Faction La Machine 3 Mega Skis

Here is what Faction has to say about their new La Machine 3 Mega Skis: “F#ck the piste. Find the pow. La Machine is the pinnacle in free-touring—our tool for the true backcountry aficionados. With dual carbon layers, La Machine is ultra-light for efficient trekking capability. Pair this feather-weight character with a soft flex pattern and exaggerated rocker profile, and the result is dream float on the dream day, as well as effortless pivoting and smearing in mixed-bag conditions. Eco-conscious construction – including the bio-based resin, recycled materials and sustainable wood core – complete the package, because we know you care deeply about preserving wild spaces as much as you love playing in them.”

Faction is as serious about the environment as they are about making innovative skis which makes sense since they are a Swiss company with their headquarters in the Alps, they want to help protect their natural playground as well as everyone else's. To start with, Faction uses sustainable poplar, beech and ash cores that are grown near their European factories, eliminating the carbon cost of transporting raw materials across great distances. As well, the forests from which the wood is sourced are managed to support environmental and societal sustainability and are FSC accredited. Faction also now mixes base, sidewall and top sheet material scraps back into the raw material used for ski production which reduces carbon emissions while ensuring the same level of quality & durability. This is also true for their environmentally-conscious bio-based resin that has 35% of its molecular range derived from plant material. The Faction factory also runs on 100% renewable energy with all of the heating energy coming solely from biomass which eliminates the use of oil, resulting in annual CO2 emissions reductions of 10 million kilograms. And finally, Faction is of course a member of 1% for the Planet.

Like their bigger brother the original Faction La Machine Skis, the new La Machine 3 Mega Skis are made for skiing deep powder thanks to their full rocker profile, large underfoot width and aggressive proportions. The Faction La Machine 3 Mega Skis are very similar in weight, dimensions and profile to the much-beloved Volkl BMT 109 Skis we reviewed several years ago. 

With very pronounced and progressive early rise tips the La Machine 3 Mega Skis are made to float in powder while their less aggressive rocketed tails make them easy to turn in deep snow. They also have a built-in skin notch in the tails which is a feature that should be on every touring ski as it ensures that the tails of your skins will not migrate off the skis over time. Having this moulded into the La Machine 3 Mega Skis makes transitions much more efficient and does not affect their downhill performance in any way.

The full rocker profile or reverse camber as some call it enables you to pivot the skis at a moment's notice, as well as slash, surf and Slarve them for a fun, personalized ski style that is super maneuverable.

Faction uses a lightweight paulownia core in the La Machine 3 Mega Skis and combines it with dual carbon layers to provide stability through each turn. The La Machine Skis are up to 200g lighter than Factions award-winning Agent Skis but the La Machine Skis are more evenly balanced between uphill efficiency and downhill performance. They have a softer, more forgiving flex pattern which also adds to their fun.

• Dual carbon layers
• Lightweight paulownia core
• Soft flex pattern
• Exaggerated rocker profile
• Eco-conscious construction: bio-based resin, recycled materials and sustainable wood core

Given that these are next year’s skis (2022/23) and that I didn’t receive them until early spring my time on them in deeper snow and powder has been limited. The days I have had on them with at least 5-10cm of new snow have been super fun and surfy and those without any fresh snow I still found the La Machine 3 Mega Skis to be really responsive and able to carve, even on groomed snow and refrozen spring crust. Since the skis are full rocker the early rise in their tips starts very low down towards the ski’s waist and is very progressive as it gets more pronounced near the ski tips. This is highly effective in fresh snow and easily floats the skis while also providing the ability for the skis to navigate broken and chunky snow. The La Machine 3 Mega Ski's early rise tips did produce some chatter but this energy did not reverberate through the skis and I found them fairly damp overall.

While the La Machine 3 Mega Skis do not have a very long effective edge they were still able to bite into hardpack with relative ease and carve a reliable turn. Given their impressively lightweight it was no surprise that in really technical situations with refrozen chunder and other less than ideal snow conditions the La Machine 3 Mega Skis did tend to deflect instead of plowing through things. This is due to their lack of mass which decreases their momentum when confronted with obstacles and while this is not ideal it’s the trade-off you make for really light skis and you are more than rewarded for it on the skin up. At 109mm underfoot the La Machine 3 Mega Skis are impressibly light at just 3.21kg / 7lbs which makes them ideal for deep powder days in the backcountry where you don’t want excess weight to slow you down. I mounted the La Machine 3 Mega Skis with Salomon’s Shift 13 Bindings which are identical to the Atomic Shift MNC 13 Bindings which we reviewed here. With such a light powder ski the added weight of this touring/resort binding was off-set somewhat and made for a really versatile setup for both backcountry and resort ski days.

The previously reviewed (original) La Machine Skis are a great ski but given their 151/126/137mm dimensions they were more of a niche ski that performed best on really deep powder days. This is why I was glad to see Faction come out with the La Machine 3 Mega Skis which are a much more versatile and well-rounded daily driver for those that live in places that get abundant snowfall and want a ski they can use every day. Light, versatile, and fun is how I’d best describe the La Machine 3 Mega Skis—well worth considering if you are looking for a fatter ski that you can tour and resort ski with no matter the conditions.