2022 Black Crows Captis Birdie

On the light and fun side of the ladies’ all-mountain spectrum is the Black Crows Captis Birdie. These skis are 90 mm underfoot and have a ton of capabilities. From bumps and trees to ripping turns on groomers, the Captis Birdie loves to be pushed to the limit, and while it’s on the lighter side, it’s certainly one of the easier to use skis in this category, much to the delight of intermediate and advanced skiers who are looking for versatility and playfulness. Built with a poplar wood core and a fiberglass laminate, these skis are simply constructed, but the shape and the profile have a lot to do with the Captis Birdie’s personality. With moderate taper in the shovel, the Captis comes around quickly, but it doesn’t just noodle out at the end of the turn. These skis like to hold tight to the end of the turn, as there’s not much taper in the back of the ski. There is a bit of a twin tip shape to it, so it can be playful in the bumps and trees, but it’s also pretty precise at the finish of the turn, making the ski behave well from tip to tail. If you’re in the intermediate to advanced range of ability level, and are looking for a fun-loving ski to rip around the resort with, the Black Crows Captis Birdie will be one of your new best friends.

Louise Lintilhac skied the 164, noting that while it was true to size, it maybe felt a touch short for her more aggressive style. Regardless, she scored the skis all 4’s out of 5 across the board with the exception of a 3 for torsional stiffness and edge grip. With a ski this light, and on the short side, this is not terribly surprising. The more surprising part is the consistent 4’s, including overall impression and stability, so Black Crows has done its job so far in making a versatile ski that can handle some strong skiing. Louise notes about the Captis Birdie that “this ski is great for making medium radius turns and handles well in light chop. It’s a great all-mountain ski for someone looking to explore both the front side and side country and adds forgiveness at speed with its mid fat width. Slight rise in tip and tail add to its maneuverability and the poplar core is light enough to keep things playful and fun. It did get overpowered in dense corn at higher speeds, and I needed to dial back my speed and aggression to meet the radius where it was at. This ski is well suited to an intermediate to advanced skier who wants to explore out of bounds but loves a good groomer lap too.” Certainly, that’s fair to meet the ski in the middle, allowing it to do what it’s meant to do and see how it holds up. Louise is astute to do so, and sounds like she found some fun parts of the ski to explore as well.

Alli Ruschp also skied the 164, stating that it skis true to size. About the ski, she notes that the Captis Birdie is a “Great ski for intermediate-advanced ladies looking for a not too aggressive easy-going ski that can handle most resort conditions. A little chattery on icy conditions but very fun in softer snow, easy to play in the trees and bumps!” Alli had scores of 5 out of 5 for quickness, maneuverability, forgiveness, and playfulness, and those scores certainly back up her statement about the skis being easy to play in the trees and bumps, and there’s definitely a lot of skiers out there who are looking for just that. Her other high scores of 4 out of 5 were for versatility and overall impression, showing a well-roundedness and fun-loving nature to the Captis Birdie that should not be overlooked.

Fun and adventure await, the Black Crows Captis Birdie loves to be taken all over the mountain, and will give back what you put in. With a very versatile shape and a light and fun build, the Captis Birdie can be used in a variety of conditions and terrain, allowing skiers to really hone in their technique, and the fact that they’re out there having fun and soaking up all that is good and wonderful about the sport of skiing.