Prodigy Jr

The Faction Prodigy Jr is a junior twin-tip built for kids who have moved past the snowplow and want the run of the whole mountain — groomers, side hits, the edges of the park. The Polyfly foam core keeps it light enough that a ten-year-old isn't fighting the ski by the last run of the day, and the smooth rocker through the tip and tail rounds off the contact points so it smears easily and shrugs off a sloppy turn instead of catching an edge. The elliptical sidecut keeps it quick and pivoty underfoot rather than locked into one turn shape, so it stays playful when a tired kid just wants to slide around. The XL 2.5mm edges — thicker than the industry standard — add real durability, because junior skis get dragged across parking lots and ridden into rocks. There's no metal in the layup, which is the right call here: it keeps the swing weight low and the flex soft enough that a lighter rider can actually bend the ski and learn from it.

This is best for kids roughly 7–12 who can link turns and are starting to mess around — buttering on the cat track, hitting little side hits, dabbling in the park. Faction builds it as a forgiving starter freeski, not a hard-charging carver, so don't expect it to hold an edge at speed on steep firm snow — that's not what a soft foam-core junior ski is for. If your child is still working on stopping and stays mostly on green groomers, a beginner-specific ski with a flatter profile will track straighter and teach them faster. On the other end, a strong teen who's outgrown junior sizing should step up to the adult Prodigy 1 — same playful twin-tip feel but a 88mm waist, stiffer poplar core, and adult lengths, tuned for park and all-mountain freestyle. The Prodigy Jr ships flat, so plan on a junior binding mounted and adjusted by a tech to your child's boot sole length and the correct release setting.