[The Orb did not change for 2018. The ratings and review here are reprised from last season.]

Black Crows is a 10-year old company from Chamonix for which skis are only one expression of the mountain culture it champions. When Black Crows began, it focused on the backcountry as that’s where its iconoclastic founders could always be found; over time, it developed models for other members of the ski community, leading up to the decidedly in-bounds Orb.

If everyone in skiing is part of a family, then the Orb is for the young uncle who only gets out on weekends. He spends most of his precious ski time inside the resort boundary but prefers to get off-trail if conditions are decent. He’s a good skier and would be great if only he skied more.

If he gets a pair of Black Crow Orbs, he may chuck work all together. The tapered forebody and mildly rockered baseline are ready to party off-piste, but with two Titanal laminates on board, the Orb is so strong on edge it doesn’t really care where you send it. Its tip design obliges the Orb to be loose at the top of a laid-over turn, but once it settles into the arc it’s as solid as the Mont Blanc massif. The once rebellious boys of the Chamonix backcountry now are making perfectly balanced skis that any member of the ski culture can climb on and relate to immediately.

If the Orb comes across as particularly playful for a wood and metal ski, it’s a reflection of the joie de vivre that permeates the Black Crows experience. Passionate people creating technically advanced products for their friends and neighbors to enjoy; if this sounds like folks you want to hang with, flock to Black Crows and check out the sneaky powerful Orb. 

For its sinuous ease in all but the deepest conditions, we’re pleased to bestow upon the Black Crows Orb its second Silver Skier Selection.