Over the past year or two, we’ve noticed an increasing interest in Black Crows skis. You commented on our videos and articles, sent us messages, and asked about it locally. We listened, and we are proudly now a Black Crows dealer! While we had the skis in our 2020 Ski Test, unfortunately our shipment of skis was delayed somewhere between France and Stowe, VT, and we were unable to include them in our 2020 Ski Comparison series. You let us know about that too, and as promised, we’re providing you with a special Black Crows comparison! In this article, we’ll talk about six different skis, all of which are available on SkiEssentials.com. Of course, Black Crows makes more skis than this, so as always, let us know if you have questions about any ski you don’t see here.

A quick note on Black Crows skis in general: Oftentimes a brand has a “feel” or “trend” that carries across all their skis, or within a given line of skis. Take the Nordica Enforcer series, for example. Between the 88, 93, 100, 104, 110, and 115, they all have varying performance, but they all have a very similar feel and build. Black Crows is a unique ski manufacturer in the sense that all their skis feel a little different. There’s so much variety in their shaping concepts and construction, it results in a wide range of performance characteristics. This gives the skier a lot of options, and we’re here to help pick out what might be right for you.

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Overview:

While there isn’t a single adjective to describe Black Crows’ skis, we’d venture a guess that when most people think of the brand, they think of off-piste terrain, soft snow, or big open lines in Chamonix. They make some great skis for that, which we’ll get to, but the Orb is designed much more as an all-mountain weapon. It’s 88 mm underfoot, or 8.8 cm as Black Crows likes to say, uses long camber with just a bit of tip rocker, and H-shaped metal. We’ve seen similar metal applications in other skis recently, and the idea is to deliver power and stability along the edge, but with less weight than a full sheet of metal. It’s now a proven design, and it works really well in the Orb too. This is a truly versatile all-mountain ski. That metal allows you to drive a turn quite aggressively, and the ski will make some big sweeping carving turns with its 21 m turn radius, but subtle design elements in its shape allow for playfulness and maneuverability too. It’s perfectly comfortable ripping a bump line or maneuvering through trees, and it thoroughly enjoys speed on groomers, too.

Who it's For:

Relatively aggressive skiers who like to ski everything the mountain has to offer. Rip some carving turns on groomers and maneuver through trees without needing to switch skis.

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Overview:

The Camox is a bit wider than the Orb, coming in at 97 mm underfoot. It also uses a twin tip shape with a little bit of tail rocker to go along with its tip rocker. There’s no metal in the Camox, but Black Crows uses carbon-Kevlar struts to support the poplar wood core. While it doesn’t have the power or vibration damping that metal provides, it has a very stable, balanced feel and playful, energetic attitude. You can still ski it aggressively and the ski feels strong and supportive, but it’s easy to flick the ski around and release the tail edge too. It has much more of a freestyle/freeride feel than a ski like the Orb, and more than the Navis that we’re going to talk about next as well. The 97 mm width and 20 m turn radius feels tremendously versatile, however, a skier with a playful mindset will enjoy taking the Camox literally anywhere on the mountain. Slower edge to edge than the Orb, and not the same torsional stiffness, but what you lose in frontside prowess, it more than makes up for in playfulness and fun-factor for certain skiers.

Who it's For:

No matter what type of terrain you’re skiing, you do it with a playful skiing style. You prefer slashing, smearing, and playing with turn shapes over linking traditional turns. You might even do some switch skiing too or dabble in the terrain park.

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Overview:

The Navis and Camox are very close in width, with the Navis just a little wider at 102 mm underfoot. They might seem similar on paper, but skiing them back to back you quickly notice the differences. There’s less tail rocker in the Navis, which gives it a more responsive feel on firm snow and a little more edge grip. Its turn shapes and styles feel more traditional than the Camox. The Navis wants to hold on to a turn more than the Camox does, which lets you release your tail edge with ease. The Navis can pivot and smear too, but it has a different feel with more rebound than the Camox. Some skiers will really like the feel of the Navis and prefer it over the Camox, it’s just a matter of skiing style. The Navis will arc carving turns through choppy snow conditions, and when you’re skidding or pivoting turns it does so in a very rhythmic way. Despite not using any metal, the Navis feels quite stable at speed and loves linking smooth carving turns.

Who it's For:

Skiers looking for a versatile tool for the whole mountain and those who ski with a more traditional style than newschool-freeride/park-influenced technique.

