Review: Black Crows Camox Birdie Skis · Women's · 2023
Published on 07/27/2023 · 3 min readCurated Ski Experts share their experience with using the 2023 Black Crows Camox Birdie Women's Skis. Note that experts are not sponsored by any brands; these are their honest opinions.By Curated Experts
Leo Cocchiara, Mary A. and Emily Halporn
8 photos
The Curated Take
4.0/5
The Black Crows Camox Birdie is a versatile all-mountain ski ideal for intermediate to expert skiers. Its 97mm underfoot, rocker design and impressive camber offer a great surface area for powder, confident groomer performance, and playful skiing with easy turn initiation. Although not tailored for icy hardpack at high speeds, it can handle such situations. It's a one-ski quiver that can handle various terrains but requires proper care for durability. This ski offers value for money by providing high performance and flexibility for different skiing conditions and styles.
Ideal for
- Versatile to a variety of conditions and styles
- 18m turning radius keeps this ski nimble
- Well-balanced between playful and hard-charging
- Performs well on packed powder to icy slopes
- Very lightweight
- Easy to use for intermediate women skiers
- 97mm waist balances float and control
- Poplar core provides flex and durable performance
Not ideal for
- Jack of all trades, master of none
- Not the most exciting responsiveness underfoot
- Can be a little bouncy for heavy crud
- Low durability
- Not the strongest crud-busting ski
- Slight chatter at top speeds
Flotation
The Black Crows Camox Birdie is not by definition a powder ski, but it does a fantastic job in powder nonetheless. At 97mm underfoot, it has plenty of surface area...Read more
Carving
A crisp, clean carving technique is a particular style of skiing that skiers only develop if they're taking up racing or invested in repeated ski lessons at a higher level....Read more
High Speed Stability
The Black Crows Camox Birdie is not intended as a directional hard charger for top speeds on crud and hardpack. However, it still handles that situation well enough. If someone...Read more
Playfulness
Playfulness is a term we use in skiing to describe how easy it is to get a ski to smear a turn, flex into the tips and tails, and generally...Read more
Durability
The Black Crows Camox Birdie is perfectly durable for its intended use which is all-mountain skiing in the West. Most skis can easily last up to 10+ years if one...Read more
Turn Ease
The tip and tail shape of a ski plays a big part in how easy a ski is to turn, along with the side cut of a ski. The rocker,...Read more
Versatility
Many people can't justify having more than one pair of skis, and the Black Crows Camox Birdie makes it so they don't have to. It is designed to be a...Read more
Expert Reviews of the Black Crows Camox Birdie Skis
Mary A. The Camox Birdie is a great all-mountain ski for a woman rider. This ski is lightweight, playful, and surfy. These can handle just about any aspect of the mountain and can give a rider more control. Perfect for soft snow and anything up to a foot of fresh powder. Truly an all-mountain, one-ski quiver.
Leo Cocchiara The Black Crows Camox Birdie is a true one-ski quiver for the intermediate, advanced, and expert skiers looking for one ski they can rely on day in and day out, no matter the snow conditions or where they want to take them. It easily handles everything—moguls, trees, groomers, powder, park, and even light enough for some basic touring. It's not a master of any one discipline in particular, so if someone asks, "Is the Black Crows Camox Birdie the best at..." the answer is only "yes" if they're looking for versatility. That's been my main impression of it, and that's totally fine because that is what most people are looking for.
Emily Halporn I purchased these skis three years ago when I was in the market to upgrade my touring setup. I immediately fell in love with how light the skis were, which made them great for touring! They perform really well in packed powder or on icy slopes, which are common in the Northeast. They are easy to maneuver through tight areas but also push speed in more open areas.
Review Ratings
Flotation
4/5
Leo Cocchiara gave 4 of 5 stars. The Black Crows Camox Birdie is not by definition a powder ski, but it does a fantastic job in powder nonetheless. At 97mm underfoot, it has plenty of surface area to carry me through 8+" of fresh snow. The rocker of the tip and tail complements that to make it a really fun and easy-to-manage ski in the fresh stuff.
Carving
3/5
Leo Cocchiara gave 3 of 5 stars. A crisp, clean carving technique is a particular style of skiing that skiers only develop if they're taking up racing or invested in repeated ski lessons at a higher level. It's not something skiers need to execute perfectly to be a good skier. When most people say they want a ski they can still carve on, they want a ski they can confidently rip a groomer on and make tight turns with. The Black Crows Camox Birdie can definitely do that with its impressive camber and strong edge hold.
High Speed Stability
4/5
Leo Cocchiara gave 4 of 5 stars. The Black Crows Camox Birdie is not intended as a directional hard charger for top speeds on crud and hardpack. However, it still handles that situation well enough. If someone is looking for a ski primarily geared towards off-piste, all mountain, and freestyle but can occasionally straight-line a groomer, these will do that.
Playfulness
4/5
Leo Cocchiara gave 4 of 5 stars. Playfulness is a term we use in skiing to describe how easy it is to get a ski to smear a turn, flex into the tips and tails, and generally deviate from a more traditional carving style of skiing. The Black Crows Camox is more geared towards being an all-mountain ski than a park ski. Still, it has a lot of freestyle influence that makes it really fun no matter where one takes it. The springy camber underfoot makes it really easy to get it off the ground, while the rockered tips and tails make it happy to ski switch and smear a turn. It's not the softest ski, though, so it will feel different from a buttery flexy park ski.
Durability
4/5
Leo Cocchiara gave 4 of 5 stars. The Black Crows Camox Birdie is perfectly durable for its intended use which is all-mountain skiing in the West. Most skis can easily last up to 10+ years if one takes care not to trash them and use them for their intended purpose. If someone bangs their feet together on the chair lift, as I see so many people do, of course, the edges will look beat up in a short amount of time. If skiers take good care of them, they will take good care of skiers.
Turn Ease
4/5
Leo Cocchiara gave 4 of 5 stars. The tip and tail shape of a ski plays a big part in how easy a ski is to turn, along with the side cut of a ski. The rocker, which is the way the tip and tail rise away from the snow, makes the Camox Birdie really easy to initiate and release turns with, both on hardpack and in variable snow conditions. It's not the most dramatic side cut or turn radius, though, so there are better options for someone looking to improve their confidence in turning.
Versatility
5/5
Leo Cocchiara gave 5 of 5 stars. Many people can't justify having more than one pair of skis, and the Black Crows Camox Birdie makes it so they don't have to. It is designed to be a one-ski quiver that can handle anything on the mountain—groomers, moguls, trees, park, hardpack, powder, and even some light back country touring. Take them anywhere.
FAQs
What was your favorite moment with this gear?
Leo Cocchiara My favorite moment on the Camox Birdies was coming out of a lineup of trees into a mogul field. The Camox has a really springy camber underfoot with nicely rockered tips and tails that make them equal parts responsive and surfy. They navigated the trees as smoothly as I could ask of them, and the camber really helped me spring into my next turn transitioning into the moguls. They felt great.
Why did you choose this product?
Leo Cocchiara The Camox Birdie is a perfect one-ski quiver. It's approachable for high-level intermediate to expert skiers. I can count on it to perform in any terrain or snow condition I find.
What do you love about this product?
Leo Cocchiara I love the versatility of the Black Crows Camox Birdie. There are no limits to where I can take them on the resort and have them perform well for me.
Leo Cocchiara
Ski ExpertMary A.
Ski ExpertEmily Halporn
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