2023 Faction Agent 2

The blend of light wood and carbon in the 2023 Faction Agent 2 makes a lot of sense when you think about blurring the line between resort skiing and backcountry access. These hybrid-style skis are all the rage these days, and the 96-mm waist of the Agent 2 makes it one of the most versatile of the bunch. Built with a light weight karuba wood core the Faction Agent 2 gets a featherish, snappy, and poppy start. Faction then adds their full-carbon weave to the mix which stiffens and stabilizes the ski without adding much to the weight. Speaking of grams, the 182 tips the scale at 1550 grams per ski, putting it right near that 1500-gram threshold that we normally reserve for touring skis. With a 19-meter turn radius and a fairly flat tail, this ski has a nice blend of uphill efficiency with downhill ski power. Excessive rocker doesn’t always work that great from a skinning format, so we see a lot of these 50/50 skis with flatter tails. From a downhill perspective, this gives the ski longer effective edge running length and a smoother ride. We talk about the mid-90's as a great place to be for a true all-mountain ski, and the lighter weight and backcountry capability only furthers that theory, placing the Faction Agent 2 at the top of the list for truly well-rounded skis.

David Carter called his 177 a good length, and scored it 4’s out of 5 for flotation, quickness, maneuverability, playfulness, and forgiveness. All other scores were 3’s, leading to the theory that these are indeed well-rounded skis. David notes that the Agent 2 is a “good ski for softer snow and short to mid-radius turns.” Another David, Hatoff this time, also skied the 177, scoring it all 4’s across the board. This is a nice base line for a ski that leans to light weight and touring, and we’re all for it. Dave calls it “Light weight but still very stable. Not much rocker in the shovel provided great edge grip. Great 50/50 resort touring ski with appropriate binding. Light for uphill, and versatile for the down in all conditions.” Dave brings up a great point with the bindings, as most hybrid skis offer the opportunity for either a downhill, touring, or super-tech binding depending on the user’s intention.

Rick Randall found the 177 to be okay. He’s a big and powerful skier, so it’s not that surprising to hear that the shorter length wasn’t the ideal option. Regardless, we see some high scores on his card, including a 5 out of 5 for forgiveness and 4’s for quickness, maneuverability, and flotation. Rick also seems to lean to the backcountry side of the spectrum in terms of the Agent 2’s application: “I think this ski is better suited for ski touring, it's lighter weight and would be ok skiing down on. I was not impressed by it as an all-mountain alpine ski, as it lacks torsional stiffness and edge hold for firmer conditions. Soft snow, bumps.... probably fine. I would only buy this for ski touring, but there are better performing skis for the down in the touring category.”

The weight sets this ski apart from some of the other options in this category, and Faction’s freeride influence helps bring it back to the downhill side of the spectrum. If you’re looking for a well-rounded ski in the ~1500 gram zone, the Agent 2 is an excellent choice.