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Overview:

While the first 3 skis we’ve looked at are all very versatile and would feel right at home at your local resort, the Corvus is more of a dedicated tool. Sure, you can ski it at the resort no problem, but its focus is big mountain performance. There’s no camber in the Corvus. It’s flat underfoot with low rise, but long tip and tail rocker. It also uses two 120 mm sheets of metal centered around the midsole mark. This construction gives it tremendous stability at speed and it stays composed through choppy snow conditions. The 107 mm waist width provides plenty of float for deeper days and that tip and tail rocker actually makes it relatively easy to turn and pivot despite it being stiff, powerful, and heavy. The Corvus loves making big turns at speed in off-piste terrain. On the contrary, it’s not going to feel particularly responsive on firm snow, especially at slower speeds, due to the reverse camber profile, which is a big reason why it feels like a more dedicated ski than the first 3 in this comparison. There aren’t many skis like this on the market with such refined performance for big mountain skiing; the Corvus is an impressive ski.

Who it's For:

Aggressive, expert skiers who like to ski fast through off-piste conditions. A lot of competitive big mountain skiers will love the Corvus.

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Overview:

The Atris feels like a more versatile, playful, and approachable ski compared to the Corvus. It uses a 108 mm waist width, just 1 mm wider than the Corvus, but it really sets itself apart with camber underfoot, a softer flex, and lighter weight. It also has more of a twin tip shape that’s paired with tip and tail rocker. It is an exceptionally quick ski for being so wide (the 189.7 cm length has 140 mm tips), which gives it a super fun feel. Julien Regnier says if he had to choose one ski to ski all year long, he would choose the Atris. It performs great in powder with the wide, rockered tips and tails, but it’s responsive on firm snow too thanks to that camber underfoot. It’s well-suited for variable conditions for anyone with an off-piste mindset. It’s also easier to ski than the Corvus, and has more freestyle influence as well. Black Crows athletes throwing tricks in the backcountry often choose the Atris for its combination of playfulness and stability for the landings. For others, it’s a fantastic powder ski that’s still fun on low snow days.

Who it's For:

Freestyle-minded big mountain athletes and also just your average skier looking for a super-fun powder ski for their local resort.

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Overview:

The first word Black Crows uses to describe the Nocta is unsinkable. That’s a bold claim, considering what happened to the Titanic, but with its 122 mm waist width, they’re probably right. The Nocta is fully rockered, or 100% reverse camber, whichever way you want to think of it. It also has a whopping 26 m turn radius and a moderate flex profile. For being so big, it’s also impressively lightweight. In terms of performance, simply put, it’s a powder skiers dream. It float, smears, slashes, and does just about anything you want it to in deep snow. It’s more of a surfy ski than a carving ski, but most people aren’t looking for a ski that wants to finish a turn when they’re in deep conditions. Remember when Shane McConkey side slipped that spine on water skis? This is kind of the same idea. It’s another ski that Black Crows athletes gravitate towards for throwing tricks in the backcountry, especially on those super-deep days. If you’re skiing Alta this season, keep your eyes out for local-legend Willie Nelson and you’ll see first-hand what the Nocta can do. Or follow him on Instagram: @bucksnorts.

Who it's For:

Skiers who want endless float and a powder ski that loves to slash and smear turns. This isn’t your dad’s powder ski, unless your dad’s super cool, in which case go for it.

2020 SKI COMPARISONS:

Black Crow Skis

SKI		RADIUS	SIDECUT	CORE	RETAIL PRICE
2020 Black Crow Orb		21 m @ 179.1 cm	124 / 88 / 110	Dual "H" Shaped Titanal Layers	$839.95
2020 Black Crow Camox		20 m @ 180.4 cm	130 / 97 / 118	Wood / Carbon & Kevlar Strips	$719.95
2020 Black Crow Navis		19 m @ 179.4 cm	133 / 102 / 116	Poplar Wood	$819.95
2020 Black Crow Corvus		21 m @ 188.2 cm	138 / 107 / 127	Titanal / Wood / Titanal	$869.95
2020 Black Crow Atris		20 m @ 184.2 cm	139 / 108 / 126	Wood / Fiberglass	$839.95
2020 Black Crow Nocta		26 m @ 185.5	140 / 122 / 132	Paulownia / Poplar	$939.95

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Written by Jeff Neagle on 12/10/19