2022 Black Crows Justis

At 100 mm wide, the Justis enters a tough market for competition, and it certainly holds up its end of the bargain. With heavy hitters in the Enforcer and Mantra realm in the fray, one might think the Justis would lag behind, but like a younger sibling, the scrappy Justis keeps right up. Built with a poplar wood core and a fiberglass laminate, the Justis adds two sheets of their H-shaped metal to the construction. These laminates add the power and edge grip to the situation, allowing the ski to hold tight to the carve, even in firmer and more rugged snow conditions. They still leave the tips and tails unencumbered for a more playful feel, while keeping the business-end of the ski underfoot fully intact. There’s a decent amount of tip taper in these skis, and that goes well with the more dramatic tail rocker. It’s more like an Enforcer 104 back there than the 100, but with the narrower shape, it does hold a better edge than the 104. All told, though, the Justis is really its own ski with its own personality, and while it occupies similar spots in the category spectrum, like all other Black Crows, the Justis does stand firmly by itself.

Normally found on a thinner and carvier ski, Ryan Daniel is a great skier to have on these wider, high-performance skis, and he was pretty darn thrilled. On the 183, which he found to be perfect, Ryan scored the Justis 5’s out of 5 for stability, torsional stiffness, edge grip, and overall impression. In addition, he scored 4’s for versatility, flotation, and playfulness, so it’s safe to say that Ryan had a good time on the Justis. He backs it up with an exclamation: “Hold on baby, this thing rips!!!!” Lots of emphasis in that statement, and it was fun to see Ryan really put these things on edge. Matt Testa was also on the 183, and he noted that the Justis is a “super fun and stable ski. I usually like jumping off of every mogul I see but I found that these skis like to stay on the snow. Once I switched my skiing style and kept the skis on the snow, they were able to take the super soft snow and crud with ease. This is my reasoning for saying they are less playful and more stable and damper. Put this ski on edge and charge through soft snow with confidence. This ski is best for strong chargers and people who want a carving ski with good flotation.”

David Carter and Jeffrey Siegel also both skied the 183. David was fine with the length for a test, but would likely be on the shorter ski if he were to purchase. All 4’s for David across the scorecard, and that shows the Justis’ willingness to adapt to a variety of conditions and terrain. He states about the Justis that it was “one of my favorite skis that I tested today. It was very versatile; good at both quick turns, and longer turn stability. This would be a great ski for a soled skier who is looking for a do it all ski.” That quote certainly backs up his scores, with a nice, well-rounded personality and a high-end. Jeffrey Siegel had some similar sentiments, and paired it with a nice comparison with the narrower Serpo: “Skiing the Serpo and the Justis back-to-back was a great demonstration of how a few tweaks in design can really make a ski more versatile. People have been raving about this ski, and for good reason: it’s just a monster of a ski. Powerful, yet maneuverable, the ski carves, surfs or just plows through whatever’s in its way. With a bit more rocker than the Serpo, I was able to keep the ski flat and steer my turns around. On edge, it gave me that same super stable carving feel. What makes the ski special is how it rewards aggressive skiing. The more you stand on the ski and pressure it through the turn, the more you’ll get out of it and there is a lot to get out. And that power is there, not just when you’re arcing the ski through carves, but through steered turns in the bumps, the ski would launch me whenever I stepped on it hard. I think this is an experts-only ski. Not that it’s unforgiving, per se, but unless you have strong skills (and strong legs) you’re going to miss out on what makes this ski great. While it doesn’t suit my go-with-the-flow style of skiing, I had an absolute blast on it, once I figured it out. If you’re an aggressive skier that prefers to make the mountain submit to your will, this is the ski you’re looking for.”

Now in its second year, the Justis is ready to turn more heads. I think the word is out on this ski, and it has quickly become both a fan and employee favorite on the ski wall. I’d think we’ll see more Justis skis out there this year, and that’s a good thing for advanced and expert skiers who are looking to rip up the whole mountain and leave nothing but deep carves in their wake.