The Faction Collective Q&A

On a dream team, who would be your next guy in your firing line to pick up for the best caliber team in a decade?

Where are you filming this season?

Are you planning to make any more skis with a 5-point sidecut, maybe something more park-oriented than the Chapter?

are you planning to make any sort of major film or movie?

I can't help but feel like Faction went from a very small brand to a big one overnight. I know this isn't exactly the case, but many companies fail in the face of scaling that quickly.

Can you share some insights on surviving this rapid growth period?

would you ever do a full winter 55 min movie?

Or could you do a faction collective trip to somewhere interesting and new?

How long does it take to film a complete episode?
What was the funnest episode to film last season?

Do you consider taking part in the road trip challenge anytime?
Will there be an adam signature ski?

Does Adam have any knees left?

How did you guys end up with candide? He's obviously straight fire.

Why are your skis so sick?

How did your company start? and who was your fist big name athlete that you partnered with?

What is the next big move for your business to develope even further? New sponsored riders? A ski movie? A new product line of skis?

Thanks faction!

Are you looking for kids to sponsor?!! Just kidding.

How to be your intern?

How do you have such a stacked team?

You guys make some of the most subtle designs in the industry, with mono- or two-toned and a simple logo on top, whereas many other ski brands tend to make some more or less busy designs - from where does the idea and inspiration for these designs come?

Which Faction designer/founder/intern has the hottest girl?

Why is Corey Vanular on your local team?

Does Daniel Hanka wear any other color apart from black? #Deathtoallbutmetal

Do you receive your materials to build your skis from the ski god?

How does it feel to have Candide on your pro team? Do you feel that after him posting those sick edits, that your business shot upward so much? i know my next pair of skis will be the CT 3.0's

Are Candide and T-Rice really teaming up?!??!?!?!?!??!

What is next for Faction? More Candide POVs? More Collective episodes?

Holzsteezy*How does it feel to have Candide on your pro team? Do you feel that after him posting those sick edits, that your business shot upward so much? i know my next pair of skis will be the CT 3.0's

Does Candide ride on straight off the line 3.0's? Or are they stiffened up and beefier for him?

steezyjibberWhy is Corey Vanular on your local team?

emphasis

Do you guys manufacture your skis yourselves or does someone else do it? And where?

What's the back story on the company? Always been a little curious how it all started

Will there ever be a more extended streetwear or layering collection? would definitely rock some faction hoodies, crew tees and snapbacks!

Profahoben_212Does Candide ride on straight off the line 3.0's? Or are they stiffened up and beefier for him?

Candide rides on 4.0's.


And question: Why in gods name did you guys and possibly Candide feel the need to change up the greatest ski I have ridden to date and my shredder for all types of terrain (the 3.0's)?

What the f is a "collective" in the context of a ski manufacturer, and why do you call yourselves that?

Can you guys save me a pair or two of the classic 3.zero's? my heart stopped when you announced you weren't making them anymore.

what separates Faction from other ski companies?

KakdegCandide rides on 4.0's.


And question: Why in gods name did you guys and possibly Candide feel the need to change up the greatest ski I have ridden to date and my shredder for all types of terrain (the 3.0's)?

Woops I knew that......question still stands though.

I feel like a lot has already been done to innovate skis and I cant think of any other way to progress them besides lighter materials and skis that do backflips for me.
So what do you see for the future of ski construct and design?

J.D.What the f is a "collective" in the context of a ski manufacturer, and why do you call yourselves that?

It's a collective of individuals + its catchy

how would you feel about making a ski with less sidecut? you don't need a tight turning radius in soft snow. with rocker thats even true on hardpack to an extent. personal preference of mine i suppose. would be nice if a company other than praxis could make skis in a shape i like.

Should I buy candide 4.0s?

Who has the best looking mom out of all your riders?

Does adam do anything to soften his skis?

Will you expand past skis, poles and outerwear?

Why can't I be under 18 to win the Faction trip?

Are you just a marketing company that has used venture capital to trick NS (again)? (PS: Respect Candide for taking the money again)
http://www.octopusinvestments.com/octopus-leads-investment-in-faction/

May have already been answered, but where does #S0202 and #S0203 take us to?

