2011-2012

the fifth winter ski collection

free skiing

During the holidays at the ski club of our youth , we had "free skiing" days, alternating with a majority of more specific training days: gate training for some, moguls and jumps for others. These "free skiing" days were adapted to the snow conditions: powder, jibbing, high speed piste skiing, tree runs... The mountain world revealed itself, open to all ideas, and with one aspiration: ski, invent, adapt to the terrain and, most importantly, have fun.

We did everything with a single pair of skis, and at that time, the skis were narrow, straight and often quite long. But free skiing was there.

Today with Black Crows, for our fifth collection, that of the 2011/2012 season, the spirit remains the same. Even though ski equipment has evolved alot technically, skiing is still skiing. Large or very large, finer and even narrow, on piste or off-piste, for gentle or radical practice, on hard or in deep snow, free skiing remains as it has always been.

Before the emergence of the new types of ski in the mid-1990s, the difference was almost exclusively in the length and flex, depending on whether you were looking for performance or versatility. Then came carving skis and fatter skis that revealed many new sensations. Thanks to the new floating capacities, the feeling of riding on top of the snow made off-piste skiing even more enjoyable. A new world appeared to adventurous skiers. Over the last ten winters, we’ve had the chance to test many skis and prototypes, some were good, others far from it, but all have enriched our experience and enhanced our vision and the passion that dwell within us, that of the love of skiing.

black season 5

Fifth season, two new skis, the Nocta* and the Arto**, and a new size of 186 cm for the Orb***

*Nocta: The first ski in our line to use the rocker design. Developed in collaboration with a master of backcountry freestyle, the reverse camber on the rear and the front of the ski (double rocker) facilitates turning in deep snow and allows the ski to change direction on the spot. With raised tips that favour floatation and manoeuvrability in powder, the Nocta remains an aggressive ski on hardpack thanks to a waist which can assert itself over the tips.

**Arto: As the brand's founder says "Why not abandon oneself to the heady thrill of speed, the pleasure of a very precise control, the exploration of a neglected world, a dimension of freeskiing we sometimes forget, the piste? A wide slope of groomed snow, where the trajectory becomes pure precision, high-risk, the turn." A very limited edition of a very special program, the Arto is a narrow ski, with side cuts that conform to FIS giant slalom standards. Available in 3 sizes, Arto pursues the ambition of a high-performance ski, exclusive and playful. Free skiing in all it’s forms, for the love of speed and beautiful lines.

***Orb: Available this year in 186 cm, this lightweight and efficient ski will satisfy above all bigger skiers who are looking for an uncompromising ski combining performance and versatility. With a flex adapted to it's size, this model respects the demands of the Orb range, that of an authentic ski, capable of adapting to all disciplines, including the most vertical ones. This precise and tenacious ski is a mountaineer at heart.

As for the rest of our collection, we continue to make technical adjustments to accompany the evolution of our sport and its demands, notably with an optimized flex on the Navis and a perfected rotation on the Corvus.

The Black Crows quest continues, for the pleasure of a wilder kind of skiing.

Camille and Bruno

Nota Bene : Our skis are designed with challenging snow conditions in mind.