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Freestyle skis have greatly evolved since the early days of the Salomon TenEighty, now coming in all shapes, sizes, flex patterns, and the like. Not constrained by the numerous design limitations put on ski makers in the ski racing world, freestyle skis have always been a place for experimentation and expression. With that, there’s definitely been a heavy trend toward specialization in the freestyle world, leaving us with many skis that might be really good at things like buttering, spinning, sliding rails, and more–but they trend in that direction at the cost of simple skiability.

With the Studio series, Faction hasn’t forgotten about those of us who want a ski that can make powerful turns in all kinds of conditions. The new Studio 2 is an absolute weapon for all-mountain freestyle skiing, providing an impressively solid and stable platform on hardpack, chopped-up snow, and even moderately deep fresh powder. It balances the line between poppy/playful and damp, and provides an autopilot-like feeling in most conditions, allowing you to seek out that next sidehit, natural air or park feature.

Faction Studio 2 Specs:

  • Lengths: 166cm, 173cm, 178cm, 183cm, 188cm
  • Sidecut: 131mm - 102mm - 127mm
  • Radius: 20m (183cm)
  • Profile: twin tip, camber underfoot
  • Weight: 1880 (183cm)

Shape, Flex and Construction

The Faction Studio 2 looks about as traditional as any twin tip ski might come these days. With a fairly symmetrical shape, a moderate 102mm waist width, very little tip and tail taper, and subtle tip and tail rocker lines, there isn’t really much that stands out about its shape–in a world of wild ski shapes, perhaps it’s the Studio’s traditional take on the matter that stands out.

The devil is in the details, however, and despite the traditional looks, the ski actually features a multi-radius elliptical sidecut. That means the radius underfoot is longer than at the tips and tails, adding stability at speed but allowing for easy and quick turn initiation when the skis are laid over on edge.

Like the rest of the Faction ski line, there are three recommended options for mounting, labeled Newschool, Progressive, and Classic, on the topsheet. The Newschool mark is almost at true center. I found the Progressive mark to be where I liked the ski the best for all-mountain shredding, but would imagine that more purely freestyle-oriented skiers would appreciate the added fore/aft balance of mounting the ski at Newschool.

Inside, the ski features a poplar wood core infused with carbon stringers, and a carbon/rubber stomp pad under the binding for extra durability and shock absorption for big landings. There’s also burlier 2.5mm edges, reinforced sidewalls, and an anti-chip topsheet. This ski is meant to leave the ground and get thrashed, after all.

Flex is an interesting one, with really stiff tips and tails (for added pop) and a softer ski underfoot–lending itself more to high-speed stability than playful butteriness. Faction calls this Boat Flex.

On-Snow Performance

To me, it’s always a good sign when a ski feels super natural to ski right out of the box, and Faction’s Studio 2 feels like it has an autopilot mode. In other words, it's really easy to get along with in most conditions you’ll encounter at the resort.

On hard snow, there’s really good edge hold and a predictable, smooth turn shape. It doesn’t feel quite as locked in as most directional skis would, but it’s no slouch when carving, regular or switch. The tail releases easily, and it’s really fun to throw these sideways at high speeds over a roller and whiteroom yourself, knowing that they’ll come back around predictably and re-engage in a turn without getting squirrely. That same confidence translates to lining up and landing airs off sidehits, natural features, or even park jumps. The quickness of the ski allows for nimble direction changes on in-runs and precise turns in steep, chopped-up terrain and moguls.

In deep and soft snow, the Studio 2 feels a little outgunned–but that’s where its larger siblings, the Studio 3 and 4 come into play. I wouldn’t recommend the Studio 2 as much of a backcountry ski, it’s not quite big enough, but in not-so-deep resort powder it’s quite fun.

Overall, the ski is quite stiff and doesn't feel as playful or buttery as many other all-mountain twins and requires a more powerful and energetic skiing style to really take advantage of. However, that means this is much more than just a tool for getting from jib to jib around the mountain. It’s just plain ol’ fun to ride.

How Does The Faction Studio 2 Compare?

There’s quite a few other aggressive all-mountain twins out there, but the Faction Studio 2 reminds me of popular skis of yesteryear like the older Völkl Bridges, or even a heavier, much more durable version of the original Faction Candide pro models.

From recent testing, it's worth comparing the Studio 2 to both the Völkl Revolt 104 and the Rossignol Super Black Ops 98, both skis with similar intentions that our testers were huge fans of during our ski test at Sunshine Village. The Super Black Ops 98 is perhaps the most similar, with a super-stiff and damp construction meant for powerful skiing in firmer conditions. The Rossignol beats the Faction out in terms of edge hold and all-out stability, but that comes at the cost of being a bit harder to wrangle and much more tiring to ski. The Super Black Ops 98 is more an all-gas, all-the-time kind of ride.

On the flip side, Völkl’s Revolt 104 is a little softer and butterier than the Studio 2, and maybe a better option for someone looking mostly for a park ski to hit rails and jib around on. The Studio 2 adds some extra stability for big jumps and high-speed skiing, but isn’t quite as playful.

What Type Of Skier is The Faction Studio 2 Best For?

Faction’s Studio 2 will surely please a lot of freestyle-oriented resort skiers, especially those looking for something more powerful and aggressive that’s not a traditional directional ski. The versatility across conditions from hardpack to soft snow is amazing, rivaling that of most aggressive directional skis, with the added freestyle DNA that Faction has perfected over the years. 

This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

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