Review: Faction Mana 3X Skis · Women's · 2023
By Ski Expert
Leo Cocchiara
Faction Mana 3X Skis · Women's · 2023
$311.97
$519.95
40% off
9 photos
The Curated Take
3.7/5
Optimized for fresh powder, the Mana 3X is a versatile ski designed for intermediate to expert skiers. Its rockered tips and tails make turn initiation easy. At the same time, the 112mm waist width provides stability at high speeds. Despite being primarily a powder ski, it possesses all-mountain versatility with a freestyle-first personality, making it capable of navigating moguls, trees, and jumps. With a carbon and rubber core for dampening and springiness, the Mana 3X ensures both performance and durability, offering excellent value for money to skiers seeking a reliable and fun ride in varied conditions.
Ideal for
- Excellent flotation in deep powder with its 112mm waist width
- Surprisingly versatile in spite of its more powder-oriented focus
- Really playful in personality but still has enough backbone underfoot to feel stable
Not ideal for
- Not made for carving
- Not versatile enough to be considered a one-ski quiver
- Too wide for the East Coast and Midwest
Flotation
The Mana 3X wants nothing more than fresh snow. Everything about it is designed to keep one on top of the snow, whether wet and heavy or fluffy and light....Read more
Carving
Carving is very specific, and skiers will only get exceptional carving techniques from skis designed with that purpose in mind. The Mana 3X is the opposite of a carving ski...Read more
High Speed Stability
The Mana 3X is intended to be used in deep fresh powder, so it's hard to compare its capabilities around high-speed stability to the mid-90s all-mountain daily drivers. When the...Read more
Playfulness
The Mana 3X is always looking for the most fun route down the mountain, and the adaptability of its personality is one of my favorite things about it. The rockered...Read more
Durability
The Mana 3X is meant to be a specific addition to one's ski collection as opposed to a quiver killer. Its focus is powder with enough versatility that it's happy...Read more
Turn Ease
People get nervous that a wide ski like the 112mm Mana 3X will be hard to turn, but there's a big difference between changing the direction of the ski versus...Read more
Versatility
As mentioned, the Mana 3X is meant to be a specific addition to one's ski collection instead of a quiver killer. Again, its focus is powder with enough versatility that...Read more
Expert Reviews of the Faction Mana 3X Skis
Leo Cocchiara The Faction Mana 3X won a lot of Curated Expert hearts this season, and it's easy to see why. First and foremost, it's a powder ski with a 112mm waist width. Its floatation handled repeat knee-deep powder days at Snowbird in Utah as well as I could possibly ask them to. It made the dreamy conditions so easy to handle that it was nothing but smiles and confident performance down some of the most advanced terrain in the USA. It's one of those things where the equipment performance really elevates the rider's skill level.
It's reinforced with a carbon rubber dampener in the core that adds some additional springiness and dampening to the camber underfoot, plus rocker tip and tails that are not quite twin tipped. The core materials and the shape come together to give the skier an impressive amount of versatility beyond what a lot of skis in this category can do.
They have impressive torsional stability to handle higher speeds on steeper pitches for their size and shape, and they can absolutely huck a few cliffs, big jumps, and even rail slides. That kind of well-roundedness really sets a high bar for other skis in its class to compete against.
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
5/5
Leo Cocchiara gave 5 of 5 stars. The Mana 3X wants nothing more than fresh snow. Everything about it is designed to keep one on top of the snow, whether wet and heavy or fluffy and light. It tracks exceptionally well regardless and stays reliably stable and fun as the snow gets skied out over the day.
Carving
2/5
Leo Cocchiara gave 2 of 5 stars. Carving is very specific, and skiers will only get exceptional carving techniques from skis designed with that purpose in mind. The Mana 3X is the opposite of a carving ski in shape and dimensions. Skiers don't pick this ski because they want to carve with it. Strong skiers with good technique, however, can make just about any ski do a carving turn when they put their mind to it. They can still put down a decent edge with it when they want to.
High Speed Stability
3/5
Leo Cocchiara gave 3 of 5 stars. The Mana 3X is intended to be used in deep fresh powder, so it's hard to compare its capabilities around high-speed stability to the mid-90s all-mountain daily drivers. When the snow is above 8"+, it's hard to find anything steep enough that will really get me going fast enough to compare in that sense. When I take 110+ skis like the Mana out in hardpack for testing, it's notability one of the more stable ones in its class thanks to a blend of the shape and the core materials. I've always been really impressed by its capability in variable snow, where I'm moving a lot faster than I typically do in powder.
Playfulness
5/5
Leo Cocchiara gave 5 of 5 stars. The Mana 3X is always looking for the most fun route down the mountain, and the adaptability of its personality is one of my favorite things about it. The rockered tips and tails are happy to smear, side slip, and skate through anything without the edges ever feeling catchy. The core has a carbon and rubber stomp pad under the bindings to give them a really exciting springiness and superior dampening. It is especially great for landing that rock drop I'm only brave enough to take when the snow is deep. One could also absolutely throw some moves down in the park on them when the inspiration strikes.
Durability
4/5
Leo Cocchiara gave 4 of 5 stars. The Mana 3X is meant to be a specific addition to one's ski collection as opposed to a quiver killer. Its focus is powder with enough versatility that it's happy 2-3 days after a storm. In general, skiers aren't going to trash these skis too much on those kinds of days, so if they use them as intended, the skis could easily last for 10+ years. The more skiers abuse them around big cliffs, rocky-bottomed tree runs, and rails, the shorter their lifespan.
Turn Ease
4/5
Leo Cocchiara gave 4 of 5 stars. People get nervous that a wide ski like the 112mm Mana 3X will be hard to turn, but there's a big difference between changing the direction of the ski versus rolling it up on its edges for a carve. The rockered and rounded tips and tails of the Mana 3X make it really easy to initiate and release turns in fresh powder and variable skied-out snow. One will never feel like they're out of control or hard to change direction on.
Versatility
3/5
Leo Cocchiara gave 3 of 5 stars. As mentioned, the Mana 3X is meant to be a specific addition to one's ski collection instead of a quiver killer. Again, its focus is powder with enough versatility that it's also happy 2-3 days after a storm. It has a freestyle first personality that loves to play in the trees, moguls, and back bowls. It is amenable to some terrain parks and is well-rounded enough to handle a groomer with some speed. It's definitely one of the more all-mountain versatile options in its class.
FAQs
What was your favorite moment with this gear?
Leo Cocchiara From Colorado to California, 2022-2023 was an incredible season for us. I've never had more back-to-back deep powder days in my life. I was fortunate to spend a lot of time skiing Faction skis and was beyond stoked with how well the Mana 3X handled both wet, heavy snow and light, fluffy powder.
Why did you choose this product?
Leo Cocchiara The Mana 3X has an impressively well-rounded personality for a 112mm underfoot ski. People often fear that going too wide will limit their ability to make quick sharp turns or have enough edge control on steep slopes. Still, the Mana 3X has proven that it's more than a one-trick powder pony. It's easy to steer in the moguls and trees, happy to play in the park, and more confident at speed in variable conditions than most skis in the 110+ class. Just ask Curated Expert Sara Beeken, who took them down the race course at Copper Mountain. This is a great option for someone who wants a powder ski that can still perform elsewhere.
What do you love about this product?
Leo Cocchiara I love the whole personality of this ski and think it's a great fit for intermediate, advanced, or expert skiers in the market for powder skis. It handles powder like a dream while having enough performance versatility to make the most of moguls, trees, and jumps along the way.
