It’s funny when a ski company ends up calling a 99 mm underfoot ski a “mini.” For years, this would have been one of the widest skis on the hill. Times certainly have changed, and with the 2024 Faction La Machine 2, the needle is moved once again as Faction tackles the ever-present argument about whether a lightweight ski like this can produce legitimate downhill and freeride prowess. So far, we’ve been impressed, and skiers looking for a good mix of uphill efficiency and all-mountain performance will likely learn to love at least something, if not everything, about these wicked cool skis. Faction is in a nice spot here, because they already use the Agent series as a lighter version of Dancer, opening up La Machine to be its own thing. With La Machine 2, this 99-mm underfoot freeride touring ski, Faction reaches out to a new group of skiers who value the blend of surfy and playful soft snow performance with agile and energetic uphill capabilities.

In the touring world these days, paulownia and carbon are big hits from a construction perspective. This is no different with La Machine 2. When we get down to it, skis like this should have a good mix of pop and light weight, and this one has got it for sure. The paulownia wood is surprisingly stiff and reactive, and when Faction adds carbon layers to the mix, it adds to the responsiveness and reactivity of the ski for sure. We also get their full-strength sidewall which places a protective layer between the inside of the sidewall and the outside of the core. As such, this not only acts as a barrier between the materials, but it also provides some extra strength as it does function as a structural layer. In totality, the ski hits a paltry 1450 grams in the 183 cm length, putting it squarely in the dedicated touring category at least in terms of weight.

When we look at shape, it amazingly still fits right in the freeride zone. While we normally reserve this moniker for skis that are over 100 mm, La Machine 2, at 99 mm underfoot has more of a freeride footprint than some of the other skis in this zone. It’s rounder than most, with somewhat sharper taper shapes in the tips and tails. This allows the ski to float effortlessly through the snow with easy transitions and a drifty character. With minimal camber underfoot and extended rocker in the tip and tail, La Machine 2 stays afloat in much deeper snow than the initial width may let on. The 99 mm waist is bolstered by 124 mm tips and 116 mm tails. This isn’t a huge drop in taper, so the ski likes to be used in more of a round-turn format. With the snappy build to go along with this more bowed-out shape, it makes for an interesting combination of attributes in this somewhat unique ski.

With the increase of touring over the past few years, it’s great to see ski technology not only catch up, but also stay ahead of the curve. Faction’s La Machine 2 is an excellent example of a touring ski weight in a freeride ski’s body. This mix of characteristics keeps this ski at the forefront of the modern freetour conversation. Depending on what other gear you associate with this ski will skew it to one side or the other. With a weight like this, we normally like to see accompanying light bindings and boots to match. This puts La Machine 2 more in the touring-specific department, but still having that shape to make it appealing to creative and progressive skiers in a downhill format.