2024 Black Crows Nocta Ski Review with SkiEssentials.com

We let Matt choose the next ski he wanted to review and he felt strongly about sharing his thoughts and experience on this new Black Crows Nocta! We'll revisit this ski next season as we're able to test and film more in deeper snow, but safe to say... so far, so good!
Written Review: www.skiessentials.com/Chairli...
0:00 - Intro
2:40 - Construction
4:45 - Shape
5:30 - Chamonix Influence
7:20 - Matt Spring Skiing
9:55 - Quickness and Agility
10:55 - Backcountry Freestyle
11:50 - Mini Golf Touring
13:25 - Matt's Choice
14:40 - Is It For You?
16:30 - To Revisit Next Season

Пікірлер: 49

  • @Jimonthewater
    @Jimonthewater Жыл бұрын

    Great Job, but you need to get these skis into the deep, that's where you start to find how different these skis really are. I own both of these skis (2024 with the cool graphics) and last years full rocker version. I found that the new version was very, very loose across the fall line in very deep snow (slash and slide). In any snow that has a bottom the new versions rocks. Any snow without a bottom, I like the old version is better / more predictable and consistent for me. I live in Tahoe and between the two skis I put in over 80 days on these skis this season (Heli , snowcats and lift served). I'm keeping both versions. The new version is for resort / lift served powder days (anything over 4 - 6 inches deep up, to say 12 -16" where you can still find the bottom) or days when you might find harder conditions (crusts, wind pack, etc). The full rocker version is for the deep stuff (Heli, snowcat, snow mobile, even side country on really deep days). One last comment, ski the long ones.

  • @SkiEssentials

    @SkiEssentials

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the feedback, and we totally agree that these need to be utilized in deep snow for a full and proper review. That said, we do have to work within our constraints, and always try to put in a disclaimer in when certain conditions can't be/were not utilized.

  • @alexanderosherow2064

    @alexanderosherow2064

    6 ай бұрын

    thanks for the feedback man! gonna keep my previous years and not get the camber version as I have other cambered pow skis, money saved, thanks~!

  • @jonahandersen632
    @jonahandersen632 Жыл бұрын

    I was in Utah for this past winter and hit a few days of 3+ feet of powder. These things are just insane, I did have to move the bindings back a bit from recommended to reduce the burn but they're just so light and fun.

  • @SkiEssentials

    @SkiEssentials

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the feedback--it did seem like it was a bit forward to me (Bob), but I'm sure Jeff would fall on the other side of the conversation.

  • @ronaldp4
    @ronaldp42 ай бұрын

    1. Day, hour, run, it doesn't matter; one is the answer! @15:15

  • @H0lyH0g
    @H0lyH0g10 ай бұрын

    I ski killington and this ski was all time for the few good snow days we had last season (3 lol). It is so nimble in tight trees with any fresh snow, 4in to 12in it skied so well. Was really unsure about the purchase when I took them out of the box, I immediately thought of water skis. Cant understate how quick and easy they turn with fresh snow underfoot. And this is not a twitchy quickness, very smooth, very stable when opening up in some relatively early pow day chop. I'm considering throwing a CAST on them for some east coast bc just to get as many more runs as possible but they are heavy in the 191 and that's gonna be a huge heavy skin lol. Killer ski, unnecessary for most but I'm all about maxing that pow day (or pow 30min).

  • @mikewilliams6086
    @mikewilliams6086 Жыл бұрын

    Good review and good to see Matt doing a review. Bring young guys through they are often the ones pushing gear to the limits.

  • @SkiEssentials

    @SkiEssentials

    11 ай бұрын

    Young legs! Us older skiers get quite jealous of his springiness!

  • @maciejcierniewski9955
    @maciejcierniewski9955 Жыл бұрын

    Great job!

  • @SkiEssentials

    @SkiEssentials

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks!

  • @scottpratico1315
    @scottpratico13159 ай бұрын

    Put a shift binding on it and you have a perfect Revelstoke slackcountry rig.

  • @timcline2799
    @timcline27994 ай бұрын

    I’ve 2016 Noctas. Tip floppiness took a bit of getting used to hard pack accessing, but, became my everyday. In dry champagne, whatever works. But deep, wet, heavy, unexpectedly difficult snow my friends on their whatever’s flounder while I ask what’s wrong. Get Noctas, I tell them.

