The volant spatula is a revolutionary ski for powder and variable snow conditions. Shane McConkey was inspired by the similarities between surfing, water skiing, and powder skiing and created a ski that had reverse camber and reverse sidecut similar to a water ski. I own a pair of spats and they are by far the best powder ski available. The amount of floatation the ski provides is unmatched and the ski feels light as a feather because of the low swing weight. If there is a big storm or even 6 inches you owe it to yourself to have this ski on your feet. Drawbacks- Its not the most versatile ski on the market, and if youre not a very good skier youre going to hate this ski on hardpack snow and groomed trails. If you must ski groomed dont pressure the tip of the ski because there is nothing there. You must ski the spatula from the boot in order to maintain control on groomed, icy, or hardpack snow. Also, because the ski has reverse camber, there is only about 90mm of ski surface contacting the hardpack. This means youre going to be really really slow on flat traverses. In short, this ski will perform on groomed snow about as well as a 150cm slalom ski does in three feet of powder. However, this ski is absolutely amazing in the environment it was designed for. If you ski off piste or are in search of the deep, this is the best ski designed to date. Rumor has it that a 170cm version will be available in winter of '05. - Eric B