Black Crows Corvus Freebird
$840 – black-crows.com
SIZES: 175, 183
DIMENSIONS: 139/109/122
WEIGHT: 8 lbs. 8 oz. (183)
Tory Hayssen | 5 ft. 5 in. | 130 lbs. | Jackson, Wyo.
Tested and Reviewed
Tory Hayssen is clear about her preferred direction of skiing, saying, “I like the downhill best.” When asked what conditions she most enjoys, she told Backcountry that she prefers to go to “Pow Town,” but that “it’s all fun”—a good attitude to have no matter where you choose to shred.
Here is what she thinks of the Black Crows Corvus Freebird:
OVERALL SCORE: 8/10
BEST FOR: Straight-Up Touring
BEST SPEED: Slow, Medium, Fast
RESPONSIVENESS: 9/10
PLAYFULNESS: 8/10
SHORT TURNS: 9/10
MEDIUM TURNS: 9/10
LONG TURNS: 9/10
TURN INITIATION: 7/10
HARD-SNOW PERFORMANCE: 7/10
Comments: “The nice sidewall and stiff tail made this a reliable, stable backcountry buddy, but also a solid companion for that guy [or lady] that skis Vulcans and tech bindings while taking tram laps. They were the smoothest skis I think I have skied. Chunder didn’t exist and pow was surfy and buttery—like skiing cream cheese frosting atop my red velvet cake. [This ski] does not ski as light as they are, which is a perfect combo of light and sturdy. Turn initiation was somewhat hindered, but the maneuverability was high.”
You should also mention that this ski will have it’s warranty voided by mounting tech bindings on it. WTF???
That’s so weird. Don’t they sell that ski WITH a tech binding?
That`s not correct: https://www.black-crows.com/corvus-freebird-binding
Black Crows sell the ski with Dynafit FT bindings from their own web site.
I e-mailed with Black Crows’ CEO Cedric Charbin, about this, and he said the voided warranty specifically relates to delamination issues at the point where tech bindings are mounted. That’s because if a tech binding is skied with the toe locked out, it can create undue stress on the ski because, as Cedric wrote “when in locked position, only two things can give–the skier’s knee or the binding ripping out of the ski.”
Cedric continued: “Ultimately, we still review the skis when such issues happen (a few times per year) and sometimes still accept them as a commercial gesture (for a customer who literally just bought the skis for example) but we do warn people with a sticker in order to reinforce the need to use low-tech bindings properly.”
These skis are awesome. They will do anything you ask them to do and more. Probably my favorite ski of all time and I’m a gearhead. FWIW I’m 6′ 160lbs
Agree…i have tried them 4 times and they are awesome! I had regular Corvus with Beast 16 last year, but i needed a lighter ski to climb up the mountains in Norway. I have paired them with Dynafit Radical FT 2. I am 700grams lighter this year.
which length did you go with?
Any ideas on whether these ski short/long? I’m 1m77, 72kg (5’10”, 160lbs). Debating 175 vs 183
What do you typically ski and in what length? The 175 is probably a bit short, unless you’re skiing tight terrain. These skis prefer big turns and high speeds.
Any idea how they compare to the Navis Freebird? Are they quite similar? Looking at the Navis because it comes in middle length (179cm) and is a bit narrower and lighter
Looks like it’s the same paulownia/poplar construction and roughly the same profile but, like you said, in a narrower and lighter package. Testers called the Navis agile, damp and capable and found it to be a solid quiver-of-one choice.
Any idea what size Tory Hayssen was on? I’ve got some 183 traditional camber skis on my Dynafit bindings right now which are feeling slightly long but my thought is with rocker and lighter weight the 183 will be good. 175 could be too short of a jump. I’m 5’7″, 145lbs and an ex-ski racer so I’m used to a longer ski. It’s harder to find female opinions though. A
Nearly positive it was the 183cm length—I’m 5’9, 145lbs. and that’s what I’d choose, especially for open terrain and skiing fast.