Stiff skis outperform soft ones, but you have to be a strong skier to make them work. Soft skis are good for people who are light or who don't have good carving skills yet, because they will do the work for you. A strong skier will max out a soft ski way too often. And if you think you don't need to be able to carve like a racer in freeskiing just watch the pros between hits in the pipe.