I skied the Overlord 193 (rockered), Overlord 183 (non-rockered) and the Original 181 in everything from firm corn snow to really slushy manky snow in Whistler this spring.
The first thing I noticed was that they had a far superior more stable and predictable feel compared to a lot of other ski brands. They were still lively, it kind of reminds me of the change I noticed when switching from a foam core ski to a wood core ski. Thats not specific to the Overlord though, just something I noticed overall with Prior skis.
The overlord 193 was a BLAST in wide open spaces, very stable and fast. I dont think I would like it as much in the trees but for ripping wide open slopes fast and with good visibility, this would be an amazing ski. You have to keep in mind that I am a very un-athletic 5'9" and 165 lbs though. So this length might have been a bit of overkill for someone my size as an all around pow ski.
The 183 that I demoed was not rockered, and I really noticed a difference. I didnt like it nearly as much. Found the tips a little bit "hookey" and it just generally didnt inspire as much confidence as the tip rockered version. It was still a good ski, but I really prefer the tip rocker as it planed over variable snow much better. Obviously the it was better on groomers, but this really isnt a groomer oriented ski (although there was nothing wrong with either length there, both as good as my ANTs.) Overall, for me, the 183 with rocker would be money for a charging oriented soft snow ski.
The 181 Original was a lot of fun in all conditions, I found them very easy and fun to ski especially in hard conditions. They had no problems straight lining, skiing spring corn, skiing slushy snow. groomers, tight spots, would even be a great park ski I'd imagine. Really great at everything. Wouldnt be my first choice for a playful pow ski though.
