The CT 2.0 remains a glass laminate ski, which is where it gets its pop, but for 2017 the glass sandwiches a poplar/beech core and the whole stack is capped with a protective shell that rests on the sidewalls. The effect, according to Ty from California Ski Company, is “like a stiffer, better Gunsmoke (narrower of course).” Michael from Footloose pegs the CT 2.0 as a “playful ski for the aggressive skier.”
The Faction Nine.5 is an All-Mountain ski that favors any Finesse skier from intermediate to advanced; its broad ability range could be attributable to Faction’s unique transition zones between the rockered tip (10mm elevation) and tail (5mm) and the cambered (2mm) center section that make a long, strong ski feel shorter and easily re-directed. If the Nine.5 has a particular affinity for off-trail conditions, the culprit lies in its baseline that pulls the front rocker back 20cm from the tip and keeps the tail off the snow for 10cm. What remains in contact with mother earth is fairly stout, bolstered by a full sheet of Titanal that won’t let the Nine.5 get bossed around in set-up crud.