The Black Crows thread

[Huskier]

Delete

[halliday]

I think there is another thread somewhere for boot questions.

[Huskier]

I think there is another thread somewhere for boot questions.

You are correct. Disregard

[TahoeJ]

How do you like the v3 vs v2?

It’s just a little softer (in a good way, and I like stiff skis). But not dramatically different. So fun. I had seller’s remorse.

[whambat]

Local shop is price matching on 2024 182cm Animas (~$500US/$699CDN)...for either regular topsheet or the Birdie topsheet Animas.

Can see my wife getting the 176cm Anima Birdie (as she says her 178 Line Outlines are "tingy") so I am leaning to regular topsheet for me. I do like the pink/grey though.

I have both gold and raw pivot 15s. Gold would prolly work best on the regular topsheet, raw definitely on the Birdie? Pumped to try some Black Crows.

I have the Birdie Animas with the gold Pivots and all the young dudes think it’s steezy. My 14 yo skinny kid who is 5’7” and 110 lbs is on the 176 Animas and loves them. He’s never complained about them being sluggish. He generally prefers them to his Bent 100s in 172 that he thinks is too soft to ski anything with chop. I have the 182 Birdies and the 194 V1 Anima. I’ve found that if you use a good athletic stance and not stand too tall, there is no tip dive issue. However, I can also ski my Bonafides on a good powder day and not complain. Going to the 182s, they feel super nimble and lightening fast to me. But, I don’t have problems with the 194s unless I have to side slip through tight trees. They do get sluggish if you get caught on your heels. The V2s are pretty stiff and heavy, but they plow through chop and hold n edge with authority. In the short ski, I don’t find them too heavy at the tips as they end the metal edges early, and they spin really well for an old guy like me. My kid spins his 176s often several times per run. I got the short ones to do more freestyle with my kid and for him to grow into, but I’ve been really surprised of how fun they been in powder and how stable they are. I haven’t measured them, but they seem just an inch shorter than me and I’m 6’1” (185cm). My V1 194s are closer to 191 straight measure, but the first version all seemed short for their length as they had more tail rocker and different tail shape.

[Red7]

I did a lot of research on this as well before pulling the trigger on the new Nocta over the weekend. I think the heavier Anima may be better in denser snow and crud with the Nocta better in dryer powder and soft chop. I could see myself possibly owning both but feel the newer Nocta bridges the gap some for my needs (deep Utah/GT pow days and sled skiing). They arrive tomorrow and hope to mount and ride them this week but just missed the big Teton storm so we'll see what the next couple weeks bring for their maiden voyage.

[Red7]

Curious about folks experiences with:

1) Anima vs newest Nocta for PNW pow/crud ski? I am seeing some decent sales that have piqued my interest in both. Newest Nocta just looks better, but Anima seems probably more suitable and less specific use for the PNW i.e. take it out on a pow day and also days after when the snow gets super dense and chopped up aka cascade concrete.

2) Not seeing a ton on the Draco Freebird. Really like where they are going with that for a touring ski. Anyone repping it out west i.e. Tahoe, Oregon, Washington?

Sorry, meant to reply to your quote:

I did a lot of research on this as well before pulling the trigger on the new Nocta over the weekend. I think the heavier Anima may be better in denser snow and crud with the Nocta better in dryer powder and soft chop. I could see myself possibly owning both but feel the newer Nocta bridges the gap some for my needs (deep Utah/GT pow days and sled skiing). They arrive tomorrow and hope to mount and ride them this week but just missed the big Teton storm so we'll see what the next couple weeks bring for their maiden voyage.

[GravityDT]

Sorry, meant to reply to your quote:

I did a lot of research on this as well before pulling the trigger on the new Nocta over the weekend. I think the heavier Anima may be better in denser snow and crud with the Nocta better in dryer powder and soft chop. I could see myself possibly owning both but feel the newer Nocta bridges the gap some for my needs (deep Utah/GT pow days and sled skiing). They arrive tomorrow and hope to mount and ride them this week but just missed the big Teton storm so we'll see what the next couple weeks bring for their maiden voyage.

Zero regrets on the new Nocta.... this weekend the ghee was blanketed by 40"+ of significantly wind fooked ie heavy sierra cement and they blasted thru it no problem. Besides they make for entertaining liftline comments with tip shape questions....

[jimbojones]

I’m considering picking up one of the cheap/closeout 182 Animas as a backup for my BO118s that I love dearly. Sounds like I may be disappointed in the result? I get that they’re slightly shorter, but looks like the Animas don’t have all the rubber in the BO118s that seems to be their secret sauce? Looking for a ski with some heft to chew up broken snow.

Anyone here daily the Animas in soft snow?

[SoVT Joey]

I’m considering picking up one of the cheap/closeout 182 Animas as a backup for my BO118s that I love dearly. Sounds like I may be disappointed in the result? I get that they’re slightly shorter, but looks like the Animas don’t have all the rubber in the BO118s that seems to be their secret sauce? Looking for a ski with some heft to chew up broken snow.

Anyone here daily the Animas in soft snow?

this guy seems to rip them well in all conditions…
https://youtu.be/ePHX01xWXuc?si=uvVhcAJxPHsRWp3w

but in all seriousness and if you want something to chew up soft chop try a Corvus. Don’t worry about the weight. It will blow through everything.

[kid-kapow]

Thx kid.

The BO118 at -5cm is a good option that I've considered for her, as she definitely likes "heavier" skis. Her other skis (besides the 178cm Line Outline) are a 172cm Enforcer 104 Free and a 163cm Head SuperShape e-Rally. She typically skis the mens version of skis. And ya she's proficient...she grew up skiing in the Kootenays and has worked/skied in Canada/Europe/Colorado....she skied my Mantra 102s and said they were easy (she's 5'6", 127 lbs).

KC

yeah, I do not mean to bad mouth the Anima as I am sure that I would like them mounted with pivots at rec or at +1, yet - I just freaking love BO118s. The Koala118 is a great shape that is kinda made too dry snow specific due to their flex pattern, so a good ski that could be great. BO118s are just great. And for sure - it is a bit ironic to label a ski as sluggish due to high perceived swing weight and then recommend the tank that is the BO118, but oh well

and for context, I have only skied the current 189s mounted with demo binders for a few runs - so hardly an in debth analysis here. I also do not get on with demo binders, so my experience might have been very different had they had pivots mounted on them. I've considered getting a pair to try them upon several occasions, but I do not really see any point as there is no way they are going to replace my BO118s.

[whambat]

I’m considering picking up one of the cheap/closeout 182 Animas as a backup for my BO118s that I love dearly. Sounds like I may be disappointed in the result? I get that they’re slightly shorter, but looks like the Animas don’t have all the rubber in the BO118s that seems to be their secret sauce? Looking for a ski with some heft to chew up broken snow.

Anyone here daily the Animas in soft snow?

I pretty much daily drive the Animas if there has been any recent snow. I use the Corvus’s in low tide or if I’m worried about pow over ice. The chop destroying capabilities are one of my favorite characteristics of the Anima, better than my Wildcats that I tried to replace them with. Also, they do hold an edge really well on hardpack, just not as well on pure ice as the Corvus. The Wildcats probably did float a little better with the bigger splay, but that splay hurt them in the chop in comparison. I agree that the Corvus are also really good in the chop. If I have no idea what weather I’m going to face, I may lean towards the Corvus. But if it’s been new snow in the past few days or it will be wind chalk, I tend to lean towards the Anima. The two do overlap a bit in my quiver, but the Corvus replaced my Bonafides as my low tide ski so they have a huge range. The Animas are slightly more forgiving when slamming powder bumps. While they don’t advertise it as such, I’d say the Anima sidecut is kinda 3D in the sense that the tips aren’t hooky and they can do 60m turns as well as having the short turn radius when you get them on edge.
They aren’t quite as smooth as my 2019 Stockli Stormrider 105s, but that gen SR’s have Stockli’s Super G layup with their special sauce of rubber and proprietary epoxy, but the Animas aren’t all that far behind IMO as they do have some real mass behind them and enough stiffness to support it.
I’m normally a whore for long skis and have the V1 Anima in 194, but I’ve been having a blast on the new 182. I only wish I had my 194s yesterday with I was skiing some south facing bowls down low where the chop was turning to sun heavy mini bumps and I was going 40-50mph coming into the melt line. In the drier chop, no issues whatsoever. And the shorter skis are way more fun in tight trees.
That said, it’s always hard to replace a favorite in your quiver. Best of luck.