And targeted release date?

Also, somebody noted a full length movie - there is enough talent on the team and probably enough extra footage lying around...or stockpiled. Seems just releasing a flick called:

"The Faction Collective" each year could rival anything anybody else is putting out.

Heya,
First of thanks a ton for all your questions, definitely some good ones in there.
We got couple of our staff members involved in the answering process, here are quick details on who you're going to hear from...

Tony, co-founder & Design Director, Australian
Alex, co-founder & CEO, American
Beanie, Global Marketing Manager, Scottish
Josh, European Sales Manager, Canadian
Jesse, North American Marketing & Team Manager, American
Annie, Office Manager, American
Patrik, Product Design, Swedish
Mat, European Marketing & Team Manager, French

Alright, let's do this!

TurkeltonOn a dream team, who would be your next guy in your firing line to pick up for the best caliber team in a decade?

We have our dream team and we are focused on supporting them and helping them to showcase their talents... but we have a wish list too that we constantly review and if timing and opportunities come together then we are onto it. But we like to keep that list close!
-Beanie

I really like Torin's skiing, smooth and clean. Also I'd love to bring all the Voleurz boys back for some Factiolympics or something.
-Mat

Ok I know this is a little old school but I love what Glen Plake has brought to the skiing industry and what he represents. In a lot of ways I think he helped create companies like ours.
-Josh

veetuzkaWhere are you filming this season?

We're really enjoying the freedom that the webisode format gives us - we can pick some classic places that everyone wants to ski, and then slot in some randoms to keep life interesting.
We are filming all over this season, we started in Montana (check out #S02E01: http://vimeo.com/117876456), then we went to Northern Europe for an urban trip, to the European Alps and culminating for a team week in Tignes, France.

jakeordieAre you planning to make any more skis with a 5-point sidecut, maybe something more park-oriented than the Chapter?

I'm not a huge fan of 5-point sidecuts per se, and our Chapter skis are slightly more complex than that - however we just use the '5-point' term to explain what we do on those skis in simple terms. I dont like how with traditional '5-point' shapes you have to ski completely flat and centred over the sidecut - you can't really lean on the tip or tail to control the turn.
With our skis like the Chapter, you have one massive reverse radius that runs from the tip into the sidecut underfoot - it's almost straight at the contact points at the tip and tail - so you can control how the ski initiates the turn. You can ski it flat like an Armada, or really drive the tip like a traditional ski but with much more control and progression.
For 16/17 we're working on bringing this idea into park skis as that combined with rocker creates really variable areas in the tip and tail that you can work with - especially in the park - so you don't have to make a stupidly soft ski that limits its versatility. That for us is the key driver of what we're doing - working with shapes to do what other brands do with flex.

-Tony

Before I was an intern and started to work for Faction I was a huge fan of 5-point skis. Now I'm not so sure anymore.
This job has given me the opportunity to try a very big number of skis with different shapes and constructions. 5-point skis really need to be made right. Quite often the typical 5-point design gives tip dive and a feeling of skiing over the bars if you know what I mean. It's for sure a very successfull way of making skis more easy and fun to ski for a wider audience. But we want to make versatile skis that you can still use as you get better.
Here I think the Chapter makes sense, it's a ski that's easy to ski for everyone, even rider that skis hard and fast.

-Patrik

250rhow would you feel about making a ski with less sidecut? you don't need a tight turning radius in soft snow. with rocker thats even true on hardpack to an extent. personal preference of mine i suppose. would be nice if a company other than praxis could make skis in a shape i like.

For 15/16 we have a new range of skis that we call The Standard series. On these skis we've done exactly this. The narrower skis have more sidecut because they're more focused on on-piste skiing and hardpack, while the wider versions have less sidecut to perform better in soft snow. It's a quite tough balance with sidecuts actually.
Most consumers want shorter sidecuts and the industry has been following to an extent that actually makes the skis nervous at higher speeds and a bit weird in softer snow. Of course we see this trend but I think we have a quite conservative and healthy standpoint where most of our skis have a few meters bigger sidecut compared to the industry average. But then I don't see the point of making very long sidecuts.
With our new The Standard series we've built skis that perform really well in soft snow and has tons of stability at the same time as you actually can make arcs with them on your way home.

