Black Crows Atris Skis

In a word: Stoked. I've used these guys maybe 15 times over the past month in all sorts of conditions and love 'em. Although they can hold stable on groomers and icy days, they really are more of a pow/crud ski. I wouldn't say these are highly responsive or do they have a shorter turn radius, but they do a decent job given their shape. For a true 1-ski quiver, I'd get something with more of a sidecut. Definitely my new favorite pow ski!

Powder: Super fun and floaty. They're boats. Never need to worry about sinking! Responsive and handle well.

Crud: Bwahaha, cruise right over everything and don't even think twice about it.

Groomers: Very little chatter given the shape. Put these things on edge and they'll hold solid.

Moguls and trees: not really responsive or soft enough for really quick turns in tight trees or moguls. You can make it work, but they're not really the ski for that.

These babies are a true one ski quiver. I ski Alta, primarily, so am no stranger to a very wide range of conditions. Untouched waist deep one run after a storm, to sun-affected ice on west facing slopes the next, with everything in between all in the course of an afternoon. The Astris takes it all with ease.

What they are not are a recreational ski. These are a fairly stiff, with some good torsional rigidity, meaning they don't have a lot of 'give.' If you're not careful, they will ski you. That being said, they do have a playful side and will react with good response and 'pop' in the right scenarios. These two elements combined make for a perfect Alta ski (or any Rocky Mountain area, for that matter). Also, for being a stiffer ski, there is enough flex in the nose to float no problem in soft snow. The stiffer flex overall, with the floaty nose and somewhat playful nature makes them shine best in crud and chop, which, let's be honest, is what we all find ourselves in most of the time.

If you are an expert skier and looking for that one ski to replace your beat up multi-ski quiver, the Astris is your top choice.

My skis before these were the Atomic Coax (older twin tip model, about 108mm underfoot) and the Atomic Automatic 117, for some context.

Love this ski! Extremely responsive, stiff and powerful with a shockingly tight turning radius but plently of float in deeper snow and no chatter at high speed. I have this ski in 189 on alpine 183 as a tele. I'm 6'3" and 205 lbs, aggressive skier. For alpine I have used this at Lake Louise, Revelstoke and on a heli skiing trip. It stood up to all conditions, whether icy, deep snow, tracked out or otherwise, The ski turns on a dime for soemthing of its width but the ample width and rocker profile give it plently of float in deep snow (i skied it in waist deep). There is a lot of "pop" from turn to turn if you load the ski up. Overall, I would compare it to driving a sports car, it's powerful and responsive and fun when you use it right.

Pros: Incredibly stable, powerful and shockingly versitle
Cons: It's stiff and if you oversize on it, the ski will be in charge, not you.

The first time I heard of Black Crows was when I saw them debut on Backcountry. I read up on their website and went to the warehouse to examine the skis. My conclusion was that I needed to get on these skis. Not an "Oh I'd like to ski them at some point" but rather I had an emphatic desire to step in. The skis called to me. The dimensions looked right, I liked their story, and the graphics were intricately simplistic. Beautiful skis all around. It wasn't a question of if I'd get on these guys, but when.

A few days ago I was finally able to ride these sticks and they definitely impressed me. Pulling them out of the car made me giddy with excitement; I couldn't wait to get on the lift. When waiting in line, quite a few people were scoping out the skis and asking me "Who's Black Crows?" Black Crows is a French ski company founded in Chamonix, the birthplace of steep skiing and home to variable conditions. Their ski design is all about details, perfection, and most importantly, fun.

Taking my first run on these was like getting kissed by your high-school crush. I felt tingly, excited, nervous, and ecstatic all at the same time. I was worried that these skis wouldn't favor early season conditions but they ripped Alta groomers with ease. I found myself laying these over even farther than my 88mm underfoot skis. They felt solid in the turns and stable at speeds. No hooks or flops or wobbles. Whooping down to the base of Collins, a patroller pulled me aside and asked me why I was so excited. After showing him the skis I got back up the chair for another run.

Second lap I took these off trail and felt confident in the patchy and hard conditions. Agile and light, these skis felt great navigating through bumps and trees and on steeps. Trying my hardest to find some softer snow, I was well rewarded skiing on the Buff. These guys felt floaty but weren't disconnected as some other "playful" skis are.

Each lap reaffirmed how much I was falling in love with these skis. They felt stiff on cold groomers, but easy to manipulate off trail. They held an edge well, but weren't grabby. The only thing these skis couldn't do was be boring.

Absolute favorite part of these skis (aside from the absurdly beautiful graphics) are how versatile they are. On trail, off trail, in the bumps, off of features, these skis just felt right.

After I returned the demos, my girlfriend met me up at Alta for the second half of the day. After one run she asked me "What's wrong?" with a genuine look of worry on her face. I looked at her, and with longing in my voice, told her that "I want my Black Crows back.".

If you want every run you take to put a smile on your face, then contact me and I'll set you up with some Black Crows.