2027 Black Crows Camox Birdie

The 2027 Black Crows Camox Birdie is a carryover ski featuring the same construction, shape, and profile as last year. It returns as a strong and powerful twin tip that handles aggressive skiing quite well while also keeping accessibility intact. First and foremost, this ski likes speed. It comes alive and basically calms down as the velocity increases, and while it’s not as bouncy or zippy as the older one, it has a lot more oomph when it comes to fast GS turns on groomers and through crud and chop. With a twin tip shape and a versatile style, the Camox Birdie works great here in Vermont and in other zones where snow surfaces can be variable at best.

Black Crows uses a fairly simple construction while delivering a confident overall feel. The Camox Birdie is built with mainly a poplar wood core, and we get an ash insert underfoot. This denser ash wood provides a lot of silence, damping, and power in the center of the ski while the tips and tails are on the more mobile and agile side. Other than the ash, there’s not a lot going on—the poplar and fiberglass do a lot of energetic additions to the performance of the ski while the ash brings it damper and quieter. In the 169 cm length, these skis sit on the scale at a stated weight of 1800 g/ski. We were very impressed with how this ski handled firmer snow at higher speeds and in longer turns. Tester Allarie Sullivan notes that it’s “heavier than I would have liked but also stable and relaxed.” There's certainly some demand going on here.

At 97 mmm underfoot, the Camox Birdie uses a twin tip style to give the ski a versatile and sturdy nature. The shape and profile are a bit flatter and straighter than in the past, giving the new Camox Birdie a more chargey and fall-line fixation. We think it’s a good move and separates the ski from a huge group of 98ish mm twin tip skis. Putting more of an aggressive emphasis on the ski just seems to make sense. As a result of the ski’s flatter profile, there’s a longer effective edge that hooks into the turn and provides a progressive feel and style from end to end. With an 18-meter turn radius in the 175 cm length, these skis feel a bit straighter but have a shorter stated radius than the predecessor. The lack of taper here makes the difference, and it results in a smoother feel rather than a poppy one. Lauren Morton “Was not expecting to have fun on a surfy center mounted ski but I did! It’s perfect in the heavy slush.” The ability of the ski to cut through crud and chop is highly underrated.

Despite the weight and stiffness, the Camox Birdie is quite versatile. With a sturdy feel, a high level of energy, and a nice marriage of soft and firm snow, this new ski is a wonderfully well-rounded all-mountain ski. It has a lot of Black Crows attitude to it as well, and as usual, it separates itself from other skis in the Crows line and the ski industry as a whole. While there’s a lot of competition in this class of skis, we think the Camox Birdie offers a unique blend of high-speed compliance and soft snow versatility. It's a bit on the strong and tough side for intermediates and even early advanced skiers, but aggressive experts looking to attack the fall line with intent will love the power of the Camox Birdie.