Curated Ski Expert Sara Beeken tested the 2023 Faction Mana 2X this spring at Powder Mountain in Utah. Check out how it performed in the carving, freestyle, and freeride categories, but consider the fact that each and every skier is different. If you have any questions about the Mana 2X or need recommendations on which ski would be best for you, reach out to a Ski Expert here on Curated.

One final point before we dive in: It's worth noting 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? The brand claims that this is a more aggressive, stiff, all-mountain twin-tip.

Overall Impressions

What is your overall impression of this ski? My first impression of these skis is that they're very aggressive. There's a lot of camber in them, which makes them really poppy. They’re great for groomers, great for trees, and pretty much great all around the mountain.

What is its flex like? The flex is stiffer than most of Faction's other skis, which makes them really stable in jumps and on groomers.

Carving

How does it turn? This was a great carving ski. Being a former racer, I really enjoyed this. Because it could hold a really good edge and really let me arc turns.

What about dampness? Any chatter in the ski? I felt no chatter with this ski. It was really damp. You could take it in the chop, and they wouldn’t bounce around on you.

How does it perform at speed? The speed was great. It's definitely a little bit more center-mounted than your average all-mountain ski, but it can definitely hold up at speeds.

How is the energy and acceleration? These had a lot of good energy, a lot of pop across the mountain, and pop in the jumps. They're really energetic skis. I had a lot of fun on them.

Freestyle

How playful is it? How is the pop? For a stiffer ski, it's pretty playful. It's got a lot of rocker in it, which makes it pretty maneuverable in the trees. It’s easy to get off the ground and kind of whip them around.

How is it for skiing switch? These are great for skiing switch. I felt really stable. I could keep some pretty decent speed skiing switch with these.

How is its stability on landings? Stability on the landing is good if you make sure that you're using the right length for you. These were a little bit short for me, so when I landed on the jump I kind of felt like I was going to go over the tip of the skis.

Freeride

How would this ski be in powder? Really deep powder should be avoided. These are going to handle a few inches of snow with no problem. But if you're looking at, like, a foot of snow, you might want something wider.

What terrain are these skis good for and what terrain should skiers avoid? These would be a really good big mountain ski or freeride ski. They were good in pretty much any terrain. The only thing I really wouldn't suggest with this ski is spending all of your time in the park with them, such as on rails and boxes. These are probably a little more wide than what you're looking for if you’re spending time in the park. I will say though they are twin-tips, so you can take them in the park and not have an issue. But as I mentioned, because they're a little bit wider, they're going to do best doing features around the mountain.

Skis work differently for different types of people. If you want help finding the best skis for your needs, reach out to Sara or any other Ski Expert here on Curated. They’ll help you find the right skis for you. Note that the 2024 version of the Faction Mana 2X is linked below - same tech, just different graphic: