2023 Black Crows Atris

The re-designed Black Crows Atris will garner some attention for sure in 2023. I’ve always thought the Atris was a nice ski, but it kind of felt planky to me. Now, it’s got a bit narrower of a sidecut to it which increases the liveliness and energy, which I think is a fantastic upgrade. They've slimmed it a bit, taking down the waist width from 108 mm to 105, and this gives more quickness and agility to the mix. Built with a poplar wood core and fiberglass laminate, the skis are pretty simple, but they also have a full wrap sidecut and a semi-cap construction which makes the ski pretty poppy and grippy. They’ve kept the 20-meter turn radius, as that was a big thing about Atris from the start, and it makes sense for this shape and style of ski still. Coming in around 2000 grams per ski in the 184.3-cm length, they’re on the heavy side for having no metal, but still feel like they have a nice mix of performance and playfulness.

Bob St.Pierre skied the 190 and called it an “awesome length—good to have the big one.” He scored it mostly 4’s for overall impression, forgiveness, playfulness, quickness, maneuverability, stability, and flotation. Versatility, torsional stiffness, and edge hold all got 3’s. Bob notes that there are “Some nice updates to the Atris for this year. It feels quicker, more agile, and just more versatile. The narrower waist works well in this ski, as it allows for more fun in the turn. While the older version sometimes felt planky to me, this 2023 is very much alive. More versatile and well-rounded than before, this ski will gain an even stronger following with this new shaping.” The move from 108 to 105 certainly makes that ski feel more agile for Bob, and it makes sense that those scores would creep up to 4.

Steve McKenzie skied the 184, but felt it skied closer to a 180ish ski. He gave it top marks of 5 out of 5 for overall impression, playfulness, and stability. Flotation, quickness, maneuverability, torsional stiffness, and edge hold all got 4’s while versatility and forgiveness settled for 3’s. Steve likes to go fast, and in that light, he states that the Atris is “Not your go-to bomber groomer run but makes up for it in the hard charging ability factor. These were underused in the current conditions but would be a perfect all-mountain, all-everything with some soft snow below you. Lean back and let ‘em EATTTTTT.” Benny Wax also felt that his test length was a bit short—he was on the 172, which is a bit shorter than he usually skis. Benny scored the Atris 5’s out of 5 for overall impression and playfulness with 4’s lining the rest of the card. This is a high span and spread of scores for a 105 (or any ski for that matter) so it’s nice to see that Benny’s a fan of the upgrades. He says that “This is a great ski to play in bumps, powder, spring snow. Shorty for the east, longer size for big mountains. Stable lively and just plain fun!” That’s what it’s all about, I suppose!

With new shaping concepts, and a slightly different rocker profile, the Black Crows Atris attracts a new set of skiers for 2023. While the older model and its 108-mm waist width put it more in the snow-day only category, the new 105 makes it more appealing for more days, conditions, and terrain. While it won’t be as pure of a floater as the outgoing model, it’s still pretty darn good, and that’s great news for Atris skiers who are looking for just a bit more agility and quickness.