Today, a partnership that has facilitated an unquantifiable amount of innovation and creativity in the world of skiing has come to an end. Candide Thovex’s decade long deal with Faction Skis has officially expired, meaning that both Candide and the ski manufacturing powerhouse are free to pursue other endeavors. Judging by Faction’s press release, the agreement ended on terms that are as amicable as they were 10 years prior.

From Faction Skis, January 17, 2022 – Verbier, Switzerland

The complete timeline of Faction and Candide’s 10 year journey can be found here. Well worth the look, the timeline chronicles Candide’s accomplishments, both with Faction and beyond.

Candide’s time before Faction gave him the reputation he so well deserved, but it was through his decade long run with the Verbier-based brand that he was able to build and expand into the directions he wanted. Obviously the real truth lies between Candide and Faction, but it would seem that the relationship was one of the more fulfilling and beneficial ones skiing has ever seen. He was clearly a crucial part in helping to grow the ski company into the beast of a brand that it is today, and the help goes both ways. It was through Faction that Candide was able to develop his signature series. And despite setbacks, it would be tough to say that the CT series was not a global success. It brought to light an absolutely ripping ski that helped bring the next wave of freeride skiing into the mainstream. (And say what you will about the durability, their warranty program is one of the best in the universe.)

For now, it is unclear what the future holds for either of these industry giants. It’s safe to assume that with their unbelievably stacked team of riders and fantastic in house production capabilities, Faction will be supporting talented skiers and creating world class content for many years to come. For the flying Frenchmen, the doors of promise are wide open. His personal clothing line has been taking off, and it wouldn’t be a bad guess to bet that he’ll be starting to make skis of his own. Rumors regarding this have been circulating, but it’s unclear at the time whether he’ll sign with a new brand of dive into fresh waters.

Both Candide and Faction are deserving of high praise for their dedication to the progression of this sport. Without this partnership, there is no guarantee that Candide would have been able to express his genius vision for the sport, both physically and aesthetically. And without that, there’s no doubt that the sport would be in a worse place. While they’re headed in different directions, we cannot wait to see what the two will pour their efforts into in the coming future.