The Mantra is as good as it gets for a one quiver ski. Now that I've got that out of the way, lets talk about it's deficiencies because there is more than enough praise going around. I'm 5'11", 175 lbs, expert ability, and I ski the 184. So, let's break it down into the various situations where the Mantra isn't EXACTLY perfect. First off, when I'm charging hard or straight lining down steeps that have been chopped up, the ski isn't quite as stiff as I would like. Now, bear in mind that most people will never push the ski to this limit. Also, it's not as if the ski is flopping all over the place... it's just not quite the tank that some other more one dimensional skis are. Secondly, it doesn't have that "floaty" feel in powder like they would have you believe. It doesn't sink out of sight, and it definitely isn't a struggle in powder, but it just isn't a pure powder ski. Lastly, if you intend on ever going near the park, this probably isn't the ski for you. This ski works in almost ANY other situation on the hill including ice, moguls, groomers, etc, but if you try taking it into the park you will realize that it has no place there. It is simply too stiff. Now if you're paying attention, you'll have noticed that I complained of it being both too stiff and not stiff enough, which is what you would expect with a ski that is meant to perform all over the mountain and under almost any conditions. This brings me to my final point. All in all, if you are an advanced/expert skiier and you can only buy one set of skis, the Mantra is for you, end of discussion.