2027 Faction Studio 2

The 2027 Faction Studio 2 returns unchanged except for new graphics. This ski has a lot to offer all-mountain and freeride skiers who may not be directly involved with slopestyle or freeride competitions. This is an upper-level ski for fun-loving and creative skiers looking for a twin tip that rips the whole hill as well as hitting the park, emphasizing trick time and fun out there on the hill. At the end of the day, and certainly in Faction’s mind, that’s what it’s all about. They’re burlier than they let on, with excellent snap and response. With a round turn style and an even flex, they can handle a broad mix of on and off-trail applications.

Faction puts a fair amount of engineering and complexity into these freeride twins. Built with a lightweight poplar wood core, the Studio 2 has great energy to match its lighter weight feel. That blend of pop and silence is very important here, especially when the other additives are brought into the mix. Carbon stringers are laced in the fiberglass laminate to provide stiffness and responsiveness while a Carbon/Rubber stomp pad provides smoothness and absorption to the mid-portion of the ski. These carbon and rubber strips are found in the mid body of the ski along the side, so when you’re landing tricks or hitting rails, the impact is lessened to your feet. Skiers that know what that feels like will appreciate the gradual lessening of those forces over time. Like most good park-oriented skis, we also get 2.5 mm steel edges to withstand rails and boxes, prolonging the lifespan of these skis. While it’s not incredibly stiff, it’s mid-stiff, as carbon does a good amount of work when it comes to mixing flex and pop. In the 183, the ski sits on the scale at 1880 grams, so there’s some good mid-range heft here as well. Tester Grant Wieler notes that his “First impressions was it was light, maneuverable and responsive. Immediately comfortable I began playing on the side of the trails and couldn’t wait to get off piste! This is an Off piste oriented, all mountain free ride ski. This ski just wants to be in the air popping around and playing. It’s just so incredibly responsive and gives you a lot of feedback – in all the best ways if you like a ski with personality!”

We will never turn away a chance to ski a 100-mm twin tip, and this ski is no exception. At 102 mm underfoot, the Studio 2 is a fun-loving ski that excels in a variety of snow conditions and terrain. There’s low camber height here to go along with 360 mm of tip rocker and 325 mm of tail rocker. We see the lack of asymmetry filter in here, making this Studio 2 just slightly more directional and interactive than its narrower counterpart. The 20-meter turn radius makes sense, allowing skiers to dictate the shape and style of the turns with ease and insistence. Tester Finn Murphy states that “The Studio 2 felt very playful, not super-fast, edge to edge, but very stable one in the apex of the turn. Very Poppy and fun to take off side hits and jumps. This is a good all mountain freeride ski. Would have no problem taking it in the woods super quick to maneuver in the bumps and stable when carving. The more you put into this ski the more you get out.”

There’s more to this ski than just twin tip freestyle use. Most aspects of this ski point it more towards the advanced and expert realm, although progressing intermediates will certainly be able to turn it effectively. To access the high end, and all that the ski can do, skiers should have a pretty good skillset and a creative mindset. There’s a lot that this Studio 2 can do, so you should be aware of its particulars before diving in. The measurements of 131/102/127 are not perfectly even, but they are on the rounder and more symmetrical side of the spectrum, allowing a blend of creative freestyle and hard-charging by aggressive skiers. By mixing that shape with the strong and poppy build, these skis can handle a wide variety of applications and skier styles.