I had an interesting introduction to Fat skis. My second winter as a full time ski bum in Stowe in 2000 following college, I started the season skiing my 1994 Dynamic VR27 200cm. At the start of the winter, I heard of a kid selling brand new Rossi Axioms for $100 a pair
. These are the same 110mm that JD describes. I don't know how many pairs of skis this kid sold, but EVERYONE in town was either riding them or Dynastar 4x4's.
While I was a decent tree/pow skier before then, I still struggled on the old skinnys in deep snow and tight trees. The moment I got on them, I immediately could ski pretty much every line at Stowe with near ease. HELL YES fatties are worth it. I didn't ski anything but the Axiomes, no matter what I was skiing, groomers, bumps etc, for the rest of the season.
I find them amazingly nimble for a ski so heavy and wide. I still have them and if I ever find myself skiing with more than 10" of fresh, they are my ski of choice over my new B2's in a heartbeat. The Axiomes are tough as nails too. I most have close to 200 days on them and they still perform as well as the first day I got them.