The Black Crows Nocta is a big-mountain powder ski with a 122 mm waist — the widest of the 26/27 Black Crows line, built to surf deep soft snow. It sat out the regular 25/26 catalog and returns this season under the official motto "guess who's back". The comeback is literal: this is the third-generation Nocta platform with sizes, dimensions, radius and weights unchanged, in a new orange colorway.

Two long progressive rocker lines sit over gentle positive camber underfoot. The rocker and the width put the ski on top of deep snow and let it pivot immediately — you turn the Nocta by smearing and steering it sideways, not by bending it into an arc — while the camber underneath keeps the platform stable and balanced. The 19 m radius, printed for every length, is a pivot sidecut rather than a carving one. Weights run 1925 to 2100 g per ski: moderate for the width, and clearly lift-served numbers rather than a touring build.

This is a ski for strong skiers whose winters actually include deep snow — storm-day resort laps, soft lines beyond the ropes, and the forest skiing Black Crows names in its own description. It asks for an advanced or expert pilot, and it is deliberately narrow in purpose. If most of your winter happens on firm snow, this much ski becomes dead weight; carvers will fight the sidecut; there is no length below 177.6 cm for lighter or intermediate skiers; and touring skiers counting grams should look at Black Crows' Freebird range instead.

Within the line, the Atris (105 mm) and Corvus (110 mm) are the everyday tools, and the Anima (115 mm) charges harder on days that are not bottomless. Choose the Nocta as a dedicated deep-day ski, ideally next to a narrower daily driver. It ships flat — bindings are a separate purchase, and we mount them, match the brake to the 122 mm waist, and help you pick the right length.