2027 Black Crows Sato Birdie

The 2027 Black Crows Sato Birdie is a carryover model featuring the same construction, shape, profile, and graphics as last year. For most skiers, at least from a mainstream perspective, the Sato Birdie fits in super-solid within the all-mountain category, and it works great both on and off-trail for a variety of skiers. This ski works great in all-terrain conditions and can go between bumps, trees, groomers, and light powder with ease. While the Sato Birdie does not contain metal, it’s got a thicker wood core that allows it to feel powerful and energetic on the feet of a variety of skier types. Smoothness and predictability are highlights of the Sato Birdie's overall character.

The Sato Birdie doesn't rely on super techy construction to get the most out of the performance, and that's okay. Black Crows uses a full poplar core here to go along with fiberglass laminates. They do more with the milling of the core and the thickness of the wood to make for more of an insulated feel. The smoothness and power stands up to some aggressive skiing while the quickness of the ski makes it peppy and fun. In the tail, the thick wood core continues, providing a high end feel throughout the arc of the ski. We see a stated weight of 1650 g/ski in the 167, so there's a good mix of stability and agility here. Tester Sara Haggerty notes: " I love them, but I am a big Black Crows fan! They are playful, easy to turn, feel solid on icy conditions, yet I know they would be great with some powder, tight trees and fun moguls too."

The shape of the skis can best be described as traditional, maybe even old school. At 88 mm underfoot, the Sato Birdie fits squarely into the all-mountain category. It works great on-trail as a result of the high camber and long effective edge. There’s some rocker in the tips and a higher splay in the tails than one may guess, but overall, this is a traditionally shaped and profiled ski. The 167.2 cm length produces a 17-meter turn radius, making it slightly longer and smoother at speed than the Octo Birdie. It’s kind of a mix of skis, with the Sato looking like it has the shovel of the Captis and the tail of the Serpo, mixing all-mountain applications for a variety of skiers. Tester Rebecca Price states that "It felt light and easy to maneuver, which made for a playful ride. While the ski was stable and comfortable at moderate speeds, it didn’t feel especially energetic or quick to exit turns—there was a bit of sluggishness coming out of carves. The length felt appropriate, however I might size down for an intermediate skier, as it might feel like too much of a ski."

We've been more than impressed with the well-rounded nature and high-end feel of the Sato Birdie. It rips on groomers and delivers a lot of electric energy to the snow. These skis jump off the trail and make excellent round turns. They’re natural, easy, and intuitive, but won’t be winning any local races—they prefer to be used in the more moderate zone. And that’s totally fine, because the vast majority of skiers spend most of their time in this realm. These are highly useful and confident and work great on the feet of progressing intermediates through expert level skiers.