Faction CT 3.0 ski review, 2017/2018 men's Big Mountain Category, from our equipment experts at Realskiers.com powered by Masterfit.

Among the terrain park crowd, the Candide Thovex Signature Series is associated with the center-mounted, symmetrical CT 1.0 and 2.0 skis. But for the directional skier, Faction's CT 3.0 is the ticket. The secret to CT 3.0's remarkable stability at speed, particularly for a ski so light, is a balsa/flax core. A pioneer in the use of flax as a dampening agent for skis, Faction understood that ounce-for-ounce, it’s a better vibration absorber than Titanal. The CT 3.0 adds a short section of metal underfoot, but it’s more for binding retention than added power. Looked at in profile, the CT 3.0 baseline, while rockered and twin-tipped, stays fairly close to the snow. It doesn’t take a lot of pressure to get a solid edge in the snow, so the CT 3.0 can be a dedicated off-piste ski for any lighter weight skier, male or female (note the 204-cm size, a ginormous footprint). Bob Gleason targeted the Faction CT 3.0 “for a skilled skier, a great charger. Strong carve with a crisp turn release, good hold and smooth at speed.”

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