When you examine a pair of Black Crows Daemon’s base-to-base, you can’t help but notice the baseline is so rockered it could be marketed as “endless rocker.” How can a ski with so little snow contact manage to earn a solid overall score and high Power rating?

The Daemon’s secret is its pre-bent shape means it’s arcing before you are. As long as the snow isn’t bulletproof, the full curve underfoot grips the snow from just behind the shovel to the very end. There’s even some rebound out of the turn, not crazy lift, but just enough energy to make the transition into the next turn automatic.

Although the Daemon can readily pivot sideways, once edged and pressured – fast or slow, in big turns or little ones – it makes a cool, calm and collected round turn. This versatility is attributable to 120cm’s of Titanal through the midsection that allows the ski to bow with minimal effort yet gives it ironclad security underfoot. Honest-to-God ice and eye-tearing speeds aren’t its strong suits – you’ll feel the loss of contact that soft snow disguises – but in any sort of soft snow, from fluffy powder to water-soaked slop, it’s playful and predictable.

The Daemon’s soft extremities and easy roll to the edge makes it feel narrower and quicker to the edge than most models in this genre. It’s easily managed at low speeds and performs equally well whether drifting or carving. I’d call it a Finesse ski with surprising Power potential.