2021-2022 Faction Dictator 3.0

Intro

Back in 2017, Faction launched a new series of skis: the Dictators. They were very strong, flat-tailed, and included two sheets of metal in their construction.

The Dictator series has remained in Faction’s lineup since, but it’s also gone through a lot of changes over the years (listen to Ep. #115 of our GEAR:30 podcast with Faction for more on the progression). The current 106mm-wide Dictator 3.0 was updated for the 19/20 season, and returns unchanged for the 20/21 and 21/22 seasons, apart from graphics.

We found the original (17/18–18/19) Dictator 3.0 to be a very demanding ski that was best reserved for experts, but Faction says the latest version is considerably more accessible, without compromising on power and stability at high speeds. So we recently started getting time on the revised Dictator 3.0 to see how it compares to the previous version, as well as some other directional, metal-laminate skis in this class.

Blister Members can check out our initial impressions in our Flash Review, but while we get more time on the ski, let’s take a closer look at its design:

What Faction says about the Dictator 3.0

“The Dictator 3.0 is the must-have one-stop-shop for the freerider who frequently chases bigger lines, yet needs a ski that excels in all conditions. Two sheets of metal support the energetic wood core, so you can comfortably go full-throttle. With tip and tail rocker and a girthy waist, this ski blasts through fresh snow and hearty chowder like an absolute boss. Its Elliptical sidecut ensures it doesn’t hook up at high speeds, allowing you to lace tight turns or throw on the brakes at a moment’s notice. Designed & tested at Faction’s home in Verbier, Switzerland, handmade in Austria at the finest manufacturing facilities in the world. Built to last.”

This is fairly standard copy for a metal-laminate ski that’s placed in the “hard charging” end of the spectrum. That said — and as with the original Dictator skis — Faction also emphasizes that the Dictator 3.0 is supposed to let you make tight turns and quickly shed speed, rather than purely being designed to make massive turns down the fall line.

Construction

The 19/20–21/22 Dictator 3.0’s general construction is pretty similar to the 17/18–18/19 version’s. The latest iteration still features two sheets of metal, a fiberglass laminate, and a sintered base, but it now features a purely poplar wood core, rather than the poplar / paulownia wood core in the older version. And an arguably bigger change is that Faction switched factories for the newer Dictators, with them now being made in Austria, which Faction says has helped in terms of making the skis more durable.

Shape / Rocker Profile

The Dictator 3.0’s shape is one thing that doesn’t look drastically different compared to the older versions of the ski. This ski still has a fairly tapered shovel with a “straight” section around the widest point, making it look fairly similar to skis like the Fischer Ranger 107 Ti and Nordica Enforcer 104 Free, and more tapered than the Volkl Katana 108 and Black Crows Corvus. The Dictator 3.0’s tail isn’t as tapered as its tip, and overall, its effective edge is pretty long.

The current Dictator 3.0 still has pretty moderate tip and tail rocker lines and a long cambered section, but compared to the first version of the ski, the newest Dictator 3.0 has a deeper tip rocker line and more tip splay, and maybe a slightly deeper tail rocker line. Compared to the whole market of ~106mm-wide skis, the Dictator 3.0 has pretty shallow rocker lines, falling in line with skis like the Rossignol BLACKOPS Sender Ti, 4FRNT MSP 107, and Fischer Ranger 107 Ti.

Flex Pattern

Here’s how we’d characterize the flex pattern of the Dictator 3.0:

Tips: 7-7.5
Shovels: 7.5-8.5
In Front of Toe Piece: 9-10
Underfoot: 10
Behind the Heel Piece: 10-9
Tails: 9-8.5

The Dictator 3.0 is still a very strong ski. Its tips and shovels aren’t unbendable, but I’d call them stiffer than average. And then the ski is quite stout around the bindings and finishes with a stiff tail, though the end of its tail might be a touch softer than the original, 17/18–18/19 Dictator 3.0.

The Dictator 3.0’s flex pattern isn’t super far off from the Rossignol BLACKOPS Sender Ti’s, though the Dictator’s flex pattern stiffens up more quickly as you move from the shovels to the middle of the ski. Overall, the Dictator 3.0 isn’t quite as stiff as the Fischer Ranger 107 Ti, and it flexes pretty similarly to the Blizzard Cochise 106, with the Cochise’s tips and shovels being a bit stronger. Compared to the Volkl Katana 108, the Dictator’s tips and shovels are a bit softer, but it’s a bit stiffer behind the bindings.

Sidecut Radius

The stated sidecut radius of the 188 cm Dictator 3.0 is 23 meters, which is around the middle of the pack compared to other similarly wide skis that are designed to be skied fast and hard. That radius isn’t as long as the Prior Husume or Dynastar M-Pro 105’s, but it’s a bit longer than the radii on skis like the Fischer Ranger 107 Ti, Nordica Enforcer 104 Free, and Black Crows Corvus.

Mount Point

The recommended mount point on the 20/21 Dictator 3.0 we have is about -11.3 cm from the true center of the ski. That’s pretty far back, though certainly not out of the ordinary for a ski in this class. We know some folks who have preferred the ski mounted a cm or two forward of that mount point, so we’ll be doing some experimenting during our testing.