2027 Black Crows Captis Birdie

The 2027 Black Crows Captis Birdie is a carryover model featuring the same shape, construction, and graphics as last year. As one of the most approachable and fun-seeking skis in the Birdie Series, the Captis is highly versatile because of its light weight, middle of the road waist width, and forgiving flex pattern. Whether it be bumps, trees, groomers, or the park, these puppies like to do it all. A freestyle inspired twin-tip profile combined with a directional sidecut make this unique ski the choice for many female skiers who want to experiment and progress within the park. In classic Black Crows tradition, the Captis Birdie has a high-end feel and a high-quality finish to it.

The construction of these skis can best be described as traditional. The Captis Birdie’s build is very on brand for many Black Crows skis, which involve the use of a poplar wood core with two sandwiching fiberglass laminates. This construction is widely used within Black Crows skis and for good reason. It produces a signature feel on the snow that is reminiscent of playfulness and creativity. This signature feel most certainly comes through with the Captis Birdie. Playful yet extremely stable on edge makes it the perfect choice for freeskiers looking to get air and produce g-forces in the middle of beautiful arcing turns. Poplar generates a ton of energy to the skis making them quick and responsive, while the fiberglass laminates provide torsional stiffness and damping when charging on edge. In the 166 cm length we see a stated weight of 1625 g/ski which is right in the middle zone. Together, the construction components complement one another to create a progressive flex pattern that is well suited for on-trail, off-trail, and park performance. Tester Steph Lawee notes that "This ski is on the softer side of the spectrum, which makes it light and easy to maneuver. It performs well on uneven terrain and skis smoothly both forwards and switch. It does not hold an edge as reliably as a stiffer ski, especially in firmer conditions, but overall is a good all mountain twin tip."

There actually aren't many skis out there today that have this level of build in the 90 mm twin tip realm. Continuing with the Captis Birdie’s freestyle inspiration, this is obviously evident in its shape. A classic rocker/camber/rocker profile with an emphasis on camber, a supremely energetic and grippy ski is the result. There is about 10% rocker in the tips and tails with the remaining 80% of the ski being completely cambered. What this provides is not only edge grip but also a lot of pop on the takeoff of jumps and side hits. The Captis Birdie is a multifaceted ski that can be used for a broad range of applications, and its sidecut certainly goes along with that. With a forebody width of 127mm, a waist width of 90mm, and a tail width of 113mm, there are many snow conditions and terrains that are tailored to the situation. 127mm in the tips offer excellent floatation in soft snow, but it is narrow enough to perform well in tight places like the trees and bumps. The same goes for the waist at 90mm. Tip to tail taper offers smooth turn initiation and release which rounds out the overall high performance found in the Captis Birdie. Kerry Douglas-Pearce notes that " Testing this after a classic thaw–refreeze cycle, conditions were firm, icy and unforgiving. In that setting, the ski felt light, quick, and easy to maneuver, with very intuitive turn initiation. It’s a ski that responds well to subtle inputs and doesn’t require much effort to get from edge to edge."

From both an all-mountain and freestyle perspective, these skis have a lot to offer a lot of skiers. We think that the Black Crows Captis Birdie is best for intermediate to advanced skiers who want a versatile, playful, all-mountain ski that can be taken into the trees, bumps, park, and down your favorite groomers. Ideally suited for the creative skier who is always looking for a party lap and whatever that entails, the Captis Birdie will be asking for more at the end of each day on the slopes. For here in Vermont, and other places where the snow often borders on soft or variable, a 90 mm twin tip is a highly useful and effective ski for the majority of days.