  • @milesfrussell

    @milesfrussell

    4 ай бұрын

    Hell yeah brother. I have the reverse camber Noctas and these things just cruise over PNW wet/heavy pow, so much fun in the trees.

  • @timcline2799

    @timcline2799

    4 ай бұрын

    @@milesfrussell I’m in Columbia River valley PNW wet/heavy pow. Me too. I agree Noctas in trees are a dream. Make difficult snow easy

  • @darinsmith2458
    @darinsmith2458 Жыл бұрын

    That is a monster of a ski..

  • @fix4all
    @fix4all Жыл бұрын

    Can also serve as an emergency snow removal shovel. Clever..

  • @SkiEssentials

    @SkiEssentials

    Жыл бұрын

    Actually would work quite well! Hah!

  • @aaronmueller1560
    @aaronmueller1560 Жыл бұрын

    I wonder if you guys would be interested in making some brand overview videos at some point? Like get all the skis sold by a specific brand and line them up, and then talk just a bit about each one’s usage and what differentiates it from the other skis in the brand. I know I lose track of all the different skis each brand makes, and for brands like Black Crows where each ski is pretty unique and there are some similar width skis it would be extra helpful. It also might give you a chance to bring attention to lesser known skis in a brand without devoting a whole video on it, so people might come looking for more information/ideas of a more common ski and find the lesser known ski that fits them better. Just an idea!

  • @SkiEssentials

    @SkiEssentials

    Жыл бұрын

    We do that sometimes on a smaller scale, especially when a new line is introduced, such as Blizzard Rustler/Sheeva for 2024. One of the reasons that we do our longer comparison videos is to get similar skis of the same ilk together, and this allows us to knock off many skis and brands at once. We sell over 20 different brands of skis, so that means we'd have to do 20 different brand videos (so we wouldn't leave any of our dealers out), and that would take almost half of the season. I like the idea, especially since every brand makes a good ski for someone!

  • @julienguidehautemontagne6969
    @julienguidehautemontagne69697 ай бұрын

    I would be interested by a comparison between theses skis and the new Candideskis because the specs seem close. Thank you for your reviews !

  • @SkiEssentials

    @SkiEssentials

    6 ай бұрын

    The Candide, being fully rockered, is such a unique feel while the new Nocta now has camber, so there's a bit more pop. From a playful, smeary, and outright floaty perspective, it's going to be tough to beat that AK 121.

  • @benseccombe934
    @benseccombe934 Жыл бұрын

    Hi Skiessentials - thanks for all of the great reviews. I need some help deciding between the new Atris and new Nocta. I have been skiing the Camox for a couple of seasons and while it is a great all mountain ski, I struggle with it when the snow gets a bit deeper, and in tighter/steeper terrain and trees. I had made the decision to jump up to the Atris but then with the current model changes (narrower Atris and rockered/cambered Nocta) I feel like my logic has kind of been thrown out the window and that there is no longer enough difference between Atris and Camox to really justify having both and that the Nocta is now more versatile for resort powder skiing. I am looking for a powder/deeper snow ski mostly for Whistler (e.g. Sun bowl, trees, deeper snow days, slack country) and am really struggling to decide between these two options - any help you can give would be greatly appreciated!

  • @jdp6127

    @jdp6127

    Жыл бұрын

    Have you considered the Animas? Very fun for Sun Bowl/Harmony/Symphony etc... . I wouldn't go Atris in the 104, I mean it has way more rocker and taper than the Camox, but similar enough, with a flatter and stiffer tail. The Anima has enough tip and tail rocker to release in tight conditions and width to float. Easy to ski and charges well, the only downside for me was a bit of tip dive in heavier snow.

  • @benseccombe934

    @benseccombe934

    Жыл бұрын

    @@jdp6127 Thankyou for the feedback. I had thought of that as an option, but my perception (potentially very wrong) is that the Animas were for the hard charging, high speed free skiers of the world and less suited to wiggling through trees and the like. I am having another look at it now and on second look I think you are probably right. Thanks!