-Patrik

I hate lots of sidecut. Most of our skis apart from the Chapters have quite a large radius for their length. 25m on a 183cm ski is a good mix of straightline stability and turning circle.
Patrik is working on some stuff for next year with some interesting combinations of short- and long-radius sidecuts. Also as he says, the Standard Series for 15/16 that we're about to launch have dual-radius sidecuts which is a first. A tighter radius at the tip of the ski together with a larger radius in the tail of the ski makes the ski quick edge-to-edge but stable at high speeds and in softer snow.

-Tony

yunginnesare you planning to make any sort of major film or movie?

It is not in our current plans, but never say never.
We like the webisode format and the fact that it is filmed within the season, although it can be very challenging with conditions. But Etienne is very creative and has always achieved amazing results when presented with impossible conditions.
We are developing some more film projects to go alongside We Are The Faction Collective that we hope to release and grow next season.

-Beanie


We thought of it. A full lenght Faction movie would be rad to make for sure, but for now we really enjoy producing our webisodes throughout the season and releasing them right away. As Beanie said, we're also working on others video projects to be released later on.

-Mat

joelskiwould you ever do a full winter 55 min movie?

Or could you do a faction collective trip to somewhere interesting and new?

We are working with Gear4Guides and taking a trip to Kyrgyzstan in a few weeks, bringing along athletes Arnaud Rougier and Laurent Gauthier.
There they will work with G4G to bring over bunch of donated gear, visit local communities to teach skiing and snow safety, and also to explore the amazing surrounding big mountain terrain.
We hope to continue to this project with Gear4Guides in the future, collecting donated gear and traveling to interesting and new destinations every year.

-Jesse

Like Jesse says we have Kyrgyzstan coming up, which is not the usual destination. But we are always interested in discovering new places and are always open to suggestions.

-Beanie

I think it's important to not fall into the trap of believing that every film has to be in a crazier new place that you'll never, ever go in your wildest dreams without a rocket ship.
I look no further than the Candide clips and our #S01E03 in La Clusaz to think, that's a good mountain, but that could be your mountain, my mountain, we didn't need a fleet of helicopters to do that, and it was what skiing is about - awesome ripping, killing it, having a fricking great time.
Then again, there's a place for the crazy and new, but it's more about dreaming it up and creativity than impossibiliy to me - I mean, who the hell goes skiing in Kyrgyzstan where the lifts are your skins and mules - that's damn cool. But the funny thing is - you could probably do that. It costs nothing once you get the plane ticket in those places.
Rather than it being interesting just because it's new, I say it's what you do with it.

-Alex

Feeling the same way as Alex. I don't want to go shooting somewhere only for the name of it or because it sounds exotic.

-Mat

Mr.BishopI can't help but feel like Faction went from a very small brand to a big one overnight. I know this isn't exactly the case, but many companies fail in the face of scaling that quickly.

Can you share some insights on surviving this rapid growth period?

I wouldn't call ten years 'rapid' personally... ha ha... but it's been a great journey so far.
We started with the aim of just making a few models of skis, dial in our 'ideal' one quiver ski and then see what happened - that 'one ski' just keeps changing depending on what we're doing.
We've got around 25 staff worldwide now and we all have slightly different types of skis we want to ski on (as well as vastly different nationalities and personalities...) and then add outerwear into the mix and suddenly there are loads of fun things you want to play with.
Our philosophy has always been about solving problems - and we just keep seeing things that we think we can make better. Every day we have something new we want to start making.

-Tony

Like Tony says it has been quite the journey and I think we are all stoked to see Faction where it is now. I feel it is driven by all the staff, everyone is so passionate about skiing and we want to create products that we want to use to get out there and have fun. But beyond the product we want to work with team riders who inspire us and are awesome to go riding with, having fun and trying new things, or creating content that we want to consume. We feel by doing what we find interesting as skiers, then other skiers will connect with that.

