The Lowdown

Faction calls their new La Machine lineup “Free Touring skis,” which is an interesting term and at first left me wondering who their target rider is. I quickly eyed up the La Machine Mini as the member of the line that fit my needs best. But some questions remained: would these be unnecessarily stiff, lightweight skis that were heavily biased toward either the up or the down? Looking at the build and specs, my Spidey senses started to go off a bit that these had the makings of something good. A 99mm waist would make them perfect for chopped up days, boot deep pow and after work resort laps. Paulownia wood core mixed with carbon should provide a lightweight snappy feeling. A 20m turn radius for versatility on a variety of pitches and conditions, and rockered tips and tails with flat underfoot sections should provide a surfy playful feel. Interest is piqued, let’s go skiing.

Ride Impressions

I got a chance to ski these in a variety of conditions from boiler plate to seven inches of PNW hot pow with both Tecton and Shift bindings. First let’s address binding selection. Given how light these skis are and where most people will be using them (part time touring/playful all-mountain) I think bindings such as the Shift, Duke PT or possibly a Cast system are the ideal setups for these skis. They’ll give you the power to handle varied snow conditions and drive the tip of the ski much better than a pin binding will.

If you’re going to be using these more in the backcountry and in untracked conditions I could see going with a Kingpin or Tecton for the weight savings, but anything lighter than those and you’ll start to compromise the performance of this ski too much in my opinion. If you’re eyeing this for an all-mountain or park ski, I think you’d be better off going with a Prodigy 2 or the new Mana 2.

I really enjoyed my time on these skis. I mounted my long-term test pair with a pair of Shift 13’s and used the evo x Pomoca Pro Glide skins for touring missions. Starting with the up, these skis are light at a claimed 1450g in a 183cm length and a pleasure to skin with. The long low rocker profile in the tip/tail makes for effortless treks when the skin track has been set. I had no issue with these doing back-to-back mile and half treks uphill. For all day missions I wouldn’t hesitate to put a pair of Kingpins on these to shed a bit more weight while still preserving downhill performance.

As fun as the Faction La Machine Mini was going up, the smiles really started when it was time to flip into ski mode. True to Faction’s heritage, these skis are playful to their core. They beckon you to jump off side hits and lips. Slashing through trees is easy given the rocker profile. They pop from turn to turn on groomers and despite the 20m turn radius you can easily manipulate the turn shape. The La Machine Mini does favor softer snow over firmer snow, be it groomed or fresh, which I’d attribute to the weight of the ski. I wouldn’t describe them as unstable, it’s more that they just tend to get deflected around on firmer snow. This is the reason I think binding selection is critical on this ski as the deflection was more pronounced when I skied these with the Tecton bindings.

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Who's It For?

If you come from a freestyle or freeride background and are looking to transition to some human powered skiing, this is a fantastic option. It will have a very familiar feel, inspiring you to access new terrain and take the skills you’ve honed from lift serviced skiing to terrain less traveled. If you are looking for something burly and hard charging or are going to session the park all day, look elsewhere. There are compromises with all skis, and with the La Machine Mini’s weight saving construction, the compromise here is going to be a bit of stability and grip as well as durability from repeated big impacts.