Faction Dancer 79 Ti SYS Ski System 26/27

The Faction Dancer 79 Ti SYS is a 79mm unisex piste carver sold as a ready-to-ride system — the Dancer 79 Ti ski paired with a Salomon Strive 11 binding, factory-matched and set up in-shop. Float 1/10 puts it firmly on the frontside: a dedicated groomer ski, not an all-mountain one. Buy it for hardpack and firm corduroy, not for soft snow.

Unlike Faction's carbon Agent tourers, the Dancer 79 has metal in it. Two razor-thin Titanal sheets — the "Ti" in the name — sit over a light poplar core. That metal gives it the damping and edge grip of a proper carver, while the thin sheets and poplar keep it lighter than most metal-laminate frontside skis in its class, so it changes edges quickly and stays fresh on a long groomer day. An Elliptical Sidecut pivots easily at low speed but tightens and holds when you lean into a turn, and its flex is firm through the middle, softening toward the tips and tails.

It is an intermediate-to-expert ski (Flex 8/10) that rewards technique — strong skiers get energy and pop out of it, while skiers who cannot bend it will find the grip less impressive. It is not for beginners, for anyone chasing off-piste float, or for a heavy charger who wants the brute calm of a much heavier race platform.

The SYS lands as one complete package — ski plus a factory-matched Salomon Strive 11, mounted before you pick it up — so there's no second purchase and nothing to track down. Release values are dialled in at the bench for your build, boots and style, not copied off a chart. Prefer your own binding, or one with more headroom? That's what the flat ski is for. And for anything past pure piste, ask about the wider Dancers.