I got this ski last March and so had it through the epic spring we had in Utah. I skied this numerous times at Alta, Snowbird and The Canyons sidecountry. The beauty of this ski is multifold. The super wide tip displaces so much snow, that every turn is a face shot (and I am 6'1") - which is nice. This distinguishes the Kuro from the Sumo - that ski just kept you on the surface - so much so that at times it felt like you might as well have been skiing a groomer. This ski is much different from the Sumo. It also makes those days were there is only 6-8 inches enjoyable because you are quickly on top of the surface that existed before the storm - your experience is much different from (and better) than that of those even on a 100 plus underfoot conventional fat ski. And, when you have the deep untracked powder this ski is truly designed for - well then it gets ridiculously fun. You won't ski powder this fast with this much control,and so little quad burn. Just be ready with a witty rejoinder or two when the liftline comments start about how fat these are!

This are my favorite skis ever. You can rip like hell, they don't know what it means to slow down. Optimal to bust out Super G Carves on a wide open bowl -- for that, they can't be beat, period. Invincible in the powder - you can't bury these tips - meaning you can huck off of anything. Took my skiing to a whole new level.

Way better than anticipated on groomers -- a bit awkward underfoot until you get used to them though. Good in trees. Not my top pick for a day dodging branches though, as they are not particularly agile at lower speeds.

Mounted with a pair of dukes (for side country pursuits). A bit too heavy for me to consider doing serious touring on.

And, as an added bonus, I have never been hit on by as many cute guys on the chair lift... great conversation fodder.

About me: 5'-10", 150lbs. Ski Volkl Mantras with old Freeride bindings most of the time.

Got my hands on a pair of 185's w/ Freeride Plus bindings for this season. Yesterday I took them out at Vail which had gotten 12" overnight. The comments in the lift lines were amusing and I couldn't help but laugh when the liftie couldn't get them in the ski rack on the gondola cabin.

First impression was how (relatively) easy they were to turn on the groomed cat track on the way to the goods. I expected to have to fight the skis, but all I had to do was put them on edge (which is a bit more difficult than with normal skis, but not much). Then I hit the good stuff and I didn't stop smiling for the rest of the day.

The Kuro's are so fast in deep powder it can be scary if you're not used to it. Making turns is easy. It almost feels like carving on groomers, just put the ski on its edge and let it work. I felt the bottom of 12" once or twice with my tails, but other than that, it could have been 12 feet.

Trees were fun, even tight trees, although as a general rule the slower you go the harder it is to turn. Don't stop if you can avoid it, the first turn is always the hardest so you might have trouble re-starting in the trees without bouncing off one or two. If your friends haven't already disowned you for dropping that much coin on a (second, third, whatever) pair of skis, they'll probably understand when you don't stop or slow down for them. If they're not skiing something similarly wide, there's now way they'll keep up.

I was worried about how they would feel on chopped up stuff when bumps were just starting to form and not surprisingly they took more work there, but my 'normal' skis are Volkl Mantra 170's, so it is understandable. They were by no means 'uncontrollable' and it probably didn't help that my legs were tired (although much less tired than they would have been on smaller skis on such a deep day). They are fast and can get away from you if you're not on top of them, but I feel like that is a trait of Volkls in general as much as the Kuro specifically. I was concerned that they would be so powder-specific that they would be a menace on the front side and therefore unusable in the resort. They actually turned out to be a lot of fun to carve on easy groomers. I was happy that I felt comfortable heading down the chopped up crap on the front side after skiing the back bowls all day. Now I know I can get a lot more days out of them instead of just backcountry and Silverton days.

Bottom line, if you can have a 2-ski quiver, this is your fatboy.

Just got back from skiing some really nice powder conditions. They look intimidating at first but they absolutely rip on the groomers and I had the best time in the powder with them, by far the best powder ski I've been on!!! You need to get up to speed though to really enjoy these skis. I mounted them tele (I'm a hard charging teleskier) and only make tele turns, these skis rock!! Very easy to ski, amazingly gets on edge on groomers. I was a little hesistant at first, cause it's quite heavier than my tele skis, but what a joy to ski. Love'em!!! Wait till you hear the comments in the lift line, it's hilarious!

132cm underfoot? I thought the Prophet 130mm were wide...

It took Volkl a little while to come out with a reverse camber ski, but it was worth the wait. The Kuro will make a two inch day feel like a six inch day. It is incredibly stable especially at high speeds. And you won't look like a fool on the groomers because it is not floppy like a lot of the reverse camber skis. You will find yourself arching past all your friends on the Pontoons. The Kuro likes to go fast and is a lot of work to throw around at slower speeds, but who wants to go slow anyway. My friends and I always finish the day with a friendly race down the Hobacks in Jackson. It was always a toss up who would win, until I the Kuro. Now my friend Bob says, "I don't want to race if Jess is going to use her cheater skis."