  • @SkiEssentials

    @SkiEssentials

    Жыл бұрын

    Hi! Sorry for the delay getting back to you. To start, I still think the Atris is different enough from the Camox to justify owning both. Still a pretty big difference in width, and the Atris does much better in deep snow conditions. So, yeah, no issue whatsoever with sticking to your original plan. That said, Anima is an interesting option. The flex pattern isn't actually that much different, it's more that the Anima is a lot heavier and feels that way when you ski it. Edge release is still pretty easy, it's just the weight factor. If you want a true deep snow ski, go all the way to Nocta. While the new ski is more versatile, yes, it's still very much a powder-focused ski. That said, it could work really well for where you live and ski (love Whistler!), you'd just still be skiing your Camox a lot on days when there's not much snow. With the Atris and even the Anima, I bet you'd be tempted into skiing them even on days without a bunch of fresh snow. Hope that helps!

  • @scottpratico1315
    @scottpratico13159 ай бұрын

    Praxis will still build you a reverse/reverse powder ski if you have time and money. For heli or cat demographic.

  • @Reiberle
    @Reiberle11 ай бұрын

    Great video as alsways! So it’s basically the same as Nocta Powder Hunter right ?

  • @SkiEssentials

    @SkiEssentials

    11 ай бұрын

    Yes, looks like just a different graphic!

  • @joehumphries_
    @joehumphries_ Жыл бұрын

    What's the recommended mount point on these? Did you test it at any other mount points?

  • @Jimonthewater

    @Jimonthewater

    Жыл бұрын

    Recommended is -6 from center, I mounted the camber version at -8 from center or -2 from the recommended line. I didn't notice much of a change.

  • @SkiEssentials

    @SkiEssentials

    Жыл бұрын

    We did not play around with different mount points. It certainly feels more central, but I don't think that's a bad thing.

  • @luispizarro-costamarfil1246
    @luispizarro-costamarfil1246 Жыл бұрын

    Look’s like a moment ski

  • @SkiEssentials

    @SkiEssentials

    Жыл бұрын

    Little bit more so now for sure!

  • @erichharvey
    @erichharvey Жыл бұрын

    Whistler ski!

  • @zaherhulays4789
    @zaherhulays47897 ай бұрын

    How do these compare to the Bent Chetler 120?

  • @SkiEssentials

    @SkiEssentials

    6 ай бұрын

    Pretty similar, actually. I think there's some more pop in the Bent as it has a more dramatic rocker profile with a good amount of positive camber underfoot. While now cambered, the Nocta still feels like it's got a smearier character than the Bent, although it's a lot closer now than it was last year.

  • @zaherhulays4789

    @zaherhulays4789

    6 ай бұрын

    @@SkiEssentials ended up getting the Noctas in time for a powder day earlier this week, just WOW!

  • @alexanderosherow2064

    @alexanderosherow2064

    6 ай бұрын

    the nocta has more pop, stiffer, more aggressive, and more float, speaking of the 2023 older rocker version, i take my bents out when i am feeling less aggressive and is less deep.

  • @jamess.7261
    @jamess.72618 ай бұрын

    What length was Matt skiing?

  • @SkiEssentials

    @SkiEssentials

    8 ай бұрын

    185

  • @thatguy5586
    @thatguy55869 ай бұрын

    Bent 120 or this? Can decide

  • @SkiEssentials

    @SkiEssentials

    9 ай бұрын

    The Nocta feels more substantial yet still playful. While the Bent Chetler does have carbon stringers for a bit of snap and power, it's still not quite the same sturdy feel. If you're looking for more of a creative ski when it comes to freeride flotation, the Atomic is amazing, but for a harder charger that still retains a drifty and smeary character, we really liked the shape and style of that new Nocta.

  • @alexanderosherow2064

    @alexanderosherow2064

    6 ай бұрын

    bent if you are learning pow, if you are an expert, try the nocta

  • @tadficuscactus
    @tadficuscactus Жыл бұрын

    It looks like a water skiing ski.

  • @SkiEssentials

    @SkiEssentials

    11 ай бұрын

    I bet it'd do decently behind a boat or on a big wave.

  • @Robert85435
    @Robert854359 ай бұрын

    Nobody in Europe liked the Banana too much, so that's a hoax

  • @SkiEssentials

    @SkiEssentials

    9 ай бұрын

    Nobody?