Black Crows

In the winter of 2005, Camille Jaccoux and Bruno Compagnet, two professional skiers and longtime friends, dreamed of a ski that would be the antithesis of the skis available on the freeride ski market at the time. Their vision was a powder ski that had to withstand high-speed turns and a shape that would allow sudden changes of direction. As the general trend on the market was towards narrow and waisted skis, the two skiers simply couldn't find a model that met their requirements. On a ride on the Grands Montets cable car in Chamonix, they met Christophe Villemin. He is an avid skier and mountain sports enthusiast who is interested in the technological challenges of mountain equipment. One evening, they found themselves at a table in a restaurant in Chamonix, and over a glass of Valpolicella, the two skiers described their dream ski to Christophe Villemin. Over the course of the meal, the idea of creating a ski was born. At the end of the meal, Christophe Christophe Villemin offered to support Camille Jaccoux and Bruno Compagnet financially with their vision. This was the birth of the project for the Corvus model and for a brand that would soon become known as Black Crows. The name Black Crows was invented by Camille and refers to the alpine chough, a black bird with yellow beaks and red claws that belongs to the corvid family. Choughs are one of the few birds that can fly at a height of over 4000 meters and provide a reassuring presence for skiers and mountaineers in the solitude of the high mountains. The Corvus, the first Black Crows model, was designed as a large ski that reacts confidently in deep snow and yet can make short turns in a lively manner. In order to find the perfect balance, the two Frenchmen were initially inspired by numerous freeride skis from other brands that they were able to test. Most of the tests were carried out on models in the area they were targeting, and Camille and Bruno were inspired by certain features, flexes and sidecuts. The first blank was supposed to combine everything, but messed it all up. With the second mold, the Corvus prodigy was born. With one skiing and one brand, the friends now had to find the right look. It was up to Camille to use his contacts in the art and graphics world to find the future artistic director of the Black Crows. One of Camille's contacts was Yorgo Tloupas, a renowned French designer from London who was particularly interested in snowboarding. Thanks to the name Black Crows and the concept of a community of skiers, Yorgo developed the design basis and look for the first model. "One day, when I was starting to lose all hope, Yorgo called me and said, "I have an idea". He explained his thinking behind the activity of chevrons and his commitment to not having unnecessary graphics on the skis," Camille recalls. "We knew we were on to something straight away and we haven't been able to get rid of his chevrons since!" The first Corvus, made of pink and black chevrons with a pink base, printed with Black Crows in large black letters, was unveiled to the public in Chamonix in December 2006. The Corvus was perfect for the long descents in the Mont Blanc massif. And when a ski is skied in Chamonix, the capital of freeride, it is inevitably skied somewhere else. Soon the word was out in the freeride scene about this new type of ski: large, robust but incredibly easy to handle, a pink and black machine that was as visually striking as it was efficient. The Corvus was a hit with big mountain skiing fans and the Black Crows struck a chord with the freeskiing world. Based on the Corvus, Black Crows developed a range of playful, efficient and reliable skis. The novel designs quickly seduced the international market thanks to their subtle blend of power and elegance. Winner of multiple awards in numerous trade magazines, the brand has made a name for itself with innovative advertising campaigns, music events (urban and alpine) and unconventional partnerships with other brands and concept stores. The rise of Black Crows is also due to the passionate skiers who have ensured that the brand's authenticity remains intact. Summarizing the spirit of Black Crows, there remains an unwavering openness to the outside world, an unwavering dedication to power and an unwavering independence. In addition to skiing, Black Crows offers technical ski clothing in collaboration with GORE-TEX®. Yorgo Tloupas and his design team are still the masters of adornment and professional skier Julien Regnier Lafforgue has come on board to bring his scientific knowledge to ski design. Bruno Compagnet and Camille Jaccoux are still on their skis and more involved than ever in the development of the brand and the product.