2021 Black Crows Orb Birdie

The Orb Birdie from Black Crows is designed to be a versatile, energetic, and lively all-mountain ski. Black Crows is perhaps best known for the wider, rockered powder skis, but in recent years have given us some phenomenal skis that are more well-rounded and better suited for skiing in the resort and on firm snow. This Orb Birdie is a perfect example. Black Crows starts it off with a poplar wood core that's sandwiched between two H-shaped sheets of metal. By positioning the metal along the edges, but removing it in the middle, you get good vibration damping and edge grip, but a lighter-weight ski than if it used full sheets. The ski's tip rocker profile helps pull you into a turn and also increased the ski's ability in softer snow conditions. At 88 mm underfoot, it's quick edge to edge, but also wide enough to take it off groomed slopes and enjoy some off-piste terrain. A unique tail shape gives it easier pivoting, smearing, and skidding performance than a ski with a flatter, squared-off tail.

Shelby Parenteau tested the 164.4 cm length and found the Orb Birdie to be approachable and relatively easy to ski, but with good performance too. For her ability level, that's a really valuable characteristic. "Loved this ski! A favorite of today. I found it to be playful, forgiving, and easy to turn/get on edge. The little bit of metal in it gave some nice stability, but the ski was still nice and light. This was a great confidence-inspiring ski for me." The only score from Shelby that fell below 4 out of 5 was for flotation, which doesn't surprise us considering the 88 mm waist width. The ski is not necessarily designed for float. Quickness/maneuverability, playfulness, and overall impression all received the highest scores, 5 out of 5. Allison Ruschp skied that same length in the Orb Birdie and enjoyed the quickness and playfulness of the Orb Birdie, while also appreciating the edge grip the H-shaped metal provides. "Had fun skiing in the slush, lightweight and easy to turn. Edge hold and feel on ice/hard pack was smooth too." The Orb truly is a versatile ski, performing well both on soft snow and firm snow and it's also one of those skis with multiple personalities, happy to go slow and maneuver, while also performing well at higher speeds and on firmer snow.

Mar Kuhnel tested the longer 169.2 cm length and was impressed by its stability at speed. "Happy going fast with a lot of user input." Mar did mention that the conditions were quite firm during her testing, so it's nice to have that feedback as further evidence the Orb Birdie can handle high speeds and powerful skier input. Elise Magnant opted for the 164.4 lenth for her testing and awarded it some solid scores: lots of 4s out of 5 with overall impression earning 5 out of 5. "Tested on soft spring snow with some firm patches. Really playful ski! Really held a turn and had a nice rebound feel. Nice and maneuverable on a narrow woods trail and when going over bumps. Would ski this ski all day!"

The Orb Birdie is going to check a lot of boxes for a lot of different skiers. Based off our testing, just about anyone can enjoy it from the intermediate level on up. It's also approachable for different skiing styles. Aggressive skiers who like to drive turns with the forebody of the ski will find it has plenty of stability and powerful, while those who ski with more balanced, centered stance and prefer pivoting, skidding, and smearing turns will appreciate its willingness to release the tail edge and its balanced overall feel. Overall, it's a great all mountain ski that will allow a lot of skiers to enjoy anything your local resort has to offer, with perhaps deep powdering being its only drawback.