1 / 6Faction Dancer 79-White
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PTO Verdict
“Faction finally made a piste ski. And they made it feel like a Faction.”
Best for: Intermediate-to-advanced skiers who want a dedicated groomer ski that doesn't feel like a race hand-me-down. The skier who carves hard but still wants a ski with personality. Works well as a second ski alongside a wider all-mountain setup.
Not for: Beginners who need forgiveness, heavy chargers who want maximum dampening at 60+ mph, or anyone looking for off-piste float. If you want more stability and don't mind the weight, the DPS Pisteworks 79 is stiffer and calmer. If you want something wider that can handle mixed conditions, look at the Dancer series in wider widths.
At a Glance
Terrain
Ability Level
Pair It With
Compatible ski bindings.
Browse our recommended binding brands for this ski.
Description
The Dancer 79 is Faction's first dedicated piste ski — built from the ground up for groomed snow and nothing else. The construction centers on a lightweight poplar core paired with two razor-thin sheets of Titanal running through the ski. That dual-Titanal layup is what gives the Dancer 79 its defining trait on snow: it holds an edge with real authority on hardpack and firm morning corduroy, and it stays planted at speed without transmitting chatter into your legs the way a purely wood-core groomer can. The profile is a rocker-camber-rocker with a progressive flat-tail shape — there's just enough tail rocker to let you pivot and redirect at will, but the ski's energy is clearly pointed at clean arcs from tip to tail. Turn initiation is quick for an 8/10-stiffness ski because the 79mm waist keeps transitions short, and the XL 2.5mm edges give you grip you can trust when the mountain goes icy by midday. This is a flat ski — no binding included, so pair it with whatever binding suits your boot and ability.
The Dancer 79 is best matched to intermediate through expert skiers who spend most of their days on groomers and want a tool that rewards precise, committed technique rather than forgives sloppy input. If you ski fast on hardpack, make real turns, and find yourself frustrated by skis that feel vague underfoot, this one will make sense immediately. It is not the right call if you ski mixed terrain, regularly venture into trees or cut through soft snow on the side, or if you want one ski to do everything — the 79mm waist and low-float design simply aren't built for that. If you need a wider platform that still has piste manners, look at the Dancer 1 (86mm) for a modest step up, or the Dancer 2 (96mm) if you want genuine all-mountain capability without giving up the same core feel and Titanal construction.
| Waist Width | 79mm |
|---|---|
| Core | Poplar wood core |
| Construction | Dual titanal sheets, XL edges, Elliptical Sidecut |
| Profile | Minimal rocker + tail rocker with flat tail design |
| Best For | Piste carving — Faction's first pure groomed-run ski |
Specs
- Waist: 79mm
- Dimensions: 118 / 79 / 107mm (178cm)
- Turn radius: 13m (158) / 14m (166) / 16m (172) / 17m (178) / 18m (184)
- Profile: Rocker-camber-rocker (minimal tip/tail rocker, full camber underfoot)
- Shape: Directional, piste carver
- Core: Lightweight poplar + Dual Span Titanal
- Construction: Full strength sidewall, Mustache Flex pattern, Elliptical Sidecut, XL 2.5mm edges, sintered base
- Weight: ~1,640g per ski (178cm)
- Lengths: 158 / 166 / 172 / 178 / 184
Details
- Type
- SKI
- Vendor
- Faction
- UPC / GTIN
- 887445480877
172
Faction Dancer 79 White
By PTO Team, Based on the manufacturer’s published specs · Spec analysis
The take
“Faction finally made a piste ski. And they made it feel like a Faction.”
The Dancer 79 is a new breed for Faction — their first dedicated groomer ski. But it doesn't feel like a brand trying to be something it's not. It feels like a freeride company asking: what if we brought our construction philosophy to corduroy?
79mm waist, poplar core, dual Titanal sheets, full sidewall. On paper, it reads like any competent frontside ski. What sets it apart is how light it is. 1,640g in the 178 — that's noticeably lighter than most metal-laminate carvers in this class. The weight savings come from the poplar core and the thin Titanal sheets Faction calls "razor-thin." Less mass underfoot means quicker edge-to-edge transitions and less fatigue on a long groomer day.
The Elliptical Sidecut blends a longer radius underfoot with shorter radius at tip and tail. In practice, this means you can pivot the ski easily at low speed but it tightens up and holds when you push into a carve. The 17m radius at 178cm is moderate — not slalom-tight, not GS-long. It sits in a zone where you can snap off quick turns on steep groomers or open it up on wide blue cruisers without fighting the ski.
The Mustache Flex pattern is stiff underfoot and through the binding zone, then softens progressively in the tips and tails. The tips absorb crud and transition bumps. The stiff midsection holds when you drive through a turn. It's a pattern that rewards technique but doesn't punish the occasional sloppy turn the way a full race ski would.
Multiple professional testers flagged the same thing: this ski has energy. It pops out of turns. It wants to go. Skiers with good technique described it as "an adrenaline-fueled rocketship." Skiers without enough power to bend it found the edge grip underwhelming on hard snow. That's the trade-off — the lightness that makes it fun also means it doesn't have the brute dampening of a heavier frontside platform.
For PNW skiing, where morning hardpack turns to spring corn by noon, the Dancer 79 actually works better than you'd expect. The tip rocker handles the transition smoothly, and it proved surprisingly capable in soft bumps and spring slush according to testers who pushed it off-piste.
Bindings we'd pair with it
Mount point: Recommended mount point (directional). Our pick: Look Pivot 2.0 13 GW.
Look Pivot 2.0 13 GWAggressive carvingTurntable heel gives long elastic travel. Holds through aggressive edge angles and hard carves. The classic choice for skiers who push hard.
Marker Griffon 13 IDAll-aroundLighter than the Pivot, easy to adjust. GripWalk compatible. Solid mid-range option if the ski pulls double duty.
- Tyrolia Attack 14 GWLightweight setup
Keeps the overall weight down on an already light ski. Good retention, clean release. Pairs well with the Dancer's light-and-lively character.
The Dancer 79 also comes in a SYS bundle with Faction's Strive 11 bindings. The SYS is a simpler option, but flat-mount with a higher-DIN binding gives you more performance headroom.
