2022 Black Crows Navis Freebird

Light, but not lightweight, the Black Crows Navis Freebird is the touring version of the now-defunct Navis, lending the all-mountain and freeride shape and design to the touring world. At 102 mm underfoot, the Navis Freebird is a capable ski that can handle a wide variety of conditions and terrain. Built with a poplar and paulownia wood core, the ski sheds weight with the thickness of the base and the edges, as well as the addition of the paulownia wood. This makes the Navis Freebird weigh in at 1700 grams in the 179 cm length. This isn’t shockingly light for the touring world, but Black Crows has settled on the fact that they’re still going to make the Navis perform like a downhill ski, and there’s a lot of adventurous skiers out there who could not be happier. Add to that a metal binding platform and laminates consisting of fiberglass and carbon, and you’ve got a technologically advanced ski that’s as capable and consistent on the way up as it is on the journey down. While we didn’t get much feedback on actual touring/uphill skiing, we did get our testers on the Navis Freebird in a donwhill setting

Phil McGrory was on the 185 and found it to be a perfect length for him. He had quite a few high scores to go along with it as well, with his low score being a 3 out of 5 for quickness and maneuverability. All other scores were 4’s, with the exception of a couple of 5’s for versatility and overall impression. For a touring ski, this is a pretty nice showing for the capable Navis Freebird, and we’re stoked to hear it. Phil notes about the ski that it’s the “perfect ski for both the resort and backcountry. Light enough for a great uphill performance without sacrificing stability. Quick turning for tight trees or the human slalom on the weekends. Ideal ski for advanced to expert skiers.” It’s definitely the type of ski that has that distinct amount of capabilities to it, and will satisfy a lot of skiers needs. For those who are looking for that one ski that is a dual-threat both in and out of bounds, the Black Crows Navis Freebird is a wonderful ski and a fantastic choice, and it sounds like it lines up really well with what Phil is looking for in a ski as well.

Slightly on the other end of the spectrum, Jeffrey Siegel thinks the Navis Freebird is more of a touring-specific ski, and while it does have a good amount of downhill capabilities, his experience led him to feeling that the Navis Freebird is better suited for a backcountry application rather than a dual-use. He was on the 179 and noted that it was both the right size for him and it skied true to its size. Jeffrey’s scores were more down the middle rather than a consistent high like Phil’s with 4’s given for quickness, maneuverability, forgiveness, and overall impression. Jeffrey’s score of 2 out of 5 for versatility enforces his belief that the skis are really more pegged for backcountry and out of bounds use, and that’s as valuable feedback as any. “To me, this is a touring only ski, but as a touring ski, it’s a very good one. Light skis often give you the sense of less stability. I felt that while the ski didn’t give me that sense of being locked in, it’s much more stable than it felt. Because of the weight, I could whip the skis around anyway I wanted to. But as soon as I had the edges engaged, I was locked into the snow. I don’t know if it was the weight but I felt it was very easy to ski.” I do like the sound of his statement that he’s “locked” into the snow when engaged, and the fact that he liked the lighter weight of the ski is great to hear as well.

If you’re somewhere in-between in thinking you need a resort and a backcountry ski, but are looking for one to do both, you’re really going to like the light weight, fun, and surprising precision of the Black Crows Navis Freebird. At the end of the day, you can certainly buy as many skis as you want, but if you’re looking to slim down that quiver with a versatile dual-use ski, the Navis Freebird is as good as any out there.