2026 Faction Dancer 79

It’s always fun when a new ski pops up and it’s just a breath of fresh air. Such is the case with the 2026 Faction Dancer 79. This ski is the newest and narrowest Dancer, bringing all-mountain and freeride vibes to the front side. We honestly didn’t see this one coming, as the Dancer 1 seemed narrow enough at 86 mm underfoot, but once you get on the new 79, it just all makes sense. The amount of energy, grip, and solid feel here is very unique, and skis of this ilk just aren’t made much anymore. With a traditional shape and strong build, the Dancer 79 is a rare all-mountain ski that carves insanely well.

Like the other skis in the Dancer line, the 79 uses a lightweight poplar wood core and features two sheets of titanal. Faction also incorporates their XL 2.5 mm edges for increased traction, grip, and durability. These skis end up being on the stiffer side but not overpowering. They have the right amount of power per width, as some skis in the upper 70’s are just so darn hefty. These sit at 1640 grams per ski in the 178 cm length, so have a lighter and more mobile feel. Grant Weiler notes that it’s an “Aptly named ski, I loved the energy in and out of turns. I found my feet getting off the ground in the transition of every turn and with a 17 m radius turn it was super fun to lay on edge and blast around. Extremely responsive and playful. I had an absolute blast on this ski.”

Most skis in this width range are system skis with integrated bindings and a front side character. The Dancer 79 bucks that trend as offered flat and with a versatile shape to it. With measurements of 118/79/107, this is a narrow ski with quickness and edge grip on its mind. The 178 produces a 17-meter turn radius but it feels capable of both longer and shorter arcs. They do use an elliptical sidecut here, and that’s likely part of the program in terms of turn versatility. While Faction implements a 225 mm tip rocker length and a 135 mm tail rocker span, they do feel heavily cambered because of the energy. Tester Erik Timmerman states that “This is a longer radius ski than the others in its group. It does a nice job of “dancing” all over the mountain. Great for cruising long turns or for harvesting the piles on the side of the trail. Nimble enough to ski the bumps well. Not as much of a ripper as some of the other skis but puts more of the mountain into play.”

In general, we like fun new things here at SkiEssentials.com, and this Dancer 79 is no exception. While it normally wouldn’t make its way onto our radar just because of the width being on the narrow side, the feeling on snow has this ski working its way to the forefront of the discussion of new skis in the front side and all-mountain realm.