1 / 10Black Crows Octo 2026/2027
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PTO Verdict
“An 84mm swallowtail carver: low effort and quick rhythm in place of hard-ice bite.”
Best for: Groomer-day skiers who would rather carry a light, lively 84mm carver than a heavy full-metal frontside ski; intermediates still hunting their first clean carve, with a flex that lets them find it at moderate speed; and skiers who count turns rather than miles per hour. The Octo rewards rhythm over raw pace - and the swallowtail, stub-nose look stands out on the rack.
Not for: Skiers who need maximum grip on boilerplate: the official materials list names no metal beyond the tail insert, and full-metal frontside skis stay calmer and bite harder on genuinely icy snow. High-speed GS-style chargers: the flex is on the softer side, the radius is short, and the top end arrives early - shoppers who want race performance should buy a race carver. Anyone planning to spend real time off the groomers: that buyer belongs in a freeride line, and even off-piste dabbling officially goes to the Serpo - at 84mm the Octo stays on or beside the piste. And skiers who want a damp, planted, quiet tail: the swallowtail's lively early release is a character trait, not a comfort feature.
At a Glance
Terrain
Ability Level
Pair It With
Compatible ski bindings.
Browse our recommended binding brands for this ski.
Description
The Black Crows Octo is an on-piste carving ski with an 84mm waist and a 14m turn radius, built light: poplar and fiberglass, with no metal laminate. Black Crows calls it a "UFO for carving," and the official line sheet names it the Mirus Cor's younger cousin — a design-forward ski pointed at straight, conventional piste carving.
The build is semi-cap with ABS sidewalls all around and a poplar wood core under fiberglass; the materials list names a single piece of metal, the aluminum insert reinforcing the swallowtail. Black Crows describes the result as solid and confidence-inspiring while staying light and agile underfoot, and at 1525 to 1825 g per ski it is light for this category. Tapered tips and rocker produce what the brand calls "light oversteer," letting the ski slide between short and medium turns or controlled skids at will. As for the swallowtail, the brand's own claim is style and nothing more; one third-party review adds a mechanical reading — a lively, snappy release at the end of each turn — but that reading is the reviewer's, not an official spec.
Skiers who live in rhythmic short-to-medium arcs at moderate speed will find the 14m sidecut hooks up with little effort, and intermediates who have never felt a real carve can bend the sporty flex at speeds a race carver ignores — the official pitch spans "fanatics and novices alike." If you need locked-in edge hold on boilerplate, or you charge at GS speeds, a full-metal frontside carver stays calmer and holds harder; the Octo's softer flex and short radius put a real ceiling on top-end speed. It belongs on the groomers or just beside them, nowhere further.
Within the line, the Serpo (93mm) is the official pick if a little off-piste is on the menu, and the Mirus Cor (87mm) is the more radical freestyle-carve original this shape descends from. The Octo comes in four lengths from 167.2 to 185.4cm, and it is sold flat, without bindings; we mount them and help you settle length and binding choice in the shop.
Specs
- Waist width: 84mm (all sizes)
- Dimensions (per size): 126-84-113mm (167.2) · 127-84-114mm (173.4) · 130-84-117mm (179.3) · 134-84-119mm (185.4)
- Turn radius: 14m at every length (167.2 / 173.4 / 179.3 / 185.4)
- Weight: 1525g per ski (167.2) · 1550g (173.4) · 1675g (179.3) · 1825g (185.4)
- Construction: Semi-cap with ABS sidewalls all around
- Core / laminate: Poplar wood core / fiberglass
- Tail: Swallowtail with aluminium tail insert
- Profile (tip): Tapered tips with rocker
- Program / terrain: On-piste and piste-side carving
- Gender: Unisex
- Binding compatibility: Sold flat (skis only); black-crows.com offers it bundled with bindings in 90 mm brake width — in-stock bundle options: Salomon Strive 12 GW (920 g), Salomon Strive 14 GW (980 g), Marker Griffon 13 ID (1030 g), Marker Jester 16 ID (1070 g), Marker Squire 11 (820 g)
- Lengths: 167.2 cm · 173.4 cm · 179.3 cm · 185.4 cm
Details
- Type
- SKI
- Vendor
- Black Crows
- SKU
- 102357-173
- UPC / GTIN
- 0887445459958
173
Black Crows Octo
By PTO Team, Based on the manufacturer’s published specs and published third-party testing · Spec analysis and published third-party testing
The take
“An 84mm swallowtail carver: low effort and quick rhythm in place of hard-ice bite.”
The Black Crows Octo is a carving ski built on one deliberate refusal: there is no metal laminate in it. The Octo's materials list names exactly one metal part - the aluminum tail insert - and that fact frames everything below. At between 1525 and 1825 grams per ski the Octo is light for a carving ski - and both its charm and its ceiling trace back to that choice.
On groomed snow, the two independent reviews land on the same picture: an eager carver that lives in short and medium arcs with a snappy rebound between them. The one that measured the shape found tails close to flat and tips with little splay, leaving a long effective edge for the length - in its words, the Octo 'hooks in instantly' at moderate speed. The flex sits on the softer side for a carving ski, and that is the point: an intermediate can bend the Octo into a genuine carve at moderate, everyday speeds. Black Crows pitches it at 'fanatics and novices alike,' and the third-party reading lands unusually close to the brand's own.
The Octo's swallowtail needs careful attribution. Officially it is styling - the brand's own words are 'The swallowtail is there again, for style.' The mechanical story - a tail that flexes out of the arc early and rebounds into the next turn - comes from one third-party review plus our own shop reading, not from any Black Crows spec claim. That character will split opinion: some skiers will love the snap, others may find the release abrupt, and anyone set on a damp, planted, quiet tail is holding the wrong ski. Try it before committing.
The Octo's limits mirror its strengths. Without metal it cedes hard-ice edge authority and high-speed damping to full-metal frontside carvers; one independent review lined it up against the Head Supershape e-Magnum and called the Octo lighter, quicker and less demanding, with the Head holding ice better and staying calmer at pace. Performance peaks at mid-range speeds and tapers as the pace climbs, so shoppers chasing race performance should look elsewhere. And at 84mm this is a piste and piste-side ski, not a crud or powder tool - within the line, off-piste dabbling belongs to the Serpo (93mm, $999), while the Mirus Cor (87mm, $999) is the wilder freestyle-carve source the Octo descends from.
Sizing the Octo is unusually simple because the radius never moves: 14m at all four lengths (167.2, 173.4, 179.3, 185.4cm), so a longer ski buys stability and swing weight rather than a different turn shape. The 26/27 ski is a pure carryover - same style number (102357), same construction, same yellow colorway as 25/26. It retails at $949, skis only: the Octo ships flat, and the binding is a separate purchase we mount and size in the shop.
Bindings we'd pair with it
Mount point: Flat ski - binding is a separate purchase and needs mounting. Our pick: Marker Griffon 13 ID.
- Marker Griffon 13 IDAll-around piste use
On black-crows.com's own bundle list for the Octo; our all-around pick.
- Marker Squire 11Keeping the setup light
Also on the official Octo bundle list; at 820g it is lighter than the Griffon (1030g).
Black Crows sells the Octo flat and lists these models as official bundle options, all with 90mm brake width. Binding choice, mounting and release settings are handled during fitting - no release setting is specified here.
Common Questions
- What is the difference between the Black Crows Octo and the Octo Birdie?
- They share the same 84mm platform and the same $949 price. The Octo Birdie runs a shorter size range, 155.3-173.4cm, where the Octo runs 167.2-185.4cm. Choose by the length you need, not by the label.
- Is the Black Crows Octo good for powder or off-piste skiing?
- No. It is an 84mm on-piste and piste-side carver with tapered, rockered tips but no real float ambitions, and it is not built for heavy crud. Within the Black Crows line, the 93mm Serpo is the one that also pokes a bit off-piste.
- Is the Black Crows Octo good for intermediate skiers?
- Yes - that is one of its strengths. The flex is soft enough to bend at moderate speed, so a mid-level skier can feel a proper carve instead of a skid, and the official pitch includes novices, not just experts. One independent review places it intermediate through advanced.
- How much does the Black Crows Octo weigh?
- Officially 1525 g (167.2), 1550 g (173.4), 1675 g (179.3) and 1825 g (185.4) - per ski, not per pair. The official table carries no per-ski label; the per-ski reading is corroborated by an independent measurement.
- What length Black Crows Octo should I get?
- The Octo comes in 167.2, 173.4, 179.3 and 185.4cm, and the radius stays 14m in each, so a longer ski adds stability and swing weight without changing turn shape. We help you settle the final length in the shop.
