I'm currently riding a Burton Ultra Prime 162 with Burton plates and Rossignol Raid boots. I've been away from riding for around 10 years pursuing another sport at the international/World Cup level, went to law school after that, and bought the Ultra Prime from Chris Klug's website when I was getting back into riding over the past few years after being frustrated about not being able to find alpine gear in the local shops. Just last week I took out my K2 SLX with Checker Pig bindings, and have a Burton M8 in the basement that is waiting for an opportunity to get up to Stratton and make the most of North American. I wish I had a set of soft boots, because I'd really like to see if my Safari Comp II is as much fun as I remember.
This said, the reason I haven't updated since getting back on snow two years ago is the general inaccessibility of alpine gear in shops and mountains. It used to be any well-stocked shop would have the full line of alpine boards, boots, and bindings available for demo, and it was easy to find a demo day at the mountain where manufacturers had their alpine wares available for a few rides. The stuff available today is entirely different than what was on the market back when riding was a primary life focus, and at current prices, it is just too daunting to lay out the $$$ hoping the gear lives up to expectations. I do, however, have no doubt the newer stuff is improved versus the older stuff and look forward to when I can get on it.
This said, finding this forum has been huge and I'll be chewing through it as I prepare to buy a whole new setup next season. But my answer to the OP's question is that carving gear isn't anywhere near as accessible as it once was, and the costs are far more than they used to be.