2025 Faction Dancer 2 Ski Review
Each year, a couple of skis jump out at our testers in our annual ski test. It’s so fun to talk to testers and find out which one overwhelmed them the most in terms of energy, fun, and capabilities. Over the last two winters, the Faction Dancer came up multiple times in this conversation. Whether it was the 1, 2, or 3, the Dancer series of skis kept entering the chat when it comes to surprising skis. As a result, we put the Dancer 2 squarely in our sights as a mid-90's all-mountain ski to test this year. So far, so good, as there is a lot of truth to our testers’ experiences, making our time on the Dancer 2 this year more than enjoyable. This ski definitely lives up to its name, taking a strong build and adding an interesting shape with a good amount of camber. Lots of camber equals lots of energy, and that brings the Dancer into the forefront of the conversation when it comes to pep, zest, and an exciting overall snow feel. Since this ski is firmly placed in a very competitive range of skis in the market today, it was very interesting to see how it fared and compared among a group of extremely potent as well as playful skis. Other than a topsheet change, the 2025 version is structurally the same as in years past.
From a construction standpoint, the Dancer 2 has the stats to blend in to the top-tier of skis. It’s built with a light poplar wood core and two full sheets of metal. That right there is an impressive resume. Faction also uses 2.5 mm XL edges for increased durability and grip, a full-strength sidewall, again for durability and performance, and an anti-chip micro-cap that reduces wear and tear. This topsheet, we’ve found, is already paying dividends as the skis still look brand new after a couple of weeks of pretty strong use. For having two sheets of metal and some thicker sidewalls and edges, Faction manages to keep the weight in a pretty average spot, with the 182 (length tested) coming in at 1900 grams per ski. There are others, Blizzard Anomaly 94, Nordica Enforcer 94, Volkl Mantra M7 which all top 2000 grams in this length, so the Dancer 2 is a bit lighter than those skis. Conversely, it’s certainly heavier than Elan Ripstick 96, Volkl Blaze 94, or Head Kore 93/99, which is to be expected given the metallic nature of the ski. These skis are also built in Austria, so there’s a good deal of precision and quality that go into the construction, and it’s evident in the finish and polished nature of the product.
At a Glance:
2025 Faction Dancer 2 Skis
| AVAILABLE SIZES | TURN RADIUS | SIDECUT | WEIGHT | PRICE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 163, 171, 177, 182, and 187 cm | 19 m @ 182 cm | 127 / 96 / 117 mm | 1,900 g @ 182 cm | $799.00 |
It gets more interesting in the shape and profile, as the Dancer 2 doesn’t really look like much else out there. The taper of the ski almost looks as dramatic as a Salomon QST 92, with the wider part of the ski brought down from the very tip. This is different from other skis in this range with metal as it increases mobility and agility without taking away from the smoothness and dampness. We’ll get into it more during the performance phase of this review, but it’s certainly a standout feature that needs to be addressed. There’s also a very long running length in this ski with not a ton of rocker. This adds to the directional character of the ski and emphasizes its all-mountain personality. The tip splay is rather abrupt, which opposes the gradual taper of the shovel. In the tail, the splay, once again, is sharper than it is smooth, shorter than it is tall, and this lends to the energetic feel of the ski as more of the ski is engaged in the snow. Faction lists the 182 as having a 19-meter turn radius while our friends at soothski.com measure it out to be a bit longer at 20.7-meters. Either way, the ski seems to enjoy the mid-range of carving naturally but is coercible to be used in a longer or shorter format as needed. There’s a 10 mm drop in tip to tail taper from 126 mm to 116, making the Dancer 2 a very predictable ski with a traditional feel.
