Not so sure they suddenly became popular as much as they suddenly became more broadly available
but maybe one leads back to the other
Not so sure they suddenly became popular as much as they suddenly became more broadly available
but maybe one leads back to the other
Gonna vote for the latter because you and I talk plenty about skis, yet I never heard you mention them as something for which you were waiting to become available. But my therapist says I should consider that my friends can have occasional thoughts or conversations that don't involve me, and that doesn't mean they aren't my friends.
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Who the fuck cares if they’re hipster skis? This argument is ridiculous. Are they good or not? That’s all that matters.
I don’t own a pair but everyone I know on Black Crows has a quiver so they must be keeping them around for a reason.
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Yup ^^
I’m very fond of mine. To me they’re good. I bet BC has designs I’d pass on given the chance- just like any other manufacturer.
Their first ski was a 196cm xxl competitor, based in cham. It doesn't get more tgr than that, so as for the hipster thing...
Edit: maybe that's a bit harsh, but brand perception def seems different over here than in North America
In the Alps, at least in my ski area, Black Crows are way over being hip no more. It’s just another major ski brand like Atomic, Blizzard, etc. You see all kind of folks on them, from dads and moms, bloody beginners, intermediates to hard core ski mountaineering types.
Their skis are being produced in Bulgaria, Ukraine, Slovenia, Austria, you name it. Just check the „made in“ tags on the current line. You’ll be surprised. So hardly to put a boutique brand status on them. They do clever marketing, did create a higher coolness factor and design obviously shapes which are well embraced by a broad customer base.
Because you see Black Crows all over the place here, making them rather really mainstream, I‘d prefer to put my money elsewhere. However, I got me the new Corvus and am really happy with it. So it’s not like they don’t know how to make a fine ski.
Prior to taking on Julien Regnier, BC were, essentially, a French PM Gear* that outsourced their manufacturing. Skiers skis, loved by insane Chamoniards and few others. Now they are a major ski brand that has parked itself in the freerando spot very effectively.
Main question here is just how much did Armada screw up by firing Regnier? He's clearly not the only mind behind BC's success but the guy is clearly a fucking genius.
*I had two pairs of 179s, two pairs of 186 Lhasas and a pair of 191s. This is not a PM Gear diss.
They definitely put together some sweet stoke FWIW.
https://www.blackmail.ski/en/
Exactly, that's the other reason I called them the Euro Armada. He did a Blister Podcast last year and talked about how much he enjoyed skiing a few days on the Mantra and how it inspired him to redesign the Corvus without camber. Not many designers would admit something like that - too much ego and close-mindedness usually.
Holy shit, this thread is hilarious.
In the meantime, starting tonight at 7pm, Cole Sport will have more than a few pair of your favorite 2019 Black Crows on sale at 50% off.
“How does it feel to be the greatest guitarist in the world? I don’t know, go ask Rory Gallagher”. — Jimi Hendrix
Armada skis is owned by Amer, same as Salomon and Atomic. The skis are made at Amers European factories. Amer Sports is a Finnish company residing in Helsinki. Recently a consortium led by Chinese Anta Sports made a bid to acquire Amer.
So not exactly an American boutique brand anymore.
Both pairs I've been on demoing were pretty fucking dialed.
The thing that bothers me most is how few people on them even get why they are called Black Crows. I loved the homage to those fallen in the mountains. #YesThisComplaintIsHipsterAsShit
I'm aware of that. I'm saying prior to the acquisition. Of course Black Crows is now larger than Armada ever was, or it certainly seems that way. I wouldn't consider them a boutique brand anymore - maybe 5-6 years ago. Which is why the whole "hipster" comment is funny to some of us, which you seem to understand very well from your side of the Atlantic.
Definitely the “it” ski brand right now, at least in Tahoe.
The K-12 dude. You make a gnarly run like that and girls will get sterile just looking at you - Charles De Mar
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