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Faction Dancer 3
MSRP: $799.00
Buy Now — $799.00
FACTION’S DANCER 3 ARRIVES ON THE HEELS OF THE REIGNING DICTATOR—a charging ski that had a cult-like following among Freeskiing World Tour athletes, patrollers and big-mountain shredders. Blending the freeride-inspired design with a flat tail, fall-line style ski, the Faction Dancer 3 is aptly named for its ability to carve full turns then quickly dump speed with a slash while negotiating a tight section mid-slope.
“From the day Faction started in 2006, we’ve made skis specifically for freeride skiers,” says Daniel Tanzer, Faction’s Head of Hardgoods, based in Innsbruck, Austria. Tanzer spearheaded the redevelopment of Faction’s entire ski collection, with an emphasis on quality, durability and progressive freeride design, and the new Dancer 3 is a big part of that development. The brand calls the Dancer a cleaner and greener version of the Dictator.
Many of the FREESKIER testers noted the ski felt like the recently re-designed Dictator, which is a good thing with everyone noting the versatility from its elliptical sidecut. Think shorter radius in the tip and tail for quick, ultra-nimble handling and a longer radius underfoot for those long, graceful, swooping arcs—powerful, confidence-inspiring characteristics achieved from two razor thin layers of metal.
Its cleaner and greener attribute dethrone the previous authoritarian ski as the Dancer’s wood core is a sustainable poplar—harvested with Forest Stewardship Council-accredited partners. The wood is also sourced close to Faction’s Austrian factory, which runs on 100 percent renewable electrical power, with oil eliminated completely—resulting in annual CO2 emissions reductions of 10 million kilograms. Furthermore, the Dancer’s bases, sidewalls and topsheets are constructed with recycled materials, an environmental benefit that also stands up to the demands of zipping through spicy terrain.
And while these changes significantly reduce Faction’s operating footprint, the ski still carries the same smooth and charging freeride style of its predecessor. The combination of the variable sidecut, metal layup and, what Faction calls Mustache Flex, allows the skis to easily engage a turn and exit without hooking or watering down the ski’s stability. Many FREESKIER testers claimed it as a one ski quiver given its ideal width of 106 mm.
“The Faction Dancer 3 is my ski of choice when riding technical terrain and variable snow conditions, notes Elisabeth Gerritzen, 2021 Freeride World Tour Champion. “It’s a stiff, fun, very predictable ski. Its character enables me to feel extra confident when I’m skiing faster than I reasonably should.”