As one of the sturdier directional freeride skis out there, the 2024 Faction Dancer 4 is a unique ski that can withstand a whole lot of speed and aggressive skiing while also remaining nimble and agile. We get a new graphic for this year, but the ski returns otherwise unchanged. As a company, Faction does a great job in making interesting, creative, and energetic skis that have a lot of versatility built in. For such a wide ski, the Dancer 4 has a surprising nimbleness to it, allowing hard-charging and powder-hungry skiers to access a variety of turn shapes and styles in the deeper snow. While this Dancer 4 is certainly more at home in the fluff and fresh, it’s also more than capable of producing clean turns in chalk, crud, and chop. For how good it floats, the directional nature of the ski, especially in the tail, allows it to feel like a more fall-line oriented ski rather than a slashy slarver that likes to be sideways. This one prefers the most direct route down the mountain.

With so much surface area and overall mass, Faction needs to keep the ski somewhat light in order to make it maneuverable. In that light, they use a poplar wood core to keep things agile. The funny part is that they also use two sheets of titanal to boost the ski’s stiffness and dampness. The energy is built into the ski through the wood, metal, and the camber, but it becomes a sturdy and stable ski because of the dual-span titanal laminates. Faction also includes XL 2.5 mm edges to increase grip and durability, as well as a durable micro-cap that reduces chipping and peeling. In the 185, the Dancer 2 sits on the scale at 2170 grams per ski, and this is surprisingly mid-range for the overall volume of the ski, especially with the metal built in. The ski ends up being pretty stiff as well, allowing aggressive expert skiers the ability to charge down the fall line at high speeds and with great confidence.

At 116 mm underfoot, the Dancer 4 is on the huge side of the spectrum. Sure, there are wider skis out there, but not many of them have two layers of metal and can lay down clean carved turns like this one. The ski has a long 23-meter turn radius in the 185, so it certainly prefers to find and exploit the fall line whenever possible. The 116 mm waist is bookended by a 141 mm tip and a 131 mm tail, so there’s a whole lot of surface area going on in this ski. There’s also quite a bit of rocker, especially in the shovel to complement a relatively round overall taper shape. This lends to the freeride capabilities of the Dancer 4, but with the metal and the energy, it’s tough to call it one of the more playful skis in this range.

For advanced and expert skiers who know how to carve a turn but want to be in a wide and fat powder ski, the 2024 Faction Dancer 4 is a fantastic option. There’s not a lot this ski can’t do when given the right conditions and terrain, and while those are specific applications, it’s a remarkable experience when it all lines up. Make sure you’re on something like the Dancer 4 when it all goes down.