The Supertonic from Faction are stylish looking skis, with full rockers that make them super fun to ride in deep snow and easy to rotate quickly in those trick, tight spots. In variable snow they struggle with balance in the shorter models, but they are very playful when jumping, with the Basla/Flax core giving them a springy feel.
Designed in Verbier, they feel truly at home on big mountain terrain. With 107mm width underfoot and a decent sidecut, the feel when carving is surprisingly good, however they only really need to cross the piste to get to the next 'dropping in' point so they get away with a slight lack of edge hold on the groomers. If you are looking for adaptability the Phenol Binding Plates add extra screw retention and durability so using a touring binding with centre screws is a possibility.
The shaping of the camber and rocker really influences the skis ability to pivot and so can easily adjust turns to the conditions underfoot. We find them at home with both shorter and longer radii, but the real fun comes when let loose to charge down the fall-line. Lightweight, bundles of float and a solid platform makes you head up for an extra run, 'just to make sure'! On the crud they hold up well with the rocker helping them over the bumps - but they lose a little performance as the snowpack gets harder.
At £559 without bindings they aren't the cheapest freeride skis, however if you are looking for fun, playful skis that don't need to perform perfectly on-piste then they should definitely be on your shortlist. The topsheet and base art by #factionwomen Kay Flockhart and Rosalind Monks should also be a consideration as they are gorgeous without being uber girly.
