2023 Faction Dancer 3

It’s always great when a new ski steps up and lays the smack down on some other mid-100's out there. The Faction Dancer 3 is a 106-mm underfoot directional freeride ski that has a lightweight poplar wood core and two sheets of metal. This makes it one of the burlier skis in its class, giving advanced and expert skiers the right tool for high-speed and high-performance carving and off-trail adventure. In the more directional category, there aren’t a whole lot of skis out there with this build. For a ski containing this much mass and volume, the Dancer 3 is still on the nimble side, even though it tips the scales at 2100 grams per ski in the 183. While over 2000 grams, it’s still on the close side to that mark. Appropriately, that same 183 turns out a 21-meter radius, making it an excellent turner for the shape and size. With more rocker and taper than the narrower Dancers, the 3 is a good floater, although if you’re looking for pure powder performance, there are better options out there. For high-speed carves and open-terrain skiing, the Dancer 3 is definitely worthy of consideration.

Marcus Shakun was on the 178, and he noted that it felt short for him. This is not surprising at 6’5, Marcus generally is accustomed to longer skis that can hold up to some serious use, power, and angulations. With a top score of 5 out of 5 for flotation, Marcus followed that up with 4’s for versatility, torsional stiffness, edge hold, forgiveness, playfulness, and stability. Quickness, maneuverability, and overall impression all got 3’s. He calls it a “Fun big all mountain ski. Wants to be driven and when you push on the shovel it goes. Funny enough, it didn’t like to smear turns as much as one would think. It actually would hook up and into the next turn. Advanced to expert skier looking for a big all mountain ski. Stable at speed even in the short length. Holds a great edge on firm snow.” While wider and with some rocker, the smearability of the ski should not be a given due to the build and weight.

Ryan Darlow was also on the 178, noting that it skis true to length, and he’d choose this size, although he prefers longer skis, and some others may choose otherwise. Like Marcus, Ryan gave the Dancer 3 a score of 5 out of 5 for flotation and another one for forgiveness. 4’s followed suit for overall impression, versatility, and playfulness. On the lower end of the spectrum, we’re seeing 2’s for torsional stiffness and edge hold and 3’s for stability, quickness, and maneuverability. Ryan calls it a “Super smooth ride! Can cruise through crud, bumps, and soft snow with ease. Very damp but requires power to turn. If you don't keep pushing on the skis, the tip of the outside ski tends to hook up and can get pulled away from you. If you are willing to push, they are incredibly enjoyable and playful and did well on little jibs on the trail.”

It’s great to see the more directional freeride skis really come to life here. For a company that has long been steeped in the tradition of freestyle and multi-directional shaping, the Dancer is turning that a bit, and we’re stoked about it. We’re loving the 106’s with two sheets of metal—big, burly, stiff, and stable to be sure.