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Faction Candide 4.0 Skis | Review

When Candide Thovex lends his name to a pair of skis, you know they're going to be something special

Candide Thovex is one of the most famous skiers on the planet right now. He’s one of the few names known outside of skiing circles for his hair-raising shred-sessions, which have racked up millions of hits across the internet, and he does it all on Faction’s Candide 4.0.

The reason Candide’s videos are so widely watched is because, for lack of a technical term, they’re absolutely bonkers. This isn’t just lightning-fast piste riding or even big-bad backcountry charging. This is all of the above and then a whole lot more. So Faction need to design a plank in the 4.0 that can accommodate quite literally anything you throw at it, and with Candide, you just never know what that’s going to be.

“The Faction Candide 4.0 is built to be lightweight and soft enough to let you trick your way down the mountain, but strong enough to go all-out charging.”

As a result the Faction Candide 4.0 is built to be lightweight and soft enough to let you trick your way down the mountain, but strong enough to go all-out charging as well. Pretty much, it’s designed so you can ride like the eponymous Mr. Thovex – though don’t expect the skills to automatically come with the skis.

The 4.0s are a fat pair of skis, so like most fat skis you’re going to be floating over powder no problem. But the camber centre allows you to smash down the pistes a lot easier than on certain other powder skis as well, and the edge holds surprisingly well for a fat plank.

The rocker either side of that camber makes the 4.0 a playful ski too. You’ll struggle to find many skis this wide that are as light as the Candide 4.0, and yet you won’t be flapping about on landings either.

The Faction Candide 4.0's a fat ski, so will float effortlessly over powder where other, slimmer skis would just sink. Photo: Chris Johnson.
The hybrid rocker camber means the Faction Candide 4.0 skis operate just as well on piste as they do in the deep stuff under the rope. Photo: Chris Johnson.
To match Candide Thovex's bonkers riding style, Faction have made a ski that can go anywhere, and do anything. Photo: Chris Johnson.
When Candide Thovex lends his name to something, you know it's going to be good. And a little bit wild. Photo: Chris Johnson.

The Matte topsheets don’t require any not-so-environmentally-friendly lacquering (one of the reasons for the light weight of the ski), and the graphics deploy that simple but effective look that has always made Faction look smart on the mountain.

This is a ski custom-designed for versatility. In effect, it gives you one ski which can handle both the deep snow and the weather between dumps. It’s a versatile set of sticks ready for all your trickery, jibbery, powdery needs, demonstrated by no better point than that Candide uses the skis himself.

Faction Candide 4.0 Skis

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