Black Crows

The world of skiing is diverse and forever changing. Those who consider themselves skiers tend to have a certain type of skiing they identify with. This is true about the co-founders of Black Crows, however, what makes the case of Camille Jaccoux and Bruno Compagnet unique is the void they felt. Both professional skiers felt that the direction free-ride skiing was heading did not align with the skis offered by the industry. They both wanted a ski that would work well in deep snow and at high speeds. Like most good brands, they did not intend to create a ski company rather they just wanted a better product. Freeskiing is relatively new and thus evolving rapidly thanks to pro skiers who are pushing the limit of the sport.

The two founders, Camille Jaccoux and Bruno Compagnet came together with very different personalities. Compagnet is concerned about the actual skiing performance. He has one goal: to ski. Jaccoux has a taste for style. He loves spending time in the mountains but also enjoys urban culture. The two founders have come together in unison to bring together the art of skiing and design. The design might remind most of a chevron pattern, however, the graphic aims to represent the chough. This is one of the few birds found flying over 13,100 feet. The birds have black and yellow color accents which most likely have inspired many of the colors found on black crow skis and skins.

The Black Crows skis we chose to carry are a perfect match for the east coast ski touring. These Black Crows skis are lightweight and have fast-turning radiuses. We find that touring skis do not feel like most resort skis because they have little to no metal throughout the length of the ski. We find that choosing skis with more sidecuts helps to compensate for the reduction in performance due to lightweight materials. When you put a ski on edge with more sidecut the ski responds to the initiation faster. Being able to maneuver easily is extremely important when in obscure places. Another way to improve the feedback from lightweight skis is to select skis with narrower waists. Most skis we have from Black Crows have waists around 90mm which will allow lightweight skis to hold an edge when the snow turns to ice. Skis are constantly bending and twisting. The as the ski width gets smaller, the torsional rigidity increases. This will decrease chatter and improve performance.

Confirmed Ski Weights:

Mentis: 171.0 cm / 1020g

Ova: 170.2 cm / 1144g

Orb: 167.2 cm / 1297g

Camox 172.2 cm / 1491g

Navis 173.4 cm / 1666g

Corvus 176.0 cm / 1793g