2022 Black Crows Camox Freebird

The Black Crows Camox Freebird is a fantastic choice for advanced and expert all-mountain skiers who are looking for a ski that can tour equally as well as it tackles the resort. While the Camox Freebird is pretty much a totally different ski than its alpine counterpart, it still has some similarities that warrant the name carrying through. At 96 mm wide instead of 97, the Camox Freebird saves a bit of weight by being straighter and slightly narrower. In addition, the paulownia wood core and carbon stringers mixed with fiberglass make this ski quite a bit lighter, coming in at 1500 grams per ski in the 178. That’s pretty light, and it makes the skier a lot more efficient on the uphills, while those extra materials do boost the downhill performance for sure. Ther’s a larger titanal reinforcement plate under the bindings for retention purposes, but it also provides stability in the mid part of the ski, making it grippier and a bit more stable at speed, especially on firmer snow.

The whole point, though, is to get to the fresh, and that’s where these Camox Freebird skis really come into their own. 133 mm in the tip and 114 mm in the tail combined with that 96 mm waist makes these skis want to stay on top of the snow. In addition, the spoony tip shape has a lower taper point, especially versus the regular Camox, and that helps keep the shovel of the ski up when you’re in the deep stuff. Built with an intermediate flex level, there’s a lot of wiggle room for skier type with the Camox Freebird. Advanced and expert skiers who are looking for a ski that can tour as well as it can rip resort will love the flex and energy, while more intermediate skiers looking for something lighter and more maneuverable will appreciate the quickness and control that the Camox Freebird provides. Generating a 17-meter turn radius in the 178, the Camox Freebird is a mid-range turner that has impressive pop and a strong kick at the end of the turn.

Marcus Shakun was on the 183, and while he found it to be okay, he notes that he’d rather have the 188 if it were to be his own pair. Lots of 4’s out of 5 on Marcus’ scorecard, including stability, quickness, maneuverability, forgiveness, torsional stiffness, edge hold, versatility, and overall impression. 3’s for flotation and playfulness round out his card, and that’s a pretty high average for a ski that’s supposed to be more in tune with the backcountry. “Black Crows nailed it with the Camox Freebird. The sweet spot in width/stability mixed in with the right amount of lightness/maneuverability. Tough formula when making a touring ski to do all/most. Able to move it in and around the deep spring corn. Has its way of dipping and diving through it all. Making it so maneuverable with not a lot of effort and enjoy the ride. Kind of a nimble feel without being light on your feet like most touring specific skis No problem with stability almost has just enough give so you can ease into the turn as you want. Giving more or less as the terrain requires. Not great when on super firm, but not the worst. Manageable.” Sounds like a great mix of a whole lot of attributes there, and we’re all about that.

Skiers looking to get into something that has no limits, except what you can imagine, will love the versatility and light weight of the Black Crows Camox Freebird. Whether you use them exclusively in the backcountry as a touring-specific ski paired with a light weight tech binding, or throw an alpine binding on them and only ride the lifts, these skis will answer the call. As for most skiers, the reality of the application will lie somewhere in the middle, satisfying the needs and wants of a large number of intermediate through expert skiers.