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Not known for anything other than skis made for off the beaten track, Black Crows have now created something that is very much track only. We took the ARTO for a spin to see if they can hold their own.
black crows arto
Level
Expert
Terrain
Piste
Best for
The hardcore freeride skier who has solid piste performance and wants to maintain his integrity in the lift line with all his fellow Black Crows skiers on a piste day.
Price
£630
Season
2017/18
lengths
177, 183
Bindings?
No
Playfulness
10
Energy
9
Value
8
Edge hold
10
Stability
10
Turn initiation
9
Overall Score
9
+
The ease of the ARTO in every turn. Just a joy to ski on.
The price might put some off

How do you make giant slalom (GS) skis with a 24m radius so easy to ride? Well, Black Crows have come up with the answer and they're called the ARTO.

Black Crows are known for producing wide, twin tipped skis for all types of terrain, but much to our surprise, they have now produced GS skis that don't just look out of this world, but also turn like a dream.

The slick looking shape isn't what you'd expect from traditional race skis - no red and white lines or graphics that define most thoroughbred World Cup machines. They simply look like Black Crows skis, just a lot thinner.
This in itself can be intimidating - we are familiar with the Black Crows pedigree that oozes quality and style, but once you snap your boots into the bindings and start to slide, this nervousness quickly dispels.

Surprisingly the ARTO also performs well in variable snow conditions. They seem to cruise around and over bumps, lumps and moguls - incredibly light, easy to turn and so sweet throughout the whole arc, regardless of the snow conditions you might encounter.
Black Crows have proved they really know how to make skis of all types and the proof is in the ARTO - great fun for advanced to expert skiers, with a unique look that steps outside of the conventional model of a GS race ski and almost creates a unique category - the ARTO, and we bow to it.

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