Deer TOUR 95 take?
- Van Deer does not say, and we will not guess. Every binding it sells for 26/27 is an alpine Marker, it lists no touring binding at all, and it publishes no mounting or core spec for this ski. Binding compatibility is a safety question, not a copywriting one. Bring the binding you are considering to the shop and we will look at the ski first.
- Is there metal in the Van Deer TOUR 95?
- Van Deer does not say. The key features name a wood core, a sintered base and a flex profile, and never mention metal. We will not claim it has Titanal, and we will not claim it has none.
- TOUR 95 or TOUR 85?
- Same $1,000, same three lengths, same three radii. Van Deer puts the 85 at segments 3-5 and calls it balanced and reliable, for skitouring; it puts the 95 at 5-7 and calls it stable with excellent float, for freetouring. If the deep descent is the point, take the 95. If you want one ski for mixed touring conditions, take the 85 - it is also 80 grams per ski lighter.
- How much does the Van Deer TOUR 95 weigh?
- 1,120 / 1,190 / 1,300 g per ski at 162 / 170 / 178 cm - without plate, which is Van Deer's stated convention. Not per pair. The brand adds that the weight can vary slightly between production runs.
- Is the Van Deer TOUR 95 a resort ski?
- No. It is built to be carried uphill - 1,190 g per ski at 170 cm. Van Deer's resort ski at almost the same width is the FREERIDE 98: two full Titanal sheets, 1,920 g per ski at 172 cm, $1,500. Three millimetres apart on paper, 730 g apart in the hand.
