I'm currently on a heli trip at Bella Coola. We've had a few inches of new everyday on top of knee deep powder. I brought with me a pair of Praxis and a pair of Fatypus D-Senders. I'm with a buddy who has the same size foot so we've been switching back and forth which has been great for really comparing two very different shapes.
Here's my take on the rockered ski vs. traditional fat ski. Both are great and definitely have their pros and cons. My style of skiing is speed and big carving turns that push the g's hard enough to make it feel like your chin is gonna to slam into your knees.
The Praxis float with the best of them and are extremely easy to ski. However, if you like to carve and really push on them in a turn, they don't hold the carve. I guess that's the idea and why it's been referred to as slarving. If you like to slarve, they do the job. I also found that at big speed the Praxis can wander a bit in the turns.
The d-senders can be pushed hard and hold their line. They're a bit soft but are just an all around great ski that can make tight turns but also work well at speed. They're incredibly light weight which is great but it makes me wonder if they'll hold up.
I definitely have had a good time on the Praxis and am looking forward to trying some variations on the rocker design, but for now I prefer the traditional shape.
