Black Crows

Orb Freebird Ski

The Black Crows Orb Freebird Ski is swift on the uphill and tenacious on the downhill. Each ski sports a superlight weight of barely over three pounds, making it suitable for ski mountaineering, but a moderately wide waist of 91mm makes this ski applicable for backcountry touring through variable conditions. Its classic camber ensures edge control when you're skiing down steep, icy couloirs, and the front rocker pivots and floats over softer snow while the early rise tail helps eliminate hooking as you exit a turn.

Black Crows made this ski with an extended paulownia core to reduce, and there are fiberglass and carbon laminates to assure a moderate flex that's surprising from such a lightweight ski. There's also a titanal reinforcement under the bindings for better retention. The ski's semi-cap construction combines durable sidewalls into capped tip and tails for a lighter weight and reduced swing. The tail has a plastic cutout for skin attachments.