The Black Crows thread

[SoVT Joey]

I just got an email from BC on the Nocta. Talking about the history etc blah blah blah and we should check it out.........but theres no new nocta for 24/25? They trying to offload old stock?

off loading old stock. The nocta isn’t in the 24/25 lineup. I clicked it in hopes.

[TahoeJ]

off loading old stock. The nocta isn’t in the 24/25 lineup. I clicked it in hopes.

WTF? One of the best pow skis ever… new name to fill the slot kinda like the Moment Bibby became the Wildcat?

[K1mJ0ngTr1ll]

You guys think the anima may get a tweak and bump in width to help with the Corvus change?

[Stuntmonkey]

Maybe, but I liken this to the Corvus. Nocta is a cult following ski and BC wants the masses. I know more people who hate it than love it.

[GravityDT]

the new Nocta's were $$ today.... had an easy 12-14"+ overnight at the ghee. Upper mtn was wind fooked and mid/lower were creamy and these things just blasted thru it all - So fun!

[TahoeJ]

Maybe, but I liken this to the Corvus. Nocta is a cult following ski and BC wants the masses. I know more people who hate it than love it.

Sounds like you know a lot of shitty skiers. ;-)

[Stuntmonkey]

Sounds like you know a lot of shitty skiers. ;-)

God I know. Everyone considers the brahma and rustler to be all you ever need.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Maybe, but I liken this to the Corvus. Nocta is a cult following ski and BC wants the masses. I know more people who hate it than love it.

So, kinda like the last few years of the Corvus.


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[whambat]

You guys think the anima may get a tweak and bump in width to help with the Corvus change?

I sure hope not. It performs so well on firmer snow for a 115 ski. Even with the new Corvus as an option Turdel is still skiing the Anima as his comp ski. If it goes wider, it would be a much less effective ski in that regard. On a whim, I recently picked up a 182 Anima to compliment my 194 Anima as a freestyle ski. I skied it the first time today in some fun powder with a crust on some of the lower sections of the mountain. I was really surprised at how stable that ski is in a short size, but like my bigger ones, it just held on firm snow surprisingly well, it’s really insane how well it carves. And, of course, it spun super easy on 3s coming from the bigger ski.

I really hope they never fuck with the Anima. But, I rarely see it in shops, so I know what may come of it.

[Steffen1]

I sure hope not. It performs so well on firmer snow for a 115 ski. Even with the new Corvus as an option Turdel is still skiing the Anima as his comp ski. If it goes wider, it would be a much less effective ski in that regard. On a whim, I recently picked up a 182 Anima to compliment my 194 Anima as a freestyle ski. I skied it the first time today in some fun powder with a crust on some of the lower sections of the mountain. I was really surprised at how stable that ski is in a short size, but like my bigger ones, it just held on firm snow surprisingly well, it’s really insane how well it carves. And, of course, it spun super easy on 3s coming from the bigger ski.

I'd be really interesting to hear you say more about the contrast between these two lengths?

I'm also a huge fan of the current 194 Anima as an AM generalist. Its my DD in Whistler. The carving performance is what makes it stand out in the category. (In anything better than truly dry or low-grip conditions.)

[kid-kapow]

Even with the new Corvus as an option Turdel is still skiing the Anima as his comp ski.

isn't he still on the previous generation Anima with the current graphics though? This pic is from the comp in Kicking Horse last week, showing the tail design of the previous gen

[whambat]

steffenator I only got one day on it, but I was really surprised by how stable the 182s were. They were super fun in tight trees and bumps. My 194s are the OG ones, so there is a little more between the two than just size. The new ones maybe held an edge even better than my old ones because of the stiffness, or just being newer. I also got the 182s with the plan that my teenager will probably use them next year, he’s on the 176s now and loves them, but he’s growing fast. Like 7” since start of June.

I may end up with some 189s next year when he takes the 182s and just keep the 194s around for really big days. I think the longer tail on the gen 2 makes it ski a little longer. I also think they are longer and it seems like a true 182 versus the gen 1 188s I tried were right at 185, so maybe only an inch shorter for the gen 2 182s versus gen 1 188. If it’s less than 10” I’ll be tempted to grab the 182s for the playfulness. If it’s deep, I’d want the longer tip to avoid tip dive. But, I also think because I’ve adopted a lower more crouched position after spending time taking laps with FIS coaches that I can get away with a shorter ski as I’m more balanced fore/aft so the new 189 maybe better for me now.

