2019-2020 Black Crows Daemon

Last year we started getting time on the Daemon, Black Crows’ 100mm-underfoot, reverse-camber all-mountain ski, published a Flash Review on it, then talked about the ski in our 17/18 Winter Buyer’s Guide.

Since then, we’ve gotten more reviewers on the ski, and there have also been some interesting developments in this category. Most notably, the Volkl Mantra is getting totally overhauled with a new rocker / camber / rocker profile for 18/19, making the Daemon one of the few 100mm-wide reverse-camber, all-mountain skis on the market for the 18/19 season.

What we said about the Daemon in our 17/18 Winter Buyer’s Guide:

“Think of the Daemon as a lighter, more soft-snow oriented [17/18] Volkl Mantra. In softer, variable conditions, the reverse-camber Daemon is incredibly easy to pivot in bumps and tight spaces, but it also feels good when put on edge and carving hard. It’s too light to excel in more firm variable conditions at speed (the Mantra would win here for sure), but in soft and / or deep conditions, we’d opt for the Daemon over the Mantra. Note: the 184 Daemon actually weighs less than the 177 Mantra, so don’t be quick to size down on the Daemon. If you’re on the fence between sizes, go up.”

After spending more time on the Daemon, we still think that’s an accurate description, and here Luke Koppa and I will expand a bit on how exactly the Daemon performs — as an inbounds, all-mountain ski — across a wide range of conditions.

Groomers

Luke Koppa (5’8”, 155 lbs): The Daemon is the narrowest reverse-camber ski I’ve ever been on, and I’m more accustomed to this sort of rocker profile on fatter skis where it helps make them feel loose and surfy in soft / deep snow. So I didn’t really know what to expect from the Daemon on firm snow.

But after just a few turns down some of Telluride’s big, wide groomers, I soon found myself arcing medium to large turns with ease. While the Daemon feels loose and pivoty when running bases flat, I didn’t need to tip it over very far at all to engage the majority of its effective edge. And once on edge, the Daemon felt strong and secure.

Compared to several other skis of similar weights (e.g., Liberty Origin 96 & K2 Pinnacle 95 Ti), the Daemon felt notably smoother on both clean and slightly roughed-up groomers. I’d be willing to bet that this is mostly due to the ski’s combination of a reverse-camber profile and the partial titanal construction. With that said, the Daemon still didn’t feel quite as damp and stable as most of the heavier options in this class.

And while the Daemon does offer a pretty smooth ride for its weight, the tradeoff (as with many reverse-camber skis) is that the Daemon does not feel very energetic at all, either while carving turns, or when trying to pop off of things. If you want a ski that will launch you from turn to turn, the Daemon is not the ski for you.

Jonathan Ellsworth (5’10”, ~175 lbs): I think Luke’s description is accurate, though given that I do often like to sink into bigger, faster GS turns, I was probably more sensitive to the relatively light weight of the Daemon in this length. This is by no means a freight train of a ski, so while it will certainly carve clean turns, I think the Daemon is the most fun on groomers when you are switching up / making a variety of turn shapes.

Moguls

Luke: In most types of bumps, I found the Daemon to be very intuitive. Its reverse-camber profile makes it easy to pivot and slide around in fairly spaced-out moguls, and it again feels pretty damp for its weight.

The only area where I had some trouble with the Daemon was in really steep bumps with very deep troughs. While the reverse-camber profile does help make the Daemon feel more pivoty than similar skis with camber, the Daemon does not have a ton of tail splay (even though it does have deep tip and tail rocker lines) and has almost zero tail taper.

As a result, I could feel the Daemon’s tails getting hung up in tight bumps if I wasn’t focusing on driving the front of the ski. If you have good technique and even just lightly drive the shovels of the Daemon, this is much less of an issue. But I think it’s worth noting that the Daemon isn’t quite as dead-easy / forgiving as other reverse-camber designs like the 4FRNT Devastator or Folsom Primary (which both have more twinned-up tails than the Daemon).

Jonathan: That’s interesting. I guess I would have been pretty willing to put the Daemon in the “dead easy” category when it came to moguls, and didn’t think of it as obviously more difficult than the 4FRNT Devastator or Folsom Primary. The ski is just so light and pivoty that compared to most ~100mm-wide skis on the market, I can’t think of too many that would be significantly easier than the Daemon. But in any case, where I think that Luke and I are in agreement is that the Daemon is either a pretty good or extremely good ski for bumps, and we wouldn’t advise beginner or intermediate skiers to steer clear.

