2025 Faction Agent 3X

The Faction Agent 3X is back for the 2025 season, offering backcountry enthusiasts a wider-bodied all-mountain ski with a lightweight, energetic build for uphill efficiency and strong downhill prowess. One of the more ideal footprints for a hybrid touring ski, the Agent 3X shares a platform with the Dancer 3X but uses lighter materials, making it more suitable for touring while maintaining versatility and substance. The name of the game here is versatility-make it your dedicated touring ski with an ultra-techy binding set up or opt for an in-bounds approach with a heavier binding. Regardless, this ski is highly capable in a variety of conditions and terrain. As the widest option in the Agent X series, it certainly shines in softer snow, but given the nature of the ski, it performs exceptionally well if conditions are on the firmer side. For energetic performance, whether in-bounds or out, the Agent 3X is an ideal choice for advanced level skiers who want flexibility and creativity.

Built with a lightweight karuba wood core, the foundation of this ski boasts energy and liveliness right off the bat. Incorporating a full carbon weave, Faction achieves a nice level of stiffness, along with boosted energy and pop. Simple but effective, this construction keeps the materials to a minimum, keeping the weight down while still delivering a high-performance ceiling. To provide durability and strength underfoot, full strength sidewalls and XL 2.5 mm edges are utilized, giving it impressive edge grip and durability. The Agent 3X loves to be used in a turning format, giving it a floaty, drifty feel, even for its width. At 1580 grams in the 164 cm length, it tips the scale slightly as far as a typical touring ski weight but in this case, it's still lighter than the Dancer and opens the door up for backcountry use. Tester Louise Lintilhac experienced the dual nature of this ski, commenting “these were super playful all-around skis that did well on piste as well as in the side country on a 13 inch pow day. They were lighter, which was a dream in the heavy snow. I was able to be nimble and change direction easily. They were quick edge to edge, and I was able to pre-load the tips to pop and jump quickly when needed.”

As for the shape and profile, we see the same footprint as the Dancer 3X, creating a fun-loving, playful design to work off of. At 106 mm underfoot, this width is on the wider side, inviting soft-snow performance first and foremost. With this is mind, it is truly impressive how well this ski handles firmer conditions, thanks to the construction attributes and moderate amount of camber. In the 164 cm length, it generates a 16-meter turn radius which is mid-range for all-mountain performance. Open it up and make wide, long arcing turn shapes in the backcountry bowls and take advantage of the lightweight nature to be nimble and quick underfoot. Long rocker in both the tip and tail provides freeride capabilities and excellent flotation, making this Agent the ideal powder ski. That said, Tester Katherine Stevens found that it was “good for powder, woods, and moguls but also fun on groomers too!” What better testament to its versatility and range of capabilities.

The Faction Agent 3X is the soft-snow aficionado of the bunch, offering intermediate to advanced level skiers a wider all-mountain body with a lightweight, energetic feel. Whether you’re tackling uphill excursions or lapping at the resort, this hybrid touring ski is an incredible option for skiers who want options. Sometimes you don’t want a strictly touring ski, and in that case, this ski combines the characteristics that you want for efficiency with a highly capable skillset for a variety of conditions and terrain.