@kid-kapow I don’t know what version Turdel is using. Maybe he likes the softer version with more tail rocker, or testing gen 3 with the old tail design that also was shorter. Or he gets the tail custom cut flat for some reason, which would be easy as the metal edge doesn’t go deep into the tail. My point stands: don’t widen the Anima as it rocks as is, gen 1 or gen 2.

[kid-kapow]

Turdell has never skied the current gen in the FWT - he has always been on the previous generation.

My point stands: don’t widen the Anima as it rocks as is, gen 1 or gen 2.

what - your point that the anima should not change from the 115mm ish width, double rocker, progressively mounted shape it has always been? Sure thing - open door soundly kicked in. I would not be surprised if they tweaked them a bit for 25/26 though, especially to reduce their swingweight a bit.

In other news - Evo is selling the current gen 182s in the cooler looking 22/23 Birdie colorway for 370usd right now btw, in case anyone wants a pair. That is a very good deal imho. It is the same ski as the men's/unisex version - just with a nice grey and pink colorway.

[whambat]

what - your point that the anima should not change from the 115mm ish width, double rocker, progressively mounted shape it has always been? .

since I was replying to a post about widening the Anima, yeah.

[Steffen1]

My 194s are the OG ones, so there is a little more between the two than just size.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts @whambat. That sounds about right.

FFIW I put about 60 days on the previous 194 Anima and have about 40 days on the current 194 Anima. I love both but for different reasons. The previous version was easier, lighter, and with a less fwd mount. It excelled as a heavy 50/50 ski for me. The current version has a much stronger camber, longer effective edge, noticeably more tail support, and a shovel shape that hooks up on groomers. Its far more capable on hard pack imo, but also feels heavier/slower and prone to tip dive at the recommended -6cm mount.

All that said, if I was laying down a full-effort comp run (which I'm not ha), I would pick the current Anima without any doubt. Its just a stronger ski. Super interesting that Turdel has a special version... if its not a consumer model, then we can only speculate to its construction also.

[whambat]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts @whambat. That sounds about right.

FFIW I put about 60 days on the previous 194 Anima and have about 40 days on the current 194 Anima. I love both but for different reasons. The previous version was easier, lighter, and with a less fwd mount. It excelled as a heavy 50/50 ski for me. The current version has a much stronger camber, longer effective edge, noticeably more tail support, and a shovel shape that hooks up on groomers. Its far more capable on hard pack imo, but also feels heavier/slower and prone to tip dive at the recommended -6cm mount.

All that said, if I was laying down a full-effort comp run (which I'm not ha), I would pick the current Anima without any doubt. It’s just a stronger ski. Super interesting that Turdel has a special version... if it’s not a consumer model, then we can only speculate to its construction also.

I appreciate your comparison between the two. Personally, I’m digging the concept of the new one at least in the short size however, here in central Colorado, maybe I’d find the new 194 too big?? I did move my mount on the 194s 1cm forward to make it better in tight trees and I’ve found it pretty awesome there, as long as I’m not trying to sideslip through a really tight space. NS mentioned in a video he mounted the OG 1cm forward, but not the newer version. But, they are relatively heavy, especially with my Cast setup, I don’t realize the new version was heavier because the 182s feel so much lighter with a stock Pivot 15. My 188 Corvus feel incredibly light in comparison to my 194 Animas.

As far as Turdell goes, I have no idea what he’s really running. Unless they had a stock of the old ones that didn’t have graphics, I’d imagine it’s not easy just to slap on the new graphics unless it’s just a sticker, especially since they outsource production to Atomic. Without having their own factory, I have no idea what they are doing special for him. I know on his YouTube videos he was using the gen 1 with old graphics for training even after the new ones came out. Maybe it’s the old ones, maybe it’s a cut tail on the new ones, maybe it’s an entirely different ski. For all I know, the new tail design catches on jumps when he does backies and has it cut flat. Since I haven’t gone inverted in 20 years, I wouldn’t know. Doing a one off ski is expensive when you own the factory, can’t guess what it would cost when you don’t. Honestly, I don’t care that much, because as far as I’m concerned, both versions have kicked ass and every other ski I’ve tried in that width range since has disappointed me in comparison. And, I got the pink 182s and they look steezy with gold pivots.

