The Factor Review
The Black Diamond Factor
It’s impossible for me to assess Black Diamond’s new Factor ski boot without considering it in context: the Factor represents the flagship achievement of Black Diamond’s audacious (some might say crazy) 4-year project to turn itself into a major Alpine Touring and Telemark ski boot manufacturer.
Ski boots, please note, are really, really hard to make.
In terms of effort and infrastructure, you might think of the process of building a boot from the ground up as somewhat akin to announcing one day that you’ve decided to start a new car company. And in today’s economy…well, the timing could hardly be worse.
It’s probably obvious that I’m a huge fan of Black Diamond’s gear. No other maker’s equipment so dominates my gear closet. So, when a pair of new Factors arrived here at Sierra Descents, it was not without a little anxiety that I began testing them. How does the Factor fare?
Well, exactly what kind of boot the performance-oriented Factor is remains open for debate. And, I did encounter a few design issues (some minor, some less so) which will need to be worked out over time. But for me, the Factor is ultimately a formidable debut. For the results of my on-snow head-to-head tests and my extensive thoughts on the matter, please see my Black Diamond Factor Review.
4 Responses to “The Factor Review”
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Scott says:
I suppose it’s academic because who would blow all the weight savings of their Dynafits on these boots, but I wonder how well they ski in tech bindings?
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Andy says:
Scott,
I think Dynafits are totally legitimate as a downhill performance choice — not just climbing. I would think that Dynafits matched with the Factors would be about the closest you could come to just bringing a true Alpine rig into the backcountry. And the weight savings would help offset the cost of the Factors versus a Fristchi or Marker setup.
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Scott says:
It almost seems like the G3 Onyx and the Factor were really made for each other in that sense.
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Pablo says:
How are they performing in terms of sales? Like it or not, that’s the ultimate test for any new product.
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