2026 Black Crows Octo Ski Review

The 2026 Black Crows Octo sets a high bar for fun all-mountain carving with a little bit of an attitude. While nobody is going to mistake this ski for a slalom race carver, it’s definitely got something going on that puts it on the irresistible side of the spectrum. Black Crows is cool like that—each ski that they make has some sort of unique and curious personality to it that just resonates with skiers. They don’t get too crazy or technical with the construction, but what they do well is creativity and uniqueness. Basically, there’s nothing else out there like the Octo, and that’s just how they want it to be. Backtracking a minute, the Octo is derived from the Vertis, which we thought was an awesome all-mountain ski. It got rave reviews and extremely positive feedback from all our testers. For some reason, likely design, it didn’t sell well. The transition to Octo brought with it a fresh new look that borrowed success from the Mirus Cor—a wild-looking ski that’s impossible to ignore. Octo stub nose and semi-swallow tail are nods to the Mirus Cor, bringing it right to the front of the popular kid’s table at lunch. Vertis, for all of its skiing fun, was kinda basic, while this Octo is considerably more visually and stylistically appealing.

Like the Vertis, and many other Crows skis, the Octo doesn’t feature an overly technical construction. It’s got a poplar wood core and fiberglass. That’s it. What they do to make it more interesting is play with the thickness of that core, creating a different flex and weight than other skis of this ilk. In Octo, the flex is on the softer side, with tips and tails capable of flexing even on the feet of intermediate skiers. This gives them the ability to feel what a full and proper carve feels like without a ton of effort. They’re pretty light, too, with a measured weight of 1742 g/ski in the 179 cm length. While it’s got a dense feel and sound to it, it’s really only that light due to the narrower overall footprint. This ski, in a wider shape, would be much more Camox-like in heft. Interestingly, the skis come in a longer 185, which may be good for very large skiers, but for most, the 179 is plenty to hook into and helps with the shorter arc. In general, long skis with short radii feel a bit weird. As it stands, it’s got a full sidewall and a long effective edge, so despite the lighter weight and softer flex, Octo still rips.

At a Glance:

2026 Black Crows Octo Skis

The shape and profile bring the Octo into the unique realm. At 84 mm underfoot, the ski has 130 mm tips and 117 mm tails in the 179 to create a paltry 14-meter turn radius. When that shape is paired with a relatively rocker-free profile, it delivers some serious energy and pop to the snow. The tails are some of the flattest around, and there’s not much tip splay either. This results in a long effective edge. On more GS-oriented skis, this would be a tough combo to pair a long edge and a stiff flex, but with Octo, the flex allows you to find each and every centimeter of metallic grip on snow. This results in an extremely rewarding, rare, and economical ski experience. You don’t have to work too hard to get top-tier performance, and that’s a big part of the appeal. So many skis have even somewhat rockered tails, that it’s almost visually disconcerting that these have no rise. The flex, though, makes up for that and allows for easy bending out of turns with excellent grip. There’s some taper in the tips and tails, but not much—the tips look smushed, but that visual neither helps nor hinders the ski’s overall performance.

There’s not much to talk about in an off-piste setting, it’s more about on-trail carving performance when it comes to Octo. That said, I did ski these in spring-like conditions and they tracked quite well in softer corn and slush. Long effective edges and flat tails cut to the bottom cleanly and evenly, providing confident carving and performance. If you’re looking for a crud buster or powder floater, there are better options out there. For bumps and trees, they’re actually a lot of fun, as long as the trees aren’t particularly deep. They’ll get hung up pretty easily in wind-affected snow due to the camber and flat tail, as well as the softer flex. If soft, it better be smooth and consistent. Any variations in the snow, and the ski will let you know about it, especially if you’re pushing it hard and expecting proportionate results. Again, skis with more oomph, even within the same width range, will serve better for stronger skiers. Stockli Montero AR or Blizzard Anomaly 84 are examples of skis on the other end that will cut through crud and chop with ease, mostly based on stiffer and heavier builds.

The conversation changes when it comes to groomer and on-piste performance. Octo brings out some very interesting emotions and energies when put on edge. The ski hooks in instantly due to the longer edge and softer flex, allowing for complete and total control. This happens a lot easier at mid-ranges of speed—this is the type of ski that you don’t want to get going fast first and then think of turning. Octo prefers to start slower and build up to speed. This way you can judge as you go whether you’re topping the ski out or not, as that can be a concern for bigger or more aggressive skiers. Once you get going, the ski does have a speed limit as the flex and the short radius just don’t have the structural and physical capabilities to stand up to race-like performance. And that’s just fine, because the mid-range and slightly above is where this ski loves to live. Octo loves purely carved short and medium radius turns. It can go longer and faster, but don’t expect as pure of a carving experience. It’s a sliding scale—the faster you go, the less of that 14-meter arc you should plan on seeing. It’s not that the Octo is unstable at speed, it just won’t adhere to the intended shape at upper end velocities. The tail holds tight to the finish phase, but it’s not overbearing. In general, this is an exciting and totally pleasurable carving experience without too much demand or power to hold you back.

Experts looking for a race-like performance and character may want to look elsewhere for consistent top-tier performance, but for intermediates through advanced skiers, this ski is awesome. It’s a high-end product with wonderful energy, a polished feel, and a tremendous finish. It’s totally useful and extremely rewarding with not a lot of effort, putting the fun-factor at a 10/10 in most skier’s experience. While there’s some versatility here, Octo is more one-dimensional but it’s totally fantastic in that dimension. Due to the flex, you can make it do other things, but that’s not the specialty. The specialty, though, is far better than most, putting Octo into a rare category of fun-loving carvers with an all-mountain flair.

Now Available for Pre-Order:

2026 Black Crows Octo Ski Pre-Order