Off Piste

Luke: In fairly soft, off-piste snow, the Daemon was a lot of fun. That smooth feel that I experienced on groomers translated over to soft, rough snow and the ski did not feel very hooky at all.

But on firm, choppy snow, the Daemon’s low weight began to show. If I tried to ski really fast through this sort of snow, the ski would get knocked off track and I’d have to slow things down more than I did when on skis that weighed more than ~2100 grams.

I’d take the Daemon over many ~1900 gram all-mountain skis on off-piste snow, but if you’re really looking for maximum stability in difficult snow, then you’re better off going with a heavier ski.

Jonathan: Yep, so lighter skiers or more finesse-oriented skiers — or those who simply felt like the reverse-camber Mantra was more ski than they wanted or needed — those would be the folks who I think will likely click most with the Daemon. More finesse than brute force.

Playfulness

Luke: When Jonathan first talked to me about the Daemon, he started describing it as a more playful Mantra, which was intriguing to me. So how playful is the Daemon?

First, we have the Daemon’s reverse-camber rocker profile. That makes the ski feel pretty loose when running bases flat at moderate speeds. But as soon as you tip the ski over at all, that looseness is gone. This is not a surfy ski. Is it a bit easier to slash than many traditional skis in this class? Yes. But it’s definitely not as slarvy and playful as skis with more tail splay and / or softer tails.

Second, there’s the flex pattern of the Daemon and how it interacts with the rocker profile. This ski is not very poppy, and while it feels fine tossing straight airs off small cliffs, it does not feel conducive to getting the most out of little side hits and lips. This ski feels pretty smooth for its weight, and that comes at the cost of energy / pop.

Overall, I think the Daemon is fairly playful compared to other directional, ~100mm all-mountain skis. The Daemon is lighter than many skis in this class (which makes it easier to flick around) and its reverse-camber design does make it slightly looser at slower speeds. But if you’re looking for a super surfy, poppy, playful all-mountain ski, there are plenty of better options.

Jonathan: Yep. I said it was a more playful Mantra, and it is. (And most definitely when compared to the previous 184 cm reverse-camber Mantra.) But is this a ski that we are going to be placing in our “All-Mountain Freestyle” section? No. We didn’t last year, and that isn’t going to change for 18/19.

Still, those coming from heavier, more directional skis will notice the lighter weight and the quicker feel of the Daemon. So the less you tend to click with those types of skis, the more you might want to check out the Daemon.

Who’s It For?

Luke: I think the Daemon will work well for those who like the old, reverse-camber Mantra but (1) want something that works better in deeper snow, (2) is a bit more playful, and / or (3) who aren’t as concerned with high-speed stability in really rough snow. If you’re curious about the benefits of a reverse-camber all-mountain ski but thought the old Mantra was “too much ski,” then the Daemon is certainly worth a look.

Jonathan: Yep. The other thing I could see is putting a Salomon / Atomic SHIFT binding on the Daemon, and having a single ski to use inside and outside of the resort. Yes, on very firm days it won’t be the best tool, but in anything remotely soft up to anything fairly deep (1-2 feet), I think the rocker profile of the Daemon will allow you to fare pretty well on a ski that isn’t as wide as a more dedicated powder ski.

Bottom Line

Apologies for repeating ourselves, but the Daemon really can be thought of as the Black Crows’ take on the reverse-camber Mantra. It’s lighter and less stiff, it’s better in deep snow, it’s more playful, and it’s easier / less taxing. So if a Black-Crow’ed Mantra sounds interesting to you and you are okay giving up some stability in variable conditions, then directional skiers looking for a ski that fits nicely between heavier, traditional skis like the old Mantra and lighter, more playful all-mountain skis, the Daemon is certainly worth a look.

Deep Dive Comparisons: Black Crows Daemon

Become a Blister Member or Deep Dive subscriber and check out our Deep Dive of the Daemon to see how it stacks up against the new Volkl Mantra, the Blizzard Bonafide, Nordica Enforcer 100, Fischer Ranger 102 FR, J Skis Masterblaster, and more…

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