-Beanie

^Amen to that
-Mat

There's a good saying that most overnight successes are several years in the making... and we've got a long way yet to go.
One of the things that helps keep you on track is having a clear view of what you want to do - we came in with the vision of delivering quality and innovation beyond what we were seeing out there combined with wanting to keep it real about why people love sking in the first place - to be inspired. To be pumped about what they're doing and what they are sharing with their friends and seeing on the screen.
So, how to keep up with scaling? The most important thing is ensuring that our crew scales with the business. That's not only a matter of adding people - although we've added some great new folks with hard core skills. But all of us have to grow with the next phase of what we are doing. It's key especially across a bunch of countries to keep the comms fluid and everyong focusing on getting to the next horizon and growing ourselves as we do it.
Of course, as we reach each summit, there's another one waiting!

-Alex

thatparkskiierHow long does it take to film a complete episode?
What was the funnest episode to film last season?

Depends on the episode, but the longest was probably S01E02, as all our plans went out the window.There was no snow in Utah but still a high avalanche risk which was where we were meant to go, so we went to wind affected Jackson, then to Poland - but no snow there and so on. So Etienne had to pull two episodes in to one to make a complete one, which took over a month.
Generally the trips are planned around two week windows, and then Etienne works non stop to create the edit before the next trip.
Most fun - Etienne would be the man to ask as he was on all the trips, but a few of us staff got to join in La Clusaz and it was so fun to see the riders all together, lapping the one chair for a week, hitting all the different natural features, and pushing each other and trying new things, that was my favourite episode for sure.

-Beanie

.ClaytonDo you consider taking part in the road trip challenge anytime?
Will there be an adam signature ski?

RTC - Yes!
-Beanie

Adam signature ski - We've talked about it - he had a huge hand in developing the flex of the 2.0 (you probably saw the white protos he was riding in his Welcome to team edit and #S01E01) which he's loving, and he's also helping develop the Chapter series which is growing for 15/16 with a new 106mm waist model so we'll see how it goes.
It's all about whether or not the ideas are there which warrant another ski or not.

-Tony

Mr.SaltyDoes Adam have any knees left?

I believe he has 2 knees left.
-Jesse

No worries, he takes flax seed oil, apparently it helps - I totally made that up - that he takes it, but apparently it really does help.
-Beanie

I hear he's on a gluten free, dairy free, non-gmo, organic, cheap beer diet so he's probably got at least 50+ years on the current knees
-Annie

Actually after a quick survey, it looks like all our staff and riders still got both of their knees.
-Mat

SteezyJapaneezyHow did you guys end up with candide? He's obviously straight fire.

It's just one of those fortuitous chains of events. Candide wasn't really having the kind of relationship he wanted with his ski sponsors through the '00s, and his agent at the time was an old friend from Verbier. We just met up and had a chat about what he wanted to do, the kinds of skis he wanted to develop and where he saw himself going as an athlete and we had really similar views.
We wanted to spend some time researching new materials and designs, and working with Candide gave us the vehicle to do it.

-Tony

When we fist heard about meeting up with Candide we all thought "well that would be amazing...but never going to happen!" and then like Tony says we just had a really similar mindset in what we wanted to achieve and it all came together. That one took a while to sink in.

-Beanie

The other thing to add is that Sport Boutique in La Clusaz started carrying our skis well before Candide came on board and as far as I know that was the first place he saw and touched the skis. So he was intersted in what we were doing a couple of years before he came on board. Thanks for the trust SB!

-Josh

rainydayinspiredWhy are your skis so sick?

Because they are made with love.
-Jesse

And beer. Lots of beer.
-Tony

And Whiskey.
-Beanie

Tequila.
-Annie

and wine.
-Patrik

And some Espresso Martinis too...
-Mat

Ah Verbier.....
-Josh

kemosabeHow did your company start? and who was your fist big name athlete that you partnered with?

Geez it was so long ago it's hard to remember. Basically with a group of friends getting together and thinking the current skis on the market were decidedly average, and then starting to design the types of skis we wanted to ride. I think the first 'big name' rider on board was Ryan Oakden - Freeride World Tour champ in like 2001 - and a phemonal skier. And Lance Armstrong. He was definitely one of our great early riders. Oh hang on, you mean skiers?
-Tony