FACTION PRODIGY 3.0 $749

BEST FOR: Freeriding around the resort, from the back bowls to the park.

LENGTHS: 172, 178, 184, 190

DIMENSIONS: 133/106/125 @ 184

RADIUS: 20 @ 184

WEIGHT: 2,100g @ 184

OTHER MODELS: Prodigy 0.0, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, 0.0X, 1.0X, 2.0X, 3.0X

Born in the world Freeride epicentre of Verbier, Switzerland and skied on by a select group of worldwide superstars led by Candide Thovex, Faction provided one of the few twintips in our test so we jumped on Prodigy expecting a fun time. We weren’t disappointed. “Smooth and playful,” wrote Pelle Campbell, summing up the consensus. A directional twintip (meaning the tip and tail are different widths), tip and tail taper and rocker for easy powder skiing, and multi-radius sidecut (longer underfoot, tighter at the tip and tail) added up to an easy pivoting and turning ski. It could handle groomers, bumps, fresh and chopped-up. Lazy, skidded turns or hard-cranked railing, it was equally happy. We could go on, but basically this ski pleased a wide range of testers and in a wide range of conditions. “A good all-rounder,” said Tobin Leopkey. “Playful shape and dimensions for just about any conditions. Perfect for a skier who ventures from park to pow.”