{"id":45563,"date":"2019-04-02T10:35:34","date_gmt":"2019-04-02T17:35:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=45563"},"modified":"2020-05-22T13:04:22","modified_gmt":"2020-05-22T20:04:22","slug":"the-incredible-success-story-of-black-crows-skis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/the-incredible-success-story-of-black-crows-skis","title":{"rendered":"The Incredible Success Story of Black Crows Skis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Camille Jaccoux and Bruno Compagnet never planned on starting a ski company. Though the two pro skiers from Chamonix, France, long envisioned a more versatile ski, one that would better handle variable terrain and appeal to a wider range of skiers, they didn\u2019t think the prospect of building one was economically feasible. <\/span><\/p>\n

Then, while out skiing one day in 2005, the two met Christophe Villemin, an industrialist who\u2019d made most of his money in the aluminum business. Over dinner one night, the three talked about what it might take to launch a company. \u201cBasically, he had the money to do it,\u201d said Jaccoux. \u201cAnd it started to seem possible to create an independent ski brand in the freeride market.\u201d By the end of the evening, <\/span>Black Crows<\/span><\/a> was conceived. <\/span><\/p>\n

When the company released its first ski in 2006, the Corvus, it changed the perception of how skis should be built. \u201cEverything back then was either a twin tip or a variation on a race ski,\u201d said Tristan Droppert, Black Crows\u2019 North American marketing manager. \u201cThe Corvus had a different shape that allowed for all different turn shapes.\u201d In short, the ski didn\u2019t lock skiers into a certain radius turn, which allowed them to easily pivot. \u201cThat makes them accessible to all abilities,\u201d said Droppert. \u201cIntermediates can slow down with ease and experts find them playful.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Added Jaccoux: \u201cSince the beginning, the idea was to create a ski brand for everybody. For my mother. For everybody. We really wanted to create a ski that didn\u2019t close us into one category. Not racing. Not big mountain. You can do anything on these skis.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The

The Corvus Freebird is a crowd favorite, thanks in part to its sleek and simple graphic design.<\/p><\/div>\n

Credit <\/span>Julien Regnier<\/span><\/a> for fine-tuning that design. The pro skier, along with the late JP Auclair, had created the popular <\/span>Armada JJ<\/span><\/a>. When he left Armada, he was quickly recruited by Jaccoux and Compagnet. \u201cHe shapes ski with the mind of a surfboard shaper,\u201d said Droppert. \u201cHe thinks about shape first as opposed to how the materials work with the shape.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Though the skis performed well, Jaccoux and Compagnet knew they\u2019d need to do something special to move product. To that end, the duo hired award-winning designer Yorgo Tloupas to create the ski\u2019s graphic. Playing on the Black Crows name, which Jaccoux came up with (among skiers and mountaineers, the high-flying bird is thought to provide a reassuring presence in the mountains), Tloupas designed a chevron pattern, reminiscent of six black crows flying in unison. The simple aesthetic created mystery around the brand.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey did an incredible job of that,\u201d said Marc Peruzzi, ski test director for <\/span>Outside<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>Mountain<\/span><\/i> magazines. \u201cThere\u2019s this underground \u2018What are those?\u2019 vibe associated with the brand. And then, when curious consumers go online to find out, all they see is core messaging like pro-athlete generated video. A lot of it\u2019s compelling stuff too. I saw one with Seth Morrison skiing powder with some Crows athletes in the trees at Chamonix that has stayed with me. That marketing works.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It sure does. Black Crows is now one of the most profitable independent ski brands in North America. Next year, sales are expected to top $11 million. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>The brand certainly has momentum and buzz,\u201d said Nathan <\/span>Grothe, category merchandise manager for REI. \u201cI think there are several reasons for the brand\u2019s success: Well-designed skis that are made in some of the top ski factories, the shapes and flex patterns are contemporary and accessible but still provide top-end performance, and the brand\u2019s aesthetics are clean and distinctive.\u201d Grothe said REI is more than tripling the store count for Black Crows for next winter. They were sold at seven stores last season and will sell at 30 locations next winter. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Black Crows’ Unlimited Festival takes place in April in Chamonix, France. (Photo Courtesy of Unlimited Festival)<\/p><\/div>\n

That\u2019s reason to party. And partying is also something that has raised the company\u2019s brand recognition. Starting on April 2, Black Crows will host the seventh-annual <\/span>Unlimited Festival<\/span><\/a>, a five-day music festival in Chamonix that draws up to 4,000 people a day. Featuring prominent electronic dance music acts, it\u2019s a spring break in the mountains, complete with a pool party, noted European DJs and packed dance parties atop the Aiguille du Midi tram.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we launched the brand we did a big party and it was great,\u201d said Jaccoux. \u201cI said, maybe we should do a two-day festival with ski demos. Now it\u2019s one of Chamonix\u2019s main events. We use the mountain for music, but there\u2019s always skiing in the background.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Camille Jaccoux and Bruno Compagnet never planned on starting a ski company. Though the two pro skiers from Chamonix, France, long envisioned a more versatile ski, one that would better handle variable terrain and appeal to a wider range of skiers, they didn\u2019t think the prospect of building one was economically feasible. Then, while out […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":45564,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[1538,364],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-45563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-snowsports","tag-new-products","tag-snowsports"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/the-incredible-success-story-of-black-crows-skis","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"The Incredible Success Story of Black Crows Skis","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/the-incredible-success-story-of-black-crows-skis","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/the-incredible-success-story-of-black-crows-skis"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/03\/black-crowsCamox-Birdie-Skis.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/03\/black-crowsCamox-Birdie-Skis.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000"},"articleSection":"Snowsports","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Flandreau"}],"creator":["Michelle Flandreau"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["new products","snowsports"],"dateCreated":"2019-04-02T17:35:34Z","datePublished":"2019-04-02T17:35:34Z","dateModified":"2020-05-22T20:04:22Z"},"rendered":"