2025 Faction Agent 1

Light, energetic, and ready to take you to the top, the 2025 Faction Agent 1 is the ideal tool for the job. The Agent series mirrors the Dancer series in terms of shape and profile with a few tour-specific differences. Overall, what you’re getting with Agent is simply a lighter version of the Dancer. As for the Agent 1, this is the narrowest and lightest of the group. Arguably, you could state that it’s the most touring-focused as well, but that’d make the wider skis mad because they’re better floaters. If your goal is to get in deeper snow and accentuate flotation, the Agent 1 might be on the narrow side.

Built with a lightweight karuba core, the Agent 1 gets an efficient start. Karuba is one of the lighter woods used in ski building, and it sets itself apart from the slightly denser poplar that makes up the Dancer line. In addition, the skis use a full carbon weave to add stiffness and responsiveness without adding weight. Agent also gets a skin notch in the tail to keep the climbing portion at the forefront of the conversation. As a result, the skis hit the scale at 1490 grams in the 178. This is right where we draw our imaginary line of 1500 grams being a good weight for a dedicated tourer. This one, though, since it’s right on the line, can be considered more of a hybrid option for those that want to do some resort laps as well.

At 86 mm underfoot, this is more of an uphill and backcountry specialist than a modern freetouring ski. It’s going to be quicker and nimbler than the wider Agent skis, so for tighter spaces and more technical lines, we can see some benefit here. Like the Dancer 1, the Agent gets a 19-meter turn radius in the 178. Slightly longer turn shapes make sense for uphill skiing because it allows for a more efficient climb. With 310 mm of tip rocker and 180 mm of tail rocker, these skis will still float and stay on top, but only relative to the overall surface area—they're not the best floating touring skis out there but they are likely the most agile.

We think there’s a decent market here—skiers looking for lightweight efficiency will love the Agent 1. By using a proven shape and style with a lighter build, Faction positions this ski as a mix between a resort tourer and a technical approach ski. At the same time, if you’re looking for a hybrid option that you can pair with a lighter binding and boot setup, you’ll have a very easy time on the uphills.