[MNazWIcoWA]

Zero regrets on the new Nocta.... this weekend the ghee was blanketed by 40"+ of significantly wind fooked ie heavy sierra cement and they blasted thru it no problem. Besides they make for entertaining liftline comments with tip shape questions....

This is the response I was interested in. I was wondering if the new Nocta would be able to handle heavy, wet snow. I live in WA so get the cascade concrete.

[kc_7777]

I like 182 - 185 for my pow skis. Will be skiing my new 182 cm Animas this coming Friday at Whistler. Mounted on the line (-6cm).
Will report back.

Now eyeing Nocta’s for some stupid reason.

Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[UkBCyeti]

Now eyeing Nocta’s for some stupid reason.

Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

Because they're fun! Got the 2024. 19m turn radius makes for really quick turns in the trees. Float is good ( larger dude, need more float) and the camber underfoot means they're better on the groomers to get down than I thought they'd be. Not that heavy for touring either. Never going to be a big day touring ski, but short laps, definitely a fan.
I wouldn't call them a charger, but they do ok in the choppy stuff.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

this guy seems to rip them well in all conditions…
https://youtu.be/ePHX01xWXuc?si=uvVhcAJxPHsRWp3w

but in all seriousness and if you want something to chew up soft chop try a Corvus. Don’t worry about the weight. It will blow through everything.

Yeah, they are quite stable for the weight. So quiet hauling ass through chop.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[TahoeJ]

This is the response I was interested in. I was wondering if the new Nocta would be able to handle heavy, wet snow. I live in WA so get the cascade concrete.

Yeah we get Sierra Cement here in Tahoe. They’re fine for it.

[turnfarmer]

188 Daemons on ebay-
https://www.ebay.com/itm/28574746451...&segname=11021

[turnfarmer]

Not my listing, Jaya a psa.

[Red7]

Because they're fun! Got the 2024. 19m turn radius makes for really quick turns in the trees. Float is good ( larger dude, need more float) and the camber underfoot means they're better on the groomers to get down than I thought they'd be. Not that heavy for touring either. Never going to be a big day touring ski, but short laps, definitely a fan.
I wouldn't call them a charger, but they do ok in the choppy stuff.

I got my new Noctas out at Targhee today and no regrets. Conditions were not ideal as the storm was warm and the snow, very much wind effected, but they were still a lot of fun. First thing I noticed carrying them from the car (and while hanging on the lift) was how light they are. With my fused ankle and subsequent moderate speed limit, they are a much better match for me than the Bibby Pros I replaced. Way more maneuverable in steep, tight trees and still composed enough for my needs in chop. Way more surfy than the Bibbys. They carve adequately on groomers for a ski this wide (though not quite as good as the OG Bibbys, and not even in the ballpark of my 112 Deathwish).

I grabbed the Deathwish at lunch and they were all around the better ski for today's dense conditions, but I could have made do with the Noctas all day. I'll definitely keep them in my quiver but will probably only use them on 14"+ days and when moisture content is below 1:12. I never only bring 1 ski to the resort and often times swap out ski midday. If I still lived in Tahoe, I'd be less stoked using them in Sierra Cement, but only because of how good the Deathwish are as that ski just seems to do everything well.

All around the Noctas are a really fun and fairly versatile ski for their width.

[halliday]

I like 182 - 185 for my pow skis. Will be skiing my new 182 cm Animas this coming Friday at Whistler. Mounted on the line (-6cm).
Will report back.

Now eyeing Nocta’s for some stupid reason.

Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

Nice kit. Now go get some Noctas. You don't know you need them until you have them.

[Crystal Skier]

… my wallet became a victim of Nocta Frenzy today. Hoping for great vibes and a long relationship [emoji38] with my new 190’s. Totally a blind dice roll.
Feel like I am cheating on my beloved 184 Revolts.

In speaking with the store owner there will be special limited edition runs of the Nocta for 2025!



Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[whambat]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4OQh...RneXludHp6MDh3

looks like some fun on the new Corvus.

[alpinevibes]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4OQh...RneXludHp6MDh3

looks like some fun on the new Corvus.

Didier is the #1 Corvus ambassador. Love his skiing!

Just picked up some new 2024 190 Atris today. Stoked. Might be trying to get some Serpo 186's coming too

[whambat]

Didier is the #1 Corvus ambassador. Love his skiing!

Just picked up some new 2024 190 Atris today. Stoked. Might be trying to get some Serpo 186's coming too

I really do like his style. Chargy with freestyle to back it up.