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Faction Skis - Continuing the resurrection

Written by Dan Morgan, Sunday, 09 May 2004

The switch back to skis is happening - even the most hardened and devout boarder must admit to that.  Exciting new brands are entering the market with some awesome looking kit and as we have seen - more than enough performance to compete.

Enter Faction - only just a year old but already raising eyebrows and making the market take note.  We were keen to see these skis in action and as luck would have it, Tony McWilliam, Faction founder, just happened to be in Zermatt (check out our snap of him with the cheeky grin obviously enjoying himself in the middle of a snowy Zermatt day).

Here is Faction on Faction.

Faction Ski

After years within the ski industry throughout the world, both as professional skiers and working for ski manufacturers themselves, we¹ve got together to complete what we see as the missing link a ski company by skiers, for skiers.

After a decade of skiing living in the shadow of snowboarding in terms of public recognition and ‘cool’, there’s resurgence back towards skiing. Skiers are discovering that they can kick it just as hard as the boarders. Snowboarders who used to ski when they were kids are getting back onto two planks. We’re seeing this resurgence around us and we’re really proud to be part of it.

Following hot on the heels of companies such as North America’s Line and Armada Skis, we’re aiming at the middle high end of the market, producing what we feel are the best all-mountain skis available.
Twin tips for landing switch, fat (88mm) waist for flotation in powder, enough sidecut to able to lay trenches on the groomed (~23m @ 185cm), dual sandwich and cap construction, full poplar-birch wood cores, bi and tri-axial fibreglass braiding around the core, fast ptex4000 bases.

For the first season we produced one model, available in 175 and 185cm lengths, with a different bitching graphic for each length. The smaller size is perfect as a park and all-mountain ski for medium ability/height guys or big-mountain ski for advanced women skiers, while the 185 is the big-mountain ski for advanced male skiers.
The skis are hand-made in the Alps and are available in limited numbers.


The company has been set up by Tony McWilliam, an Australian who has been living in the French Alps for the last four years. Our team of skiers is made up of men and women Australian, Canadian, English and Swiss competing in big-mountain and freestyle competitions throughout Europe, North America and the Southern Hemisphere. Experienced skiers like Canadian Ross Janzen and Australian telemarker Martha Burley, as well as young up and comers like Sweden’s Kalle Fredrickson.

We are a small company dedicated to establishing a core market of passionate snowsports enthusiasts who are looking for an alternative to the mainstream brands.

Log onto www.factionskis.com to have a look.

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