The Faction Collective

The Faction Collective (also known as Faction Skis or simply Faction) is a Swiss ski equipment design company headquartered in Verbier, in the Swiss canton of Valais.[1] Founded in Verbier in 2006 by a tight-knit group of freeride skiers, Faction now holds brand offices in Switzerland, United States, United Kingdom, France, Japan, Austria and China.

The Faction Collective S.A.
Faction Skis
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustrySki design & manufacturing
Founded2006; 18 years ago (2006) in Verbier, Valais, Switzerland
FoundersAlex Hoye
Tony McWilliam
HeadquartersVerbier, Valais, Switzerland
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
  • Alex Hoye (CEO)
  • Richard Ho (CFO)
  • Daniel Tanzer (Head of Hardgoods)
  • Henrik Lampert (Head of Marketing)
  • Sara Asmoarp (Head of ESG & Supply Chain)
  • Olivier Garcin (Head of Sales)
ParentFull Stack Supply Co.
Websitefactionskis.com

Known for its influence in the freeride and freestyle skiing industry, the brand led a major movement in the mid-to-late 2000s to diversify the form factor and design of freestyle and freeride skis.[2] It operates a significant film & media production operation and manages high-profile brand partnerships with leading ski athletes, such as Alex Hall, Eileen Gu, Sam Anthamatten and formerly with Candide Thovex. Its products are sold in over 31 countries, online and through select global distributors.[3]

History

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Faction Skis was founded by a group of skiers in 2006 in Verbier.[4] In 2013, Faction Skis teamed up with French professional skier Candide Thovex to develop a range of signature ski models.[5]

Films

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The Faction Collective produced three seasons of their web series "We Are The Faction Collective".[6]

In 2017, the company produced the feature film THIS IS HOME featuring skiers Candide Thovex, Kelly Sildaru, and Antti Ollila among others.[7][8] The film was shot in different locations, including Flathead Valley in Montana, Jyväskylä in Finland, Wasatch Mountains in Utah, La Clusaz in France, Deštné v Orlických horách in the Czech Republic and Zermatt and Verbier in Switzerland.[9] THIS IS HOME was nominated for multiple awards by the Powder Awards, iF3 International Freeski Festival, including Film of the Year, People's Choice, Best Male Street Segment (Antti Ollila) and Discovery of the Year (Alex Hall).[10]

In 2019, Faction produced its second full-length feature film called THE COLLECTIVE featuring skiers Alex Hall, Antti Ollila, Olympic skier Sarah Höfflin, Kelly Sildaru and Sam Anthamatten.[11] The film was nominated for Film of the Year, Best Cinematography, Best Make Freeride Segment (Sam Anthamatten) and Best Male Street Segment (Alex Hall) by the IF3 International Freeski Film Festival[12] and nominated for Best Film at the High Five Awards.[13]

Team

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Faction's current pro team consists of Kelly Sildaru,[14] Sam Anthamatten,[15] Eileen Gu,[16] Sarah Hoefflin,[17] Antti Ollila,[18] Alex Hall,[19] Henry Sildaru[20] and others.[21]

Product

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The company currently offers several All-Mountain, Freeride, Freestyle and Touring models.[22] They also offer a range of accessories such as poles, skins and clothing.[23]

References

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  1. ^ "Beanie Milne-Home: Marketing & Team Manager for Faction Skis, Verbier". Verbinet.comclanguage=en. 6 October 2017. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  2. ^ https://www.curated.com/journal/2815003/an-expert-guide-to-faction-skis [bare URL]
  3. ^ Tabbitt, Sue (2016-02-11). "Satisfying a taste for British products - the retailers who sell abroad". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  4. ^ admin_SBC_ski (2012-01-31). "Interview with Founder and Creative Director of Faction Skis". SBC Skier. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  5. ^ "Candide Thovex joins Faction Skis". Newschoolers.com. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  6. ^ "The Last Episode of "We Are the Faction Collective" | POWDER Magazine". POWDER Magazine. 2016-04-14. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  7. ^ THIS IS HOME by The Faction Collective on YouTube
  8. ^ "Editor's Review: Faction's new film, "This is Home"". Freeskier.com. 2017-10-13. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  9. ^ "Editor's Review: Faction's new film, "This is Home"". Freeskier.com. 2017-10-13. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  10. ^ Magazine, Forecast Ski. "FACTION SKIS' THIS IS HOME". Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  11. ^ "Faction's Insane 'The Collective' Paris Premiere and Movie Review". Newschoolers.com. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
  12. ^ Marketing, Drive. "iF3 Movie Awards 2019 - And the nominees are | iF3". festivalif3.com. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
  13. ^ "GOLDEN HIGH". High Five Festival : 4-5-6 Octobre 2019 | Annecy - France (in French). 2019-09-03. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
  14. ^ "Behind the scenes of the Sildaru siblings' partnership with Faction Skis". Freeskier.com. 2017-01-11. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  15. ^ Weakley, Cat (2016-03-02). "Samuel Anthamatten on the Freeride World Tour: Steep, deep and crazy". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  16. ^ "Eileen Gu Joins Faction Skis & Red Bull". Newschoolers.com. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
  17. ^ "Sarah Hoefflin: Switzerland's Dark Horse | Morzine Source Magazine". Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  18. ^ "The Antti Ollila Interview". Newschoolers.com. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  19. ^ "Skier Exposure: Alex Hall". Newschoolers.com. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  20. ^ "Behind the scenes of the Sildaru siblings' partnership with Faction Skis". Freeskier.com. 2017-01-11. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  21. ^ "Here's a sneak-peek at Faction Skis' next big project". Freeskier.com. 2017-03-23. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  22. ^ Bell, Martin (2016-02-04). "Ski reviews: big mountain freestyle skis". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
  23. ^ "Disruptive ski and outdoor clothing brand raised £4.5m investment". London Business News | Londonlovesbusiness.com. 2019-02-14. Retrieved 2019-10-17.