haha, they are so different is absurd. Please go back to the person who told you that and them they are an idiot. I have skied both for about a month. FS are super soft, good for buttering, not great pop and lose structure integrity quickly (in my opinion). ar5s are a great all around ski. Firm, good on hard pack. ONly downside to ar5s are construction of last years, but it appears they are fixing that