Finally, a gear talk thread in which I can help! I rode the line afterbangs last season and the step ups this season. The biggest difference I noticed was the stiffness. Compared to the afterbang, the step up is about as flexible as concrete. The step ups feel much more stable on jumps and feel about the same as afterbangs on rails. The afterbangs are extremely fun just to mess around with. I didn't notice that much of a difference in the race base on the step ups. I feel this may just be advertising. Also, the weight of each is anout the same with each IMO. All in all, it comes down to whether you want a stiff ski for jumps and rails, or a super fleecy ski to fuck around on and just have fun.