Review: Faction Dancer 2X Skis · Women's · 2023
By Ski Expert
Leo Cocchiara
Faction Dancer 2X Skis · Women's · 2023
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The Curated Take
4.3/5
The Faction Dancer 2X skis, ideal for intermediate to expert skiers, excel in versatile all-mountain performance. Their 96mm waist, rocker/tapered tip, and flat square tail provide great float in powder and precise carving. Unique features like the metal core contribute to stability at high speeds, making it lively yet playful for hard-charging runs. The skis demonstrate excellent durability and easy turn initiation. However, they may struggle with deep powder and park skiing. Their lightness, responsive energy, and impressive durability make them an excellent investment for enthusiastic skiers seeking a robust daily driver.
Ideal for
- Well-balanced all-mountain ski
- Excels at carving
- Excels at stability at high speed
Not ideal for
- Not ideal for the terrain park
- Not the most forgiving
- Will find its limits in deep powder
Flotation
It's easy to fall into the trap of looking at waist width (in this case, 96mm underfoot) and using it as the be-all and end-all marker of how well a...Read more
Carving
The Dancer 2X is a lively carver that really makes getting on edge a heck of a lot of fun. It has a quick turn radius of 15m for the...Read more
High Speed Stability
Many days I skied the Dancer 2X were harder-packed, icy days with some variability and crud around the edges of the trails. They're the kind of days where the most...Read more
Playfulness
Playfulness is one of those personality features of a ski that one has to take in context with each particular model's intended purpose. The Faction Dancer 2X is meant to...Read more
Durability
I've been impressed with the Dancer lineup by Faction every time I've skied them, and one of the things that impressed me about them is the topsheets. The topsheet of...Read more
Turn Ease
The Faction Dancer 2X has a great shape that helps define this ski's personality. It's a bit more rockered with a nicely round and tapered tip that makes initiating turns...Read more
Versatility
The Faction Dancer 2X is designed to be that one ski quiver, all-mountain daily driver for the East-to-West skier hitting all the usual fair on the mountain—groomers, moguls, trees, and...Read more
Expert Reviews of the Faction Dancer 2X Skis
Leo Cocchiara The Faction Dancer 2x is for the high intermediate, advanced, and expert skier looking for excellent edge hold, versatility, and impressive poppy energy, making it fun to ski all mountain. It has two razor-thin sheets of metal in the core of the ski, which isn't at all unusual, but what really makes it stand out is how much lighter and seemingly more energetic it is compared to similar skis in its class like the Nordica Santa Ana and the Volkl Secret. It's perfectly stable at speed and lays over on the edge easily to deliver sharp, clean carves. Still, the springiness also makes it a hoot in the bumps and trees. I've skied these at various stages of the season from early November into May, and never once did I encounter a durability defect—no peeling topsheets, no nasty chips, and bases stayed in good condition with hard use. Overall, really impressive! It will find its limits in the arenas it's not specifically geared for, like terrain parks and deep powder. If skiers are looking for a high-quality daily driver with some power and speed behind it, this just might be the right one for them!
Product Specs
| Age Group | Adult |
| Gender | Women's |
| Includes bindings | No |
| Model year | 2023 |
| Ski type | All Mountain |
| Skill level | Intermediate, Advanced |
Review Ratings
Flotation
4/5
Leo Cocchiara gave 4 of 5 stars. It's easy to fall into the trap of looking at waist width (in this case, 96mm underfoot) and using it as the be-all and end-all marker of how well a ski will float in powder because it fails to take into account how important the shaping of the ski is when it comes to flotation. The shovel of the tip is noticeably wide with a fair amount of rocker and taper, which gives it a surprisingly impressive ability to stay atop fresh snow when I want it to. The Dancer 2X is a great option if someone needs one ski that will do best at handling hardpack but can still hang in a storm when needed.
Carving
5/5
Leo Cocchiara gave 5 of 5 stars. The Dancer 2X is a lively carver that really makes getting on edge a heck of a lot of fun. It has a quick turn radius of 15m for the 163cm length, with enough balance that both short, sharp slalom turns and long, sweeping GS-style turns are easily accessible. The responsive camber underfoot, coupled with the flat square tail, generates an exciting responsiveness that allows someone to really launch into their next arch.
