Curated Expert Jessica Whittam got her hands on the 2023 Faction Prodigy 2X and put it to the test at Powder Mountain in Utah. Check out how it performed in the carving, freestyle, and freeride categories, but don’t forget, every skier is unique; if you have any questions on the Prodigy 2X, or would like recommendations on what ski would be ideal for your needs, reach out to a Ski Expert here on Curated.

Before we jump in, a quick note that Curated Experts are not sponsored by any brands, all of these reviews are completely unbiased.

Brand Claims

What does Faction claim about this ski? Faction made these skis with the poplar core, which they claim makes the skis soft and poppy.

Overall Impressions

What is your overall impression of this ski? Honestly, I really, really liked these. I've heard a lot about these skis, so I was super eager to try them out and I was really, really pleased with them. I absolutely loved them.

What is the shape of the ski and its profile? And how does it impact the skiing experience? I thought that Faction did a good job in the description, because I did find them to be soft and poppy while still maintaining stiffness underfoot. These skis are rocker/camber/rocker, which means that it has an early rise in the tip, and you can see that there's a gap—that's going to be your camber down. Then you can see that these are cambered underfoot which will help with turn initiation and make them a little bit snappier when you're landing or making turns.

The rocker in the tips and the tails helps with float, and with park skiing as well. If you want to ski switch, these have a rise in the tails, which allows you to ski backwards without getting worried about catching a backwards edge and falling on your face.

Carving

How well do these skis turn? Stability in the turn of these skis was awesome. I had no problem ripping up the groomers on these skis on the way down. Through the trees, no problem as well. They are a little bit stiffer.

How does it perform at speed? Was it stable? These skis actually held up really well at speed. I could rip them as fast as I wanted and they got through the crud. They didn't really chatter that much, which was super surprising from a park ski that's really a powerhouse of a big mountain ski as well.

Freestyle

Are they freestyle-friendly? At Powder Mountain in Utah, unfortunately, they do not have a park, but I did have the opportunity to try these out earlier in the season in the park. These are 2.0, so they are 98 underfoot, which is a little bit wide for a park ski, but they held up really, really great on jumps. So, these are versatile park skis. These are made to be all-mountain park skis, so I was able to rip these all over the mountain and take them off cliffs. These skis have also worked well for a lot of people who don't ski park, and they've loved them for just all-mountain skiing.

Freeride

How would it be in powder? These skis would do pretty decent in light powder. They are 98 underfoot, so if you're skiing some super, super deep powder, you're going to want something a little bit wider. But these do very well in four inches of powder, give or take a couple. Again, they are rockers, so they have the surf through the powder, which is going to be great.

How was it on uneven terrain? They do super well on uneven terrain. I was really surprised at how well they held up for a “park ski." They barely chattered and I had no issue with control at really high speeds through varying conditions.

What location would you pack this ski for? I would say that these are more a Midwest to Western ski because they are different and wider. If you're skiing park on the East Coast, you might want something a little bit flimsier than what these would be, and a little bit narrower than what they are.

Recommendations

Who would you recommend this ski to? I would recommend these skis to anybody who's looking for a really stable all-mountain park ski. These could just be a freestyle all-mountain ski, but they do excel a lot in the park. As an intermediate skier, if you want to get these skis, you might have to get used to them a little bit in the beginning, but I'd recommend these to anybody who's looking to progress in the park and the all-mountain. Just have a freestyle, free spirit and these will be a great ski for you.

Who should avoid this ski? I would say beginners should avoid these skis. These are not beginner skis. This is going to be intermediate or above.

Skis work differently for different types of skiers. If you want to find out whether the Prodigy 2X is right for you, reach out to Jessica or another Ski Expert here on Curated for free, personalized recommendations on the best setup for you.