Black Crows Vena Cor
By PTO Team, Based on official 26/27 specs and one early independent first-impression test - no long-term reviews exist yet for this first-year model · Spec analysis + one first-impression test on this ski
The take
“A carver's 17 m radius on a 100 mm swallowtail platform — energy and float instead of metal calm.”
Brand new for 26/27, the Black Crows Vena Cor arrives with no predecessor — an all-terrain ski joining the Mirus Cor as the wider, soft-snow half of the Cor family. The design is a deliberate contradiction: a 17 m radius, tighter than 100 mm skis usually carry, on a double-rockered, swallowtailed platform. Construction backs that intent. There is no metal anywhere in this ski: the core is poplar with glassfibers, reinforced by full-length carbon stripes along its top and bottom, and weight stays at roughly 1,550 to 1,875 g per ski across the size run.
The on-snow evidence so far is one substantive first-impression test, and we weight it accordingly. That test found a ski that loves a high edge angle, holds firm snow better than most metal-free twins, and keeps enough freedom in the tail to throw a quick slash or smear even at higher speeds. It also puts the mount around -5 cm from center, near the Mirus Cor's and about 1 cm ahead of the Camox's, with flex that feels stiffer underfoot and softer toward tip and tail.
The trade-offs are just as concrete. The light, metal-free build that supplies the energy also sets a real speed limit in carved turns — the first test says so directly — and off-piste the Vena Cor wants balanced, two-footed skiing; over-pressure the downhill ski and it gets unsettled. Above all, the track record is zero. This is a first-year mold with no long-term reviews and no seasons of durability history; one reviewer flagged the ABS sidewall running into the tips and tails as a spot to watch — speculation, not a documented failure, but worth naming. Even Black Crows' own weight table still lists the 160.1 cm figure as provisional.
Inside the line, the alternatives are clear. The Mirus Cor is the hard-snow Cor — 87 mm, a 13 m radius and a single titanal plate at the same $999 — the pick when carving bite outranks float. The Camox, 97 mm and in its fourth generation, is the conventional-shape choice with an actual track record, at $849. Genuinely deep snow is the Anima's job, not this ski's. The Vena Cor's case is the gap between them: more soft-snow range than the Mirus Cor, and against the Camox it is the swallowtail, short-radius experiment rather than the proven shape.
The Vena Cor comes in five lengths, 160.1 to 188.1 cm, with the radius pinned at 17 m on every one of them — the turn shape is fixed, and we help you pick the length against your height, weight and speed. It is sold flat at $999; the binding is a separate purchase, chosen and mounted for your boots at the shop. If you need certainty, the fourth-generation Camox is the safer buy. If you want a carver's energy with room to play when it snows, and being early appeals, the Vena Cor is built for exactly that bet.
Bindings we'd pair with it
Mount point: Flat ski - bindings are a separate purchase and need mounting. Our pick: Chosen at fitting - matched to your boots and how you ski, never assumed from the ski.
- All-mountain alpine bindingFitted in the shop
Black Crows publishes no official pairing for the Vena Cor; we fit the binding to your boots in the shop.
Black Crows lists no recommended binding for the Vena Cor. Binding model, brake width and release settings are decided by a technician at mounting, never from this page.
Common Questions
- What is the difference between the Black Crows Vena Cor and the Mirus Cor?
- Width and construction. The Mirus Cor is the hard-snow side of the Cor family — 87 mm wide with a 13 m sidecut and a titanal plate — while the Vena Cor runs 100 mm with a 17 m radius, carbon reinforcement and no metal, trading some bite for float. Both retail at $999; the Vena Cor is sold flat.
- Should I get the Vena Cor or the Black Crows Camox?
- The Camox (97 mm) is the proven pick — a conventional shape in its fourth generation, at $849. The Vena Cor is the new direction: swallowtail, tighter 17 m radius and a more freestyle-flavored feel, at $999. Choose the Camox for track record, the Vena Cor for carve-and-slash character.
- Is the Black Crows Vena Cor a powder ski?
- No — it is an all-terrain ski. The 100 mm waist, double rocker and tall tip handle soft and chopped snow well for this width, but for real deep-snow days Black Crows builds the Anima at 115 mm.
- What lengths does the Vena Cor come in, and which should I pick?
- Five lengths: 160.1, 167.1, 174.1, 181.1 and 188.1 cm, every one with the same 17 m turn radius. Length choice comes down to your height, weight and speed, and we confirm it with you when you order.
- Does the Black Crows Vena Cor have metal in it?
- No. Its reinforcement is carbon — full-length stripes over and under a poplar-and-glassfiber core — with no titanal anywhere. Despite the name, Cor is Black Crows' label for skis meant to push innovation, not a reference to carbon: in the Cor family the metal actually lives in the Mirus Cor, which carries a single titanal plate.
