TESTED 2023
Big mountain geometry and lightweight construction for long outings in good snow or sidecountry in the woods. New for 23-24
In brief
Suitable for
long ascents in deep powder, wide range of freeride skiers
Not suitable for
big mountain, high speeds through chop, backcountry freestyle
Also suitable for
freeride progression, first fat ski, old-school skiers
- Buyer’s Guide reviews
- In words
- Technical specifications
Buyer’s Guide reviews
The charts show our impressions from testing
Product info
Category average
In words
Intro
An all-new model for Black Crows, it's positioned at the far end of their Freebird series as the fattest ski in the French brand's mountain touring category. To our great displeasure, the light version of the Anima ski has been discontinued after just a couple of seasons. But getting back to Draco, it's the only model of BC's touring line to also have tail rocker, which gives you grip on a wide range of terrain types, so don't have to work so hard with a fat ski underfoot. It's one of the lightest fat skis of its class, and its Paulownia, poplar, fiberglass and carbon fiber core point to its propensity for being a lightweight touring ski.
On the snow
The first impression is that it's an easy ski. It's agile and light and seems narrower than it is. Its decidedly new-school appeal lends itself to using a lightweight pin binding. Its big mountain geometry is offset by lightweight construction. It's not a ski for heading straight down through chop or over giant cliffs. It's more of a faithful companion for long outings in good snow or for a bit of sidecountry in the woods. It also turns well at slow speeds and in tight spaces, making it suited to all types and levels of skier, so long as you get the right length for your skill level. It holds its own nicely on packed snow, but suffers on hard crust and ice, where it's generally best to take it down a gear. Its traditional Freebird configuration, with the addition of tail rocker, is best suited to old-school skiers and less so to young freestylers.
Technical specifications
Construction
cap-sidewall
Materials
paulownia, poplar, glass fiber, carbon fiber
Base
polietilene sinterizzato UHMW
Available sizes
176.2, 181.5, 189.2
Released in
2023
Status
Novelty
Declared specsMeasured by us
We measured the length 181.5 to get all the details
181,7 cm
Length
XXXXX
138 cm
Tip width
XXXXX
126 cm
Tail width
XXXXX
110 cm
Waist width
XXXXX
N/A
Edge contact
XXXXX
N/A
Camber
XXXXX
N/A
Tip rocker
XXXXX
N/A
Tail rocker
XXXXX
2.050 g
Individual weight
XXXXX
N/A
Left weight
XXXXX
N/A
Right weight
XXXXX
21 m
Sidecut radius
XXXXX
N/A
Load-bearing surface
XXXXX
N/A
Tip torsion
XXXXX
N/A
Center torsion
XXXXX
N/A
Tail torsion
XXXXX
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