Faction Mana 2.0 Skis 2024

The narrowest in the Mana range, the Mana 2 is a high-performance, all-terrain freestyle ski that feels playful and fun but has the stability to ski smoothly in any condition. Boat Flex uses a heavy rocker complemented by solid, stiffer tips and tails, to help settle the skis and power though variable snow, additionally, the stiff tips absorb more vibrations on landings. A touch more flex underfoot allows the skis to load and pop on request. The Full Carbon Weave either side of the poplar core adds stability without weight, stiffening the full length of ski; the Carbon/Rubber Stomp Pad adds to the strength, boosts vibration absorption and protects from heavy impacts. An Elliptical Sidecut uses a longer radius underfoot and shorter radii in the tip and tail of the ski, the long radius underfoot means you can pivot easily while the shorter radius results in simpler turn initiation. For freestylers and freeskiers who ignore categories and ski everything from tight carves on groomers to fresh tracks and park laps.

Terrain Type & Ability Level

Terrain Type
You can take the 2.0 pretty much anywhere, from park to powder with pistes and all mountain thrown in. It'll carve shapes on firm snow even at high-speed, but do remember it's a wide ski with rocker – features that make it very comfortable in fresh snow. The shape is well suited to riding all-terrain and the playful performance encourages you to see the mountain like playground, looking for side hits and alternative routes.

Skier Type
They are perfectly suited to advanced and expert all terrain freestyle skiers. But as it's not too tricky to ski, good intermediates, who are progressing well, could be looking at it too. The park doesn't need to be top of the list and freestyle skills don't have to be pro-level, though it will obviously handle that with ease. It's as much about having the mindset to pop lips, butter rollers and whip effortlessly between turns, all over the mountain.

Overview

Shape
It's a directional twin, designed for charging and skiing switch, with just a slight difference between the tail and tip widths. At 102mm in the waist, it's ideal for all-condition freestyle skiing—wider than typical park skis but still nimble, and narrower than powder models while offering plenty of float. With a 20m sidecut and low 2mm camber, it is totally stable and inspires confidence in the park or varibale conditions and feels planted charging about on the groomed runs too.

Rocker
Tip and Tail Rocker uses traditional camber underfoot for response and good edge grip, with rocker at the tip and tail to improve manoeuvrability by aiding turn initiation and completion. 

Core
Poplar is a light-colored, medium-weight, durable softwood that flexes and pops nicely as well as having a whole load of vibration absorption capabilities. Used as the only wood in this core, it allows the ski to pop, butter and stomp and also have enough torsional stability to grip impressively on the downhill.

Construction
Full Strength Sidewalls uses a construction that places strips of protective material along the sides of each core, between the edge and the topsheet. Sidewalls provide the best possible edge hold and stability when the ski is engaged in a turn as well as protecting the wood core, edges and topsheet from impact and outside damage. Micro-cap construction is a hybrid of a premium, sandwich sidewall construction fused with a lightweight, durable cap construction. With micro-cap, the sandwich construction provides awesome edge hold and torsional stability while the ski’s topsheet wraps around and meets the sidewall, protecting the fragile join that can be prone to chipping.

Key Features

XL 2.5mm Edges
Thicker edges mean increased durability and impact resistance, crucial for a ski that is built to test the rule book. 

Carbon and Rubber Stomp Pad
A 600mm-long, 15mm-wide carbon/rubber reinforcement underfoot, above the edge, adds strength where it matters most to this performance oriented ski. In addition to protecting the wood core from heavy-duty impact on rails, the carbon and rubber inlay adds stability and vibration absorption under your boots, so that stomped landings feel better, both for you and your skis.

Full Carbon Weave
Between 8 and 12 strips of Carbon, sandwiching either side of the ski’s wood core, are laid unidirectionally, providing extra stability to the ski, without adding weight to the build. Each carbon strip is woven into the fibre glass to provide strength and stiffness in the full length of the ski.

EB tester’s comments: Joe (Covent Garden) Great ski for all season and varied conditions. Soft piste, off piste, powdery, chopped up, slushy - this ski handles it all. Perfect for intermediate skiers looking for their first twin tip without compromising piste performance or good skiers wanting an all-mountain blaster with a twintip.

General Information

• Skier Ability: Advanced|Expert
• Terrain Type: Freeride|Freestyle
• Rocker: Tip/Tail Rocker
• Radius: Medium
• Base: Sintered
• Bindings: Ski sold flat
• DIN: n/a
• Construction: Mini Cap Full Sidewall
• Core: Wood, Carbon
• Demo: No
• Sizing Description: Eye level for the maximum ease of spinning and rail tricks, but you need to go bigger for extra stability or speed and for all mountain versatility, especially important on the wider models that are designed to spend more time away from the park.