Black Crows

Anima Ski

Take a few minutes and try to find something to change about the Black Crows Anima Ski. To save you some time—it's going to be pretty difficult. Dwelling in the shadow of Mont Blanc in picturesque Chamonix, Black Crows builds its skis for the big mountains the iconic French ski town is known for. With the shape of a playful freeride ski and the backbone of a big-mountain board, the Anima will pivot and scrub thanks to its rockered tip and tail. On less-than-ideal days above treeline, its stiff flex, which gets progressively softer in the tip and tail, ensures it'll still blast through chop and windbuff like a big-mountain gun should.

The semi-cap construction puts ABS sidewalls underfoot for better stability and power, then tapers out to a cap in the tip and tail to reduce swing weight, keeping the Anima playful. With 115mm underfoot, the Anima will truly shine when its slashing pow turns down big lines, but it's not so wide that it can't make the best of other funky conditions you encounter throughout the season. The light and playful poplar core adds to the Anima's energetic feel, while the carbon, KEVLAR stringers keep it laterally stiff, without adding a bunch of unnecessary weight to the ski. With a radius of 21 meters, the Anima instinctively makes long, arcing turns, making it great for the skier who prefers big, open terrain or just likes to straightline pillow lines and gun-barrel chutes.