Faction began, as so many small-batch companies do, making skis for themselves, because the founders couldn’t find what they wanted among existing brands. That Faction now makes skis for Everyman is an indication of how far the brand has come in its decade of existence.

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.

Metal can sometimes suck the life out of a ski, but the Nine.5 actually skis narrower than its 95mm girth because it’s reactions are so peppy. Easy to bow under relatively light pressure, the Nine.5 has the wood-and-metal mettle to charge the fall line. A flat-tailed ski made for directional skiers who aren’t about to suddenly ski switch, the Faction Nine.5 combines New School attitude with Old School discipline.