If you look at my original post from 2 years ago I still feel the same about these skis.
I have skiied them in the worst of the worst and the best of the best and they out perform anything I have ever skied.

I did finally get their big brother, the Sidestash last season and they ski almost the same only a little slower turning because of their size.
They are great for any day skiing also, but shine brightly on those heavy powder and crud days we get in Squaw sometimes.
I am 66 now and still recomend these to all my ski buddies.
Don't let my age let you think that these are for old guys, many well known and great skiers swear by them.

Rented 174cm Hardsides for a day at Snowmass in Feb 2012. Skied them in all conditions: powder, moguls, groomers, crud, steeps. I weigh 170 pounds and flotation wasn't a problem in 12" of powder. I got more aggressive as the day progressed because the ski was so good. Recommend that you demo them on a powder day - you'll want to buy 'em like I do.

These skis flat out rip and will go anywhere. Float in deep powder and absolutely bust the crud like no other ski I've been on. Amazing in the moguls and will carve on the groomers except in the iciest conditions. Those who say this ski doesn't float well on powder should consider taking a lesson! This ski is a true one quiver ski if that's what you're looking for.

I have been skiing 20 years. I am demo testing skis this year to figure out what to buy. Stevens Ski Resort in WA suggest this ski to me. It is the widest ski I've been on. I just fell in love with it. Am looking now to buy a set.

I demoed these skis (181 mm) this past weekend at Breckenridge. These were such a fun ski in all conditions. I am 5'10 200lbs and ski very aggressively. They handled really well on the groomers and were a blast in the crud. I demoed the Nordica Hell and Back a few weeks ago at Breckenridge when they got 10 inches of new snow but feel the Hardside is a better ski in the crud and powder. At speed the Hardside was much stiffer than the Nordica and I felt much more confident skiing the Hardside in the crud and groomers. Overall, an excellent ski!

After one week of skiing around the Chamonix I have tested Harside on everything from blue ice to 1 m deep powder and these are my thoughts:
HardSide is too slim and too stiff to be a powder ski, too heavy to be a tour ski, too soft to be a piste ski. However, it does a bit of all worlds, and it does quite ok, but do not think this is the magical answer to all snow conditions.
I loved these skis in the hard crud and the crust, but they were dwarfed by some other real powder skis I tried on the same trip. If I were to re-make my choice, I would go for the SideStash to favour the soft-snow conditions and pay the penalty of few hundred grams per ski. And then keep a real tour ski for the next trip on Haute Route.

I live and ski mostly in Scotland with yearly trips to the alps and very occasionally the US/Canada. When I was looking for a new ski, I needed a ski that could be as good at everything it could be without focussing directly on any one discipline. Scottish conditions can vary wildly from powder one day to horrid slush the next (or same) day and mostly everything between. The hardside has excelled in everything I've thrown at it. Coming from the Xplorer I was immediately at home on these as they had very similar characteristics, perhaps having even better edge grip. They coped very well with hard compact conditions on and off piste in the 3 Valleys last season (2011) and were not too bad in a steeps lesson that took the moguls on the telepherique line in Courchevel 1850. For a ski that can rail on the groomers and also bust crud and handle deeper softer snow and a bit of slush, I don't think I'd want anything else. The Hardsides have the advantage of a flat tail which makes them a much more versatile back country ski. A little heavy for an extended tour anywhere, but the most skinning/booting i'll be doing is under 1 hour so these are perfect.

I have used this ski in bounds crud and pow and heli skied around 300,000 vertical feet in many conditions in the past two years. These skis rock! You are in the snow vs. on the snow.

I had the same problem as PFFlyer. Wide ski, rocker tip and for some reason I am sinking in the pow. Maybe my 181's are too short to float my 200#'s but
this is not what I expected from these skis. They do perform well in all other soft snow conditions.

Tested a pair of these on a day when we'd just had 14 inches of fresh dry powder. Some things they do remarkably well. They were tremendous in the tracked up powder and crud, they blow right through it. Getting back to the lodge on the groomers they were well above average for an off piste ski. They also behaved very well in the moguls. The problem was with their performance in the beautiful, new, untracked powder. The tips sank like they had boat anchors attached to them. All the way to the bottom of the powder. Given the amount of rocker and their width this seemed inconceivable. Had to lean very uncomfortably on the tails when I came off steep powder since anytime the terrain flattened out I was almost thrown out of the front of the skis due to the deceleration from all the drag on the buried tips (along with my ski boots and shins). Even riding the tails I couldn't pry the tips back to the surface. Managed to get them to do what I needed throughout the day, but they made for the toughest day I've ever had with a foot of new powder. My old race skis handled powder better than these. Also don't recommend getting any air under them, the skis absorb noting on impact, instead they transfer it all directly into your legs and back.