High Speed Stability
5/5
Leo Cocchiara gave 5 of 5 stars. Many days I skied the Dancer 2X were harder-packed, icy days with some variability and crud around the edges of the trails. They're the kind of days where the most fun is ripping down a steep fall line and letting them run. With two sheets of metal in the core and a flat square tail to help stay locked into the turn, the Dancer 2X absolutely loved it.
Playfulness
3/5
Leo Cocchiara gave 3 of 5 stars. Playfulness is one of those personality features of a ski that one has to take in context with each particular model's intended purpose. The Faction Dancer 2X is meant to be the least playful model of Faction's lineup with its metal core and directional shape. That being said, in the category of directional, stiff, and hard-charging all-mountain skis, it's actually one of the more playful options one can find.
Durability
5/5
Leo Cocchiara gave 5 of 5 stars. I've been impressed with the Dancer lineup by Faction every time I've skied them, and one of the things that impressed me about them is the topsheets. The topsheet of the Dancers are very different from the typical smooth and glossy topsheets or textured plasticky topsheets I find on many skis. It's not something one can find a lot of detail about when reading reviews on these. The topsheet has a subtle texture that helps keep snow from sticking to it. It's a very thin layer that helps keep the ski overall really light. No matter how hard we used and abused them in testing, they didn't seem to take any cosmetic damage at all.
Turn Ease
4/5
Leo Cocchiara gave 4 of 5 stars. The Faction Dancer 2X has a great shape that helps define this ski's personality. It's a bit more rockered with a nicely round and tapered tip that makes initiating turns with it a breeze. The gentle taper in the tail also helps it release easily as well. It never feels like I have to muscle it around, which is refreshing for a ski with this kind of burlier backbone.
Versatility
4/5
Leo Cocchiara gave 4 of 5 stars. The Faction Dancer 2X is designed to be that one ski quiver, all-mountain daily driver for the East-to-West skier hitting all the usual fair on the mountain—groomers, moguls, trees, and light powder. It easily takes all that on at an advanced level, with exciting energy. It will find its limits in powder deeper than 7-8", and it's not ideal for skiing in the park, but that still covers about 99% of what most skiers will use it for.
FAQs
What was your favorite moment with this gear?
Leo Cocchiara My favorite moment on this ski was the very first run I took on it. This was at Loveland Basin in Colorado in early November of 2022. It had me hooked from the get-go.
I was pleased with how light they felt dangling from my boots on the chair ride up the hill, which is always something I try to take note of. I never like skis that feel like they're pulling on my legs during my lift ride recovery time.
I started at the top of a steep fall line and let them run into some smooth arching GS turns that really showcased stability at speed. Then that trail transitioned into a mid-sized mogul field where I had a blast making quick transitions and sharp, snappy turns. By the time I got back to lift, I was pink in the face, grinning ear to ear, and ready for another lap.
Why did you choose this product?
Leo Cocchiara The Faction Dancer 2X delivers an outstanding experience for a more hard-charging, crud-busting, all-mountain style of a ski with its two sheets of metal in the core and 96mm waist width. What I really liked about it for the category is that it delivers a more playful and poppy energy that's really exciting, in my opinion, compared to some of its peers like the Nordic Santa Ana or the Volkl Secret.
What is the value for the money versus other options?
Leo Cocchiara Faction has become more mainstream as a brand over the last five years or so. However, it's still not something skiers will commonly find on the wall of their average ski shop, and that really sets it apart for me. When I get into more boutique brands like Faction, with its Austrian construction, I know I'm really getting into the inner circle of ski culture.
What do you love about this product?
Leo Cocchiara I love how light, lively, and energetic this ski is, considering it has two sheets of metal in it. I typically prefer a slightly softer and more playful ski, but I need a damp and stable crud buster some days. This ski really did a great job of putting the necessary backbone in it and still making it really fun.
