1 / 3Faction Agent 1 Touring Skis 26/27
Pre-order · Ships September 2026
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PTO Verdict
“The climber's Agent — narrow, efficient, and honest that float is not its job.”
Best for: Intermediate-to-expert backcountry skiers who earn their turns and care most about the climb — efficient skinning, tidy kick-turns and firm bootpacks — and want a narrow, precise ski for spring corn, hardpack and firm skin tracks rather than soft-snow float. The tourer who wants the up to feel light and the firm-snow down to feel exact, mounted with a tech/pin or hybrid touring binding and skins.
Not for: Soft-snow and powder-first tourers, who want more float than an 86mm ski gives — the wider Agent 2 or Agent 3 suits them. Resort-only skiers who never earn their turns, since a light carbon tourer is not a lift-served all-mountain ski and a metal carver holds firm resort snow better. Skiers who want one wide do-anything ski, because this is a narrow firm-snow specialist. And beginners — the Agent line starts at intermediate.
At a Glance
Terrain
Ability Level
Pair It With
Compatible ski bindings.
Browse our recommended binding brands for this ski.
Description
The Faction Agent 1 is an 86mm unisex ski, the narrowest model in Faction's carbon Agent range, built for the uphill. Faction gives it a Float 3/10 rating — the lowest in the range — which sums up its purpose: skinning quickly and holding firm snow, not floating powder. There is no metal in it. A light Karuba woodcore sits beneath a full carbon weave, backed by a full-strength sidewall, tip-and-tail cap protection and XL 2.5mm edges that survive firm skin tracks and variable snow.
Faction splits the range by width and float: the 86mm Agent 1 for firm-snow climbing, the 96mm Agent 2 as the do-most middle, and the 106mm Agent 3 for the descent. The Agent 1 suits a skier who earns their turns and wants a light, nimble tool for spring corn, kick-turns and firm bootpacks — someone who cares more about an efficient climb and a precise firm-snow descent than about float. Independent reviews read it as calm and composed for a carbon ski, while noting it feels slightly heavy for its width and likes to be driven at low speed.
It is a specialist rather than a do-anything one-ski quiver. Skiers who only ride lifts will be happier on a resort all-mountain or carving ski. If you want float for soft snow, move up the range to the 96mm Agent 2 or the 106mm Agent 3. And the Agent line begins at intermediate, so it is not a first pair of skis. Unsure which width matches your touring? Tell us where and how you ski, and we will steer you to the right Agent.
The Agent 1 ships flat, without bindings. Bring your boots and we will fit and mount a tech/pin setup for pure touring or a hybrid for mixed use, and cut the matching Agent-series skins.
Specs
Technical Specs
| Waist | 86 mm |
| Sidecut | 120 / 86 / 110 mm (tip / waist / tail, constant across all lengths) |
| Radius | 13 / 15 / 17 / 19 / 21 m (154 / 162 / 170 / 178 / 186) |
| Weight (per ski) | 1240 / 1310 / 1330 / 1490 / 1540 g per ski (154 / 162 / 170 / 178 / 186) |
| Core | Lightweight Karuba woodcore; Full Carbon Weave — 8-12 unidirectional carbon strips on either side of the wood core; no metal |
| Flex / Float / Style | 7 / 10 (Faction's own Flex scale) / Float 3/10 (Faction's own 0-10 scale) / 6 / 10 (Faction's own Style scale) |
| Lengths | 154 / 162 / 170 / 178 / 186 cm |
Details
- Type
- SKI
- Vendor
- Faction
- SKU
- FCSKW26-AG10-WT-154-1
White / 154
Faction Agent 1
By PTO Team, Based on the manufacturer’s published specs and published third-party testing · Spec analysis and published third-party testing
The take
“The climber's Agent — narrow, efficient, and honest that float is not its job.”
