2021 Black Crows Captis

The Captis from Black Crows is a fun twin tip all-mountain ski that offers responsiveness and energy in a ski that's tolerant and user-friendly. The Captis is relatively narrow among all of Black Crows skis, giving it a super quick feel edge to edge. It's a fantastic choice for playful skiers looking for a versatile resort ski. Its twin tip shape is a nod to its freestyle and freeride influence. Although it's not a park-specific ski nor is it a symmetrical twin tip, skiers who like to ski the whole mountain and also like to dabble in the terrain park from time to time will find the Captis is a pretty perfect tool for the job. On the other hand, you certainly don't need to be a park skier to enjoy it as was evident in our testing and other feedback we've had on the Captis.

Jeff Neagle went for the 178.3 cm length when testing the Captis, which he felt was an appropriate size for him. Jeff's a skier who splits his time between the terrain park and the rest of the mountain, even coaching high level slopestyle athletes in his free time. "This is the type of ski I could ski every day and be pretty darn happy about it. It carves turns better than you think it would, I can almost guarantee that. It feels light on your feet too and is super easy to maneuver and flick around. It's probably my favorite mogul ski in the entire Black Crows collection because the tips and tails are relatively soft, so it doesn't buck you, and it's pretty quick edge to edge too." Jeff gave the Captis some high scores, with just flotation dropping below 4 out of 5. Quickness/maneuverability, playfulness, versatility, and overall impression all earned that coveted 5 out of 5 score. "Loved the blend of edge grip and quickness. Holds an edge well. Good energy and responsiveness when linking carves. I think it would be a lot of fun in the park, too. It's not designed to be a dedicated, park-only ski, but that's what I like about it. These days, I don't really need a park-specific ski, just something that's capable in that application. I value versatility more now than ever before, and the Captis feels very versatile to me."

Bob St.Pierre isn't likely to be found in the terrain park, but he had a blast skiing the Captis just as a fun all-mountain ski, which is probably going to be the more common application rather than park use. Similar scores from Bob with stability, quickness/maneuverability, playfulness, versatility, and overall impression earning 5 out of 5! "Fantastic all-mountain ski, especially in the east coast. Loved the stability, edge grip, and overall control. Great carver and awesome bump and tree ski. 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/like to/need to finish the turn strong. This is very impressive coming from a ski with no metal. A fantastic ski for all conditions and terrain, especially on the east coast." That's great feedback from Bob. Both Jeff and Bob found a lot of energy in the Captis. It's quick, it's responsive, and it's super fun as an all-mountain ski.

Whether you consider yourself a bit of a freestyle skier or not, if you're looking for a playful, yet capable, all-mountain ski, the Captis is a great option. Despite not having any metal, our testers found it to be quite stable with good edge grip. It will satisfy most skier's demands when it comes to linking carving turns on firm snow, while it's far more versatile, easier to ski, and more fun than most dedicated carving skis. It might not have endless power or a non-existent speed limit, but not many skiers will push it past its limits in that application. On the other hand, it's quick and agile for moguls and trees, and the playful, energetic, and poppy feel gives it fun performance in the terrain park or when taking little airs and doing tricks off natural hits around the mountain.