2027 Black Crows Octo

The 2027 Black Crows Octo is a carryover model for this year bringing the same shape, profile, construction, and design as least year. This remains one of the more engaging and crisp skis at this level, providing a flexible nature to go along with a short radius and a spoony tip. This blend of attributes gives the Octo a unique feel and a fun character on the groomers. While it’s fine in bumps and packed trees, the superpower of the ski certainly lies more with the groomer performance and in shorter arcs.

There’s not a whole lot going on with the construction of the ski, it’s a simple poplar wood core and fiberglass. It’s also pretty thin, and that keeps it on the more flexible side. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s soft, but the generous flex allows for easier access of a shorter carved turn. If it were stiffer, it’d simply feel like a demanding wide front side ski. With a bit of bend to it, it can cross over into all-mountain territory and make it easier to get that slalom style carve. Tester Grant Wieler notes: “I was nervous at first, no metal and super light frontside ski on firm conditions. However these things blew me away. Incredibly stiff for the weight and allowed me to ramp up the speed! Uncomfortable outside of their preferred turning radius, but these are a tool. Stick them into short and powerful turns and they will reward you with tons of confidence in the turn explosive energy out.” The 179 sits on the scale at 1675 g/ski, making it pretty light for giving so much confidence.

The 14-meter turn radius plays well with the flex of the ski, allowing even intermediate level skiers the ability to make clean carves. While there’s some tip taper to make it just a bit easier to get into a carved turn, the rest of the ski is pretty darn flat, including basically no rocker in the tail. This makes it hold tight and propel you quickly into the next turn. Basically, this ski is engineered and shaped to enhance fun in a carved turn. Tester Hans de Boer notes that “These skis were mellow and fine as I tried to figure out how to make them turn on. Once I found the key to getting the switch flipped, they put a huge smile on my face. It's the kind of ski that you want to get first tracks down liftline after its been freshly groomed, knowing you'll get envious stares from people seeing you making identical, short railroad track turns like a slalom skier down the 13 pitch with the skis off the ground when transitioning turns.” When you figure out the turn shape and speed, it’s tough to beat an Octo.

It does end up being a relatively specific ski as a result of the performance and character. It’s a short turner, so you need to make a lot of short turns. It’s pretty narrow for what’s now considered “all-mountain,” so you need to prefer that, too. But if this ski’s energy and bounce appeal to you, it’s a whole lot of fun and incredibly rewarding.