Nothing but fun and smiles and Black Crows on a beautiful blue bird October day.
Vibrant crows waiting for a white backdrop.
Who enjoyed winter stoke early season? Not us here in the soggy PNW, since all we got was rain and…more rain. Yes, we should definitely have been in Colorado for blower pow instead. Uhhh, they had not been getting dumped on either, oh no.
While waiting for the next storm, I channelled my excitement into sharing this first look of the Black Crows Camox Freebird. A few years ago I saw Black Crows, and was eager to learn more about the bright skis.
After researching, and chatting with friends, I decided I had to try the brand.
I have to give a shout out to the simple, yet very eye-catching graphics and colors. I love the touch of the funny quotes on the skis. “If you can read this, you’re not skiing.” Giggles guaranteed! Nicely done, Black Crows.
The dream quiver would be to have all the hues to complete the ski rainbow — but for now I’ll take just one color.
I settled on Black Crows Camox Freebird — a touring specific 97mm shredding bird. Black Crows feature both men’s and women’s skis, but their touring line is unisex.
Skiing up the Muir snowfields in early October.
I’ve had the chance to get out on Mt. Rainier and ski the Camox Freebird twice on early season snow. I skied Camp Muir in the beginning of October and Interglacier in mid October. Since then, the snowpack has grown tremendously so I’ve been opting for a wider ski.
The Camox Freebird performed well in early season variable conditions. Both outings featured a bit of everything:
Gotta love early season glacier skiing!
Tip rocker profile.
Camox Freebirds’ have a progressive front rocker and light rear rocker which was very helpful with battling snow variability on my early season noodle legs. I found that the ski floated well in just about any snow I encountered. I want to highlight the slightly raised tail; it offers softness I easily noticed at the end of a turn, as well as holding skin tail clips well.
Compared to my usual 1900 gm ski, the new setup was noticeably lighter. With that said, Camox Freebirds’ are not the lightest touring skis of their size, measuring ~1510gm per ski for 171.4cm long ski. However, they perform well in variable conditions which is generally where light skis struggle. They have just the right amount of stiffness to be both secure and playful.
Another thing to highlight is the skis have a relatively small turning radius, which I find to be a game changer for a backcountry ski; I expect it to perform well in tight trees and couloirs.
Camox Freebird profile.
PNW mid-winter snow is much more fun to handle on a wider ski so I wouldn’t deem Freebirds as a good all around ski for the Pacific Northwest. However, for a place like Utah or Colorado, it would be different story.
Overall, so far the ski lived up to all of my expectations. Being a bit spoiled with a wide ski quiver, I most likely won’t use it in the depth of winter due to its svelte waist. I am looking forward to crushing it this spring or on those more variable mid winter days.
Specs for my set up:
Ski: Black Crows Camox Freebird, 171.4 cm
Weight per ski (171 cm): 1520 g
Dimensions: 125 / 97 / 112 mm
Turning radius: 18m
Available lengths: 162.8, 171.4, 178.1, 183.2 cm
Mount location: recommended line
Boots: Scarpa Gea RS
Bindings: G3 Ion LT
Ski tester: female, height 5’9″, weight 140 lbs
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Shop Cripple Creek Backcountry for touring skis.
WildSnow Girl, Julia Dubinina, is a weekend warrior chasing snow in winter and sun in summer. A lover of long tours and steep skin tracks, she explores the Pacific Northwest and beyond. When she is not out adventuring, she is working away at her corporate desk job for a software company to make her next adventure happen.