The Agent 1 is the narrowest ski Faction builds in its carbon Agent line, and the one set up around the way up rather than the way down. It runs 86mm underfoot with a Faction Float rating of Float 3/10 — the least soft-snow float in the range, a deliberate firm-snow and efficiency width. The build is all carbon and no metal: a light Karuba woodcore wrapped in a full carbon weave, which is how Faction keeps mass down without a Titanal sheet. A narrow carbon ski can ride nervous and chattery, yet independent reviews describe this Agent as predictable and composed, with strong edge grip on hardpack and spring firn — a damp carbon ski rather than a twitchy ultralight one.
That composure has an honest cost. Reviewers who like the planted feel also note the ski runs a touch heavy for a tourer this narrow and wants an active pilot at low speed — it rewards a skier who drives it rather than one who sits back. It is stable rather than featherweight, and on the way up it is heavier than dedicated race-weight carbon tourers like the Blizzard Zero G or G3 FINDr. If your one goal is the absolute minimum uphill weight for big-vertical days, a skimo-focused tourer will beat it. The return on that extra mass is a firmer, more precise ride down for a ski this slim.
This is not a powder ski and it is not pretending to be one. At 86mm and Float 3/10 it skins firm tracks efficiently, works kick-turns and firm bootpacks tidily, and skis spring corn, firm off-piste and hardpack with real edge grip. Point it into deep soft snow and it will ask for more float than the width can give. It is a specialist for the up and for firm conditions, not an all-conditions one-ski answer.
Within the range, Float climbs with width: the Agent 1 (86mm) is the efficient climber, the Agent 2 (96mm) is the versatile middle, and the Agent 3 (106mm) is the descent-focused end. Move up to the 2 or 3 for more float and one-ski range; stay on the 1 when efficiency and firm snow are the priority. Against Faction's own Dancer, which uses Titanal for lift-served firm-snow carving, this ski does the opposite job — a light, earn-your-turns tool that trades some damping to be lighter and friendlier on the skin track. Ability runs intermediate to expert.
Bindings we'd pair with it
Mount point: Directional; recommended mount set at fitting. Our pick: Chosen at fitting — a tech/pin or hybrid touring binding, never assumed by spec.
- Tech/pin touring bindingLightweight touring
Low weight and clean uphill travel for a dedicated earn-your-turns setup. We match a model to your boots and set it in the shop.
- Hybrid touring bindingTouring plus resort
A heavier hybrid choice for skiers who also ride lifts, matched to your boots in the shop.
The Agent 1 is a touring ski and ships flat. We do not set a DIN by spec — we fit and adjust the binding to your weight, ability and boots in the shop.
Common Questions
- What is the difference between the Faction Agent 1, 2 and 3?
- Same carbon-and-Karuba touring build in three widths, with Faction's Float rating rising as the ski gets wider. The Agent 1 is 86mm (Float 3/10), the narrow, efficient climber for firm snow. The Agent 2 is 96mm (Float 5/10), the versatile middle. The Agent 3 is 106mm (Float 7/10), the widest and most descent-focused, for soft snow and days when the down counts as much as the up.
- Is the Faction Agent 1 a powder ski?
- No. At 86mm and Float 3/10 it carries the least float in the Agent line — it is a firm-snow and efficiency ski for the climb, spring corn and hardpack. If soft snow is your priority, the wider Agent 2 or Agent 3 float more.
- Does the Faction Agent 1 have metal in it?
- No. The Agent line is built without metal — a light Karuba woodcore stiffened with a Full Carbon Weave. That is the opposite of Faction's Dancer line, which uses Titanal. Its composure comes from the carbon layup, not a metal sheet.
- What bindings does the Faction Agent 1 take, and how do I set it up?
- It ships flat. As a touring ski it takes a tech/pin binding for a light setup, or a hybrid touring binding if you also ride lifts — the right choice depends on your boot and how you tour. We fit, mount and set the binding in the shop, and can match the correct Agent-series climbing skins.
- How should I size the Faction Agent 1?
- It comes in 154, 162, 170, 178 and 186cm. Sizing follows your height, weight, ability and how you tour rather than one rule — a shorter length is lighter and quicker, a longer length is more stable. Tell us your details and we will recommend a length.
