Black Crows Camox Freebird
Women's pick ski from the Fall/Winter 2018 Gear Guide.
The sidewalls of the Camox Freebirds are imprinted with the words “I believe I can fly,” and these skis made us want to try. They’re not women-specific, but our female testers in particular were fans of the not-too-narrow, not-too-fat 96mm waist and range of shorter lengths. (“I don’t have enough mass to power ultralight skis through manky snow, and most beefier touring skis are too beefy,” one explains.)
THE DETAILS
The ski uses a recipe of paulownia, fiberglass, carbon, and titanal to keep the weight down without sacrificing performance. “They turn like they’re on rails,” one tester says. “But even when I veered onto boilerplate and frozen avalanche debris, they were super stable.” The classic camber underfoot and early rise in the tip and tail keep the Camox Freebird predictable and lively. “There’s no learning curve,” one tester says.
TRAIL CRED
“I’ve never ridden a backcountry carbon ski that was so smooth,” one tester wrote on her feedback form. “It’s like skiing on two sticks of butter.”
Weight: 6 lbs. 1 oz. (178)
Lengths: 160, 166, 172, 178 (130-96-133), 183, 188
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