Ladies looking to split their time between the resort and the backcountry will love these awesome skis. With a slight graphic change but the same great hybrid touring build and shape, the 2024 Faction Agent 2X is poised and ready for another year of adventurous skiing and endless powder. This mid-width ski is a great option for those that spend a lot of their day in search of softer snow, whether that’s by way of lift access or human power. The ski does not care, it’s more about how you view it and what type of accompanying equipment you’re going to use. With a ski like this you can open it up to having a heavier setup if you’re planning on more resort use, or you could go super-techy and make this setup a lot lighter and more suitable for uphill efficiency. Since they base the footprint off the successful alpine Dancer 2X, the Agent2X gets the benefits of having that downhill prowess, with simply a lighter load for breaching the realm of the touring side of the spectrum.

Built with a lightweight karuba wood core, the ski gets a feather-like start. This wood is used in many other skis that tout their lightness, and it makes sense that it’d be applied here as well. To boost the pop and energy of the ski, Faction adds a full carbon weave to the mix, giving the Agent 2X a lot of snap without adding much weight. There’s also a durability aspect that these skis have, thanks to the full-strength sidewall that applies a protective barrier between the inside of the sidewall and the outside of the core to add sturdiness to the mix. Additionally, Faction adds their XL 2.5 mm edges to the ski that increases edge grip and longevity. When it’s all added up, the Agent 2X lands on the scale at 1410grams per ski in the 163 cm length. This fits in pretty close to the touring world when it comes to weight, while remaining on the sturdy side of that realm.

Since the ski shares a shape and profile with the alpine-oriented Dancer 2X, the Agent 2X has a good platform to fall back on. With a 15-meter radius in the 163, the ski’s 96 mm width is bookended by a 127 mm tip and a 117 mm tail. This is a great mid-range to be in for a variety of conditions and terrain. While there’s some camber underfoot that provides energy to the mix, there’s still some decent rocker in the tips and tails that allow the ski to float a bit better than the shape may indicate. The tail is more in tune with the touring world, with a flatter profile and a skin fixation notch—the nods to the backcountry are certainly close by. The mid-90's is a great place to be for true versatility, and the more you ski it, the more applications it seems to be able to handle.

Skiers in the advanced realm will find the most opportunity here, as the ski has a nice blend of weight and energy to go along with the touring capabilities. You don’t necessarily have to tour on these skis, but you can. You don’t have to use them in the resort all the time, but you can. It’s all about skier preference and flexibility with the Faction Agent 2X, putting more input onto the feet of the skier and letting them decide how, when, and where they wish to use these amazingly well-rounded hybrid touring skis.