On snow, starting on-piste, the Dancer 2 comes as advertised—this thing is smooth, steady, and surprisingly stiff. There’s a lot of energy here, making the Dancer 2 a rebound machine. Whether short, medium, or long, the turns are met with similar reactivity. That said, the mid-range carve is where this ski excels, and I think the 182 length has something to do with that. I also mounted it on the Progressive line, one cm forward of Traditional. I think I’ll move the mount back, as I do feel a bit too close to the end of the shovel taper. It’s not killing the ski by any means, but I do think there’s a bit more potential to be unlocked with a more rearward mount. As it stands, the Dancer 2 is hyper-mobile. You can swerve the front of this ski around with no issues whatsoever, and when you want to stand on it, the elliptical sidecut allows for you to push hard on the middle of the ski and ride the sidecut around in a sweeping fashion. In short radius turns, you will be aware of the tail. It’s flat and stiff and will take you for a ride if you’re not balanced. At speed, I’m thankful for the metal as it contributes to grip, smoothness, and stability. This doesn’t feel like an outright rocket ship out there like some other skis in this range, but it certainly holds its own. The acceleration is phenomenal, but top velocity carves aren’t as confidence inspiring as they are on a Mantra. Since it’s not a full sidewall all the way around, there’s some slippage when the snow changes, but it’s not even at the discomforting level.
When you feel like having some adventure, the Dancer 2 is more than willing to come along for the ride. Again, mobility is an absolute highlight here—the ski can make short, tight, wiggly turns with no hesitation whatsoever. The taper in the shovel and the abrupt tip rise have a lot to do with this behavior. I’ve been referring to it as a Salomon QST 92 with metal, and I stand by that assertion, especially when it comes to agility and ease of turning. The Dancer 2 absolutely wheels around in turns—it's so incredibly easy to get this ski to wiggle as the initiation is accentuated by the capped construction and the taper in the tip. This has to be the most mobile ski in this width range with two sheets of metal out there. Kastle Paragon 93 is really the only other one I can think of that comes close. While it’s on the stiff side for pure and silky mogul performance, it’s at least very predictable and consistent. We had them out in some pretty rugged bumps here at Stowe and you can stand on the edge of the ski with confidence when the bumps get a bit dicey. With firm snow in between, having that metal makes all the difference in the world versus a more traditional bump ski like the Atomic Bent 90 which would simply wash out given similar situations. Dancer 2 stands tall and proud, but it does ask something of the skier in order to access the pinnacle of the performance. If you’re looking for more gentle skiing, the Prodigy is the place to be within Faction’s line, or the aforementioned QST 92 or Ripstick 96 are easier going skis in this realm. You do not, however, get the same confidence or stability when adversity appears, as the dual span titanal steps up and does its job as intended.
In trees and softer snow, there are more playful and creative skis out there for sure. We get a lot of packed-out trees here in Vermont, and Dancer 2 does great there. They are, however, on the more cambered side to be drifty or smeary in deeper snow and crud. These things want to grip if the snow is soft. Again, this is where skier input comes in handy. You can make the ski behave more like a freeride ski, but it wants to be used as a pure all-mountain option. It’s like the Mantra or Anomaly 94 in that way. As such, in softer snow, it kind of gets caught in the middle because it has a tapered shape of a QST, but the build of a much stronger ski. This unique blend is not intuitive because you have to figure it out before you can exploit it. When you do, it’s fine, but it’s not a natural feeling like the QST or the Ripstick. The heftier skis, you just know they’re going to be a handful in powder or tighter trees, but with the Dancer, you almost expect it to be supple and simple, but that’s not quite the case. Effort matters, and if you want good powder and tree performance, you have to activate your muscles and skills.
The Faction Dancer 2 fills an interesting void in the mid-90's all-mountain ski category. It’s tough to make a unique ski here, as there’s a lot of other skis in this range, but Dancer 2 sure makes a run at it. It wants to be an Enforcer and a QST at the same time. For the most part, it’s successful, but it’s just not a huge group of skiers that fit in this realm. Best for advanced and expert skiers who want an agile ski with metallic stability, the Faction Dancer 2 is a ridiculously mobile option that you can still stand on with confidence. It does everything that’s asked of it, but not a whole lot more. You can trust it, and that’s a big compliment, and it’ll make almost any turn ask, you just have to make it so rather than relying on the ski to do the work for you.
Keep Exploring the Faction Dancer 2: