Black Crows Nocta
By PTO Team, Based on official specs and identified third-party testing of the spec-identical prior-season model · Spec analysis + identified third-party testing of the spec-identical gen-3 model on this ski
The take
“A 122 mm surf tool for the deepest days - and a deliberate mismatch for anything firmer.”
The Black Crows Nocta comes back for 26/27 with one job and no apology for it. Black Crows aims it squarely at 'lovers of the deep', and the numbers agree: a 122 mm waist at every length - the widest of the line's 21 models. The profile details live in the description and spec table; the case here is the evidence behind them and the company this ski keeps. Float first, an immediate pivot second; everything else is negotiable.
Do the generation check before reading anything older about this ski. The first two generations of the Nocta ran full reverse camber; the current ski does not. The third-generation platform - camber underfoot, two long progressive rockers - holds a line better than its ancestor, so old-generation reviews describe a different ski. The 26/27 Nocta is a carryover of that third-gen platform, identical in sizes, dimensions, radius and weights, back in the regular range after a 25/26 season when the name existed solely as the limited Powder Hunter edition.
Independent testing of the gen-3 platform fills in the on-snow picture; no 26/27-specific reviews exist yet for this comeback season, so the spec-identical 2023/24 ski is the evidence. Testers found softer tips that keep the ski planing with no tendency to nosedive, a stiffer forebody through the tail, and the kind of stability the gen-3 testers singled out - a 122 that can be pushed hard without complaint. They also found more firm-snow edge grip than the width suggests, while conceding the obvious: a ski this wide takes longer to move from edge to edge. Firm snow is transit terrain here - the Nocta gets you back to the lift without drama, and that is the honest ceiling.
Construction comes with a caveat. Retailer spec listings for the gen-3 ski show a paulownia and poplar core with fiberglass in a semi-cap build with full ABS sidewalls, and the 26/27 platform is dimensionally identical - but Black Crows had not published 26/27 construction details at the time of writing, so treat those as gen-3 spec rather than official 26/27 copy.
Within Black Crows' range the choice is clean. The Anima (115 mm) is the harder-charging big-mountain ski; gen-3 testers pointed skiers chasing higher speeds and bigger impacts there. The Corvus (110 mm) covers far more of a normal season, and the Atris (105 mm) is the everyday soft-snow choice. The Draco Freebird matches the Nocta's $1,199 price and takes the opposite job: earning deep snow uphill. The Nocta is the widest, floatiest platform Black Crows makes, and deep snow is the whole case for it. Three lengths - 177.6, 185.5 and 190.6 cm at 1925, 2025 and 2100 g per ski - with no shorter option, which tells you who it is for. It ships flat; plan on a binding with a brake wide enough for the waist, mounted and set up in the shop.
Bindings we'd pair with it
Mount point: Flat ski - binding is a separate purchase and needs mounting; the brake must clear the 122 mm waist. Our pick: Chosen at fitting - a freeride alpine binding with a wide brake, never assumed by spec.
- Freeride alpine binding with a wide brakeLift-served deep-day setups
Black Crows does not publish a recommended mount point for the 26/27 Nocta. The ski is sold flat; we choose a binding at fitting and match a brake that clears the waist.
Sole-norm compatibility is never assumed - it is checked by a technician at mounting.
Common Questions
- Is the 26/27 Black Crows Nocta the same as the old Nocta?
- No. The original Nocta was a full-reverse-camber ski; the current third-generation platform runs double rocker with gentle positive camber underfoot and holds a line better. The 26/27 ski is a carryover of that third-gen platform - identical sizes, dimensions, radius and weights - returning after it skipped the regular 25/26 catalog.
- What lengths does the Black Crows Nocta come in?
- Three lengths: 177.6, 185.5 and 190.6 cm, all with a 122 mm waist and a 19 m radius. There is no shorter option, which is part of why it suits advanced to expert skiers.
- Is the Black Crows Nocta good on groomers?
- It manages: independent testing of the gen-3 platform found more edge grip than expected for a ski this wide. But 122 mm is slow from edge to edge, and firm snow is the wrong job for it - Black Crows builds the Atris and Corvus for those days.
- How much does the Black Crows Nocta weigh?
- Per ski, not per pair: 1925 g at 177.6 cm, 2025 g at 185.5 cm and 2100 g at 190.6 cm. That is moderate for a 122 mm platform but heavy for touring.
- Black Crows Nocta vs Anima - which one should I pick?
- Pick the Nocta for deep days: it is wider (122 mm vs 115 mm), floats more and pivots more easily. Pick the Anima to charge - gen-3 testers pointed skiers after higher speeds and bigger impacts at the Anima, and it handles more of the mountain when snow is not bottomless.
