2023 Black Crows Anima Birdie

Hard-charging ladies with a need for speed and an eye for the deep stuff will love the return of the Black Crows Anima Birdie for the 2023 season. Sent from the skies with one mission in mind, this ski is ready for any and all conditions, terrain and speed, making it the total all-mountain, freeride master. With a generous rocker profile and 115 mm waist width, the Anima Birdie delivers effortless flotation and intuitive maneuverability in soft snow conditions yet due to its particular construction, it holds its ground upon less favorable terrain.

In most cases, a wider underfoot powder ski may not perform its best on firm snow, decreasing its overall versatility and limiting all-mountain capabilities. That’s why Black Crows intentionally used a lightweight poplar wood with fiberglass and kevlar strips, making the core strong and burly for high speeds and firm edge grip yet with a playful and agile personality for floaty turns. It is important to note that this ski does land on the heavier side of the spectrum as far as weight is concerned, coming in at 4500 grams in the 182 cm length so you can certainly expect a stable foundation but not the lightest of rides. Regardless, this ski is in a league of its own and is fantastic for advanced female skiers who want to be in charge all over the mountain.

Danielle Nichols skied the 176, and noted it was a good length for her. It’s tough testing powder skis in spring conditions, and while we wish we could just call in a powder day for testing purposes, the soft corn snow was actually a pretty good substitute for deep powder. Very high-water content during our testing days made these wider skis a whole lot of fun, and while we couldn’t quite get the feel for them in terms of cold powder, the warm snow we had was just a total blast. Danielle gave top marks of 4’s out of 5 for flotation, stability, playfulness, forgiveness, versatility, and overall impression. 3’s for quickness, maneuverability, torsional stiffness, and edge hold were right behind, combining to make a pretty high average score for Danielle on the Anima Birdie. “Super fun through the chop slush. Pretty versatile. Not super quick although to be expected given the girth. Great overall ski. I’d love to try again when the snow is a little more consistent to see how it responds on different surfaces.” We were definitely a little handcuffed with our testing conditions, but again, it was a nice substitute for powder, and it was great watching the spring corn fly through the air off of the tails of these skis.

Ladies looking to spend a lot of time in fresh, soft, and deep snow will love the mix of flotation and power from the Black Crows Anima Birdie. These skis have a fantastic blend of strong construction that allows for aggressive skiing, paired well with a playful profile that likes to bounce and jump in and out of the fall line.