[Red7]

I just got done catching up on the latest pages here. The 3 skis that seem the most popular and highly praised are the Corvus, the Atris and the new Noctas. Other than some recent posts, and some sporadic posts a ways back, there really wasn't much discussion on the Anima. I recently unloaded a pair of 190 Moment Wildcats which replaced a pair of Bibbys so I'm looking for another resort powder ski and the new Nocta sounds like a ski I need in my quiver. My main daily driver is a 190 Deathwish 112 but also have a BC Atris, BC Captis (and several sub 100mm skis for frontside days with the wife) but I'm wondering if it makes much sense to own both the Anima and a Nocta as I didn't come across anyone in here with that combo. Is the Anima just too similar to some of the other 105-110 BC skis and is the float significantly less than the Nocta? I do like that the Anima comes in a 194 and wish they made the Nocta in a longer length as my DW ski short for a 190 (I'm 6', 193 lbs). I really wish Moment would release a 118-120mm Deathwish.

[Robik]

I just got done catching up on the latest pages here. The 3 skis that seem the most popular and highly praised are the Corvus, the Atris and the new Noctas. Other than some recent posts, and some sporadic posts a ways back, there really wasn't much discussion on the Anima. I recently unloaded a pair of 190 Moment Wildcats which replaced a pair of Bibbys so I'm looking for another resort powder ski and the new Nocta sounds like a ski I need in my quiver. My main daily driver is a 190 Deathwish 112 but also have a BC Atris, BC Captis (and several sub 100mm skis for frontside days with the wife) but I'm wondering if it makes much sense to own both the Anima and a Nocta as I didn't come across anyone in here with that combo. Is the Anima just too similar to some of the other 105-110 BC skis and is the float significantly less than the Nocta? I do like that the Anima comes in a 194 and wish they made the Nocta in a longer length as my DW ski short for a 190 (I'm 6', 193 lbs). I really wish Moment would release a 118-120mm Deathwish.

I used to have Nocta 2 years ago but that season didn't really call for it too many times.
This year I spent about 7 days on last year's Anima in 189 and it's all I could ask for a resort pow sticks. They are definitely more versatile than Nocta, hold an edge really well, very supportive on landings tails. Nocta will float much better, MUCH better. But as conditions got tracked out, it was wearing me out. Anima can be skied all over the mountain even a few days after the storm, any longer and I'd reach out for Corvus.
Anima and Nocta definitely don't overlap if you live in the right place or travel chasing storms.
I could definitely see myself on 194 but would sacrifice some maneuverability and 189 has all the stability I need.
I'm 6'2, 185

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[yiu-han]

One of Turdells version of Animas.
Not the new shape.

[SoVT Joey]

One of Turdells version of Animas.
Not the new shape.

That location of that picture makes me think someone was rubbing one out to a set of animas. Next ski I get I’m totally taking bathroom pics with them.

[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

That location of that picture makes me think someone was rubbing one out to a set of animas.

Dude, no kink shaming.

[waveshello]

That location of that picture makes me think someone was rubbing one out to a set of animas. Next ski I get I’m totally taking bathroom pics with them.

Right on brand for BC. Pursuit of pleasure and all that...

[Qilimanjaro]

Not nitpicking, but the anima is supposed to be 189.2. The difference is ok as manufacturing tolerances go, but the topsheet print says 188.4.

stranger things

lol to bathroom pics and comments btw

[TahoeJ]

Slipping around here - those photos were clearly taken on the third floor bathroom.

[mr_pretzel]

Not nitpicking, but the anima is supposed to be 189.2. The difference is ok as manufacturing tolerances go, but the topsheet print says 188.4.

stranger things

lol to bathroom pics and comments btw

The old one, which that is, was 188