Read our preview of 2021 Black Crows skis
New Crows Take Flight
Chamonix-based Black Crows has begun to make a deep impression on the North American ski scene in the last few years. Their sidewall adages and quips, bright colors, effervescence, and downright fun skis tend to appeal to, well, everyone. So naturally, Black Crows completely overhauls their look for next year. The 2020 Black Crows skis lineup draws on art both ancient and modern to do so. “Lines are timeless,” a rep at Outdoor Retailer said. Their skis ski that way too.
To better diversify the lineup, ski designer and pro Julien Regnier had some fun. First, he slimmed down the frontside-oriented Orb to an 88-mm waist width (and gave it classy pinstripes), while also dropping its weight and making it more skiable at all speeds with a single layer of 3D titanal.
Then, he redesigned the popular all-mountain Camox model. Feeling like the older version was too bulky underfoot, he softened the ski’s flex, thinned the material, and made it lighter. For balance, he took out some taper from the sidecut to keep grip strong for hard snow. The result should be a fun, accessible, and playful ski that more people can feel confident skiing.
One more flourish: an all-new Freebird backcountry ski, the Ferox Freebird, which replaces the Anima Freebird for 2020. It’s not an Atris Freebird, which Julien point-blank refuses to make, but it sure looks like fun addition with H-shaped 3D carbon, twin tips, and long rocker lines.
The Highlights
- Fresh topsheets across the board. Thickness of the lines corresponds with ski profile (wider lines=big-mountain, wider ski).
- Orb: Narrower (88mm), with single-layer 3D titanal plus tip rocker and a more playful profile. Also now available in an Orb Birdie version.
- Camox/Camox Birdie: Redesigned with a softer flex and less tapered sidecut for a more playful profile.
- All-new Ferox Freebird replaces the Anima Freebird. It’s 110mm underfoot with twin tips, carbon, and deep rocker lines.
