I've been skiing on a pair of pockets which i've loved but its time to get something new. I have an AT setup and split my time in and out back of the Canyons ski resort. Leaning between the Shogun, Volkl Gotama and the Volkl Mantra. Does anyone have any thoughts. Right now I'm leaning toward the Shogun

I say Shogun. Its the perfect CanCan ski. great at speed so it will be excellent for those fast Canyons cruisers. Its got a little rocker in the tip, noticeably helps on the deep days and smooths out the crud. plus they are the odds-on favorite to outlast anything else: full wood core w/ edge armor... made in Austria vs China. can't wait to ski 'em again! they kicked ass at snowbird all spring.

True, the gold Gotamas were insanely good. I think the 09s were very similar if not identical save the graphics. However, I checked out the new Gotamas at the store the other day and they look like downhill, as in Bode Miller downhill, skis. They flattened the tips out big time. They look like racing planks not all-mountain rippers. Seems like overwhelmingly the Shogun is considered the ski that's broken the whippy, too-soft Salomon mold.

go gotama and don't look back. i'm not sure about this year's version (i haven't skied them) but i've skied the golds and the black buddha and this ski is the BOMB! can do anything, trust me - gotama is the gold standard for all around ski. still can't believe how well it kills the crud!