The Captis is the narrowest ski in Black Crows’ All-Terrain line of skis and is designed for all-mountain versatility. A poplar wood core is built into a semi-cap construction style with camber underfoot and rockered tips and tails. There’s a good amount of early taper in those tips and tails as well, but the turn radius still hits 18 m in all lengths, which isn’t exceptionally small like we see in some skis that use similar shapes. Black Crows boasts the Captis is ideal for resort skiing, claiming its responsive, quick edge to edge, tolerant, and versatile. We love testing versatile all mountain skis, especially at our home mountain where we’re super familiar with the terrain and can put a ski through a lot of different paces even within a single given run.
Bob St.Pierre loved the Captis after testing the 184.2 cm length, which happens to be the longest length available. High scores from Bob! 5 out of 5 for stability, quickness/maneuverability, playfulness, versatility, and overall impression. Flotation and torsional stiffness/edge grip both earned a solid 4 out of 5. “Fantastic all-mountain ski, especially in the east coast. I loved the stability, edge grip, and overall control.” Bob found it was a “great carver and an awesome bump and tree ski” all at the same time. If that doesn’t scream versatility to you, you should get your hearing checked. “Surprisingly quick due to the semi-cap construction. You can feel the snap and pop from the ski. I loved the pull of the ski as you held the turn. They want to finish a turn strongly, which is very impressive coming from a ski without metal.” Bob’s numerical scores for the Captis and his written feedback both describe a very fun, versatile ski. The Captis could easily play the roll of a “one-ski-quiver” for an adventurous skier due to its ability to cross over and perform well both on and off-piste.
Jeff Neagle also got the chance to take some test runs on the Captis, although Jeff opted for the 178.3 cm length, which he thought was a good choice for his size. Similar feedback from Jeff, with quickness/maneuverability, playfulness, versatility, and overall impression all earning a full 5 out of 5 score. Flotation was the only score that dropped below 4 out of 5, but that doesn’t completely surprise us considering the 90 mm waist width. Black Crows offers plenty of wider skis designed for more float. Jeff described it as a “super fun all-mountain ski.” He also thought it “would be great for here in Stowe. Felt right at home as soon as I clicked in. For a Vermont all-mountain ski, in my opinion, 90 mm is perfect. Loved the blend of edge grip and quickness. Holds an edge well. Good energy and responsiveness when linking carves, but you can flick it around easily too.” That combination of performance is always impressive. When a ski can hold an edge through a carve and also get flicked around, slashed, and smear turns, it always catches our attention. Jeff thought it “would be a great choice for an eastern skier who wants to do it all. Carve groomers, maneuver through trees, and bash some moguls. Fun!”
Manufacturers like to use the terms all-mountain and one-ski-quiver all the time. Sometimes, those claims are a little bit far-fetched, but we can’t think of a more accurate way to describe the Captis from Black Crows. The 90 mm waist width is arguably more versatile on the east, but we can think of plenty of western skiers who would choose this width as their daily driver ski as well. From intermediates to experienced expert skiers, a lot of people would enjoy the performance and versatility of the Captis.
