2022 Black Crows Vertis Birdie

The 2022 Black Crows Vertis Birdie is a carry-forward model for this year, allowing another generation of skiers the opportunity to hop on these great all-mountain skis. While the Birdie line is intended for women, they’re built and shaped the same way as the men’s version, just with a different graphic and available in shorter lengths. As a result, those shorter lengths generate a 14-meter rather than a 15-meter arc like in the 169 cm and above lengths. It’s not much, but it does ensure that the skis aren’t too hooky due to the wider shovels and tails on the shorter length skis. Built with a poplar wood core and a semi-cap construction, these skis are very quick from edge to edge and they love to be engaged in a turn. A great choice for bumps and packed-out woods, these skis can maneuver through the tightest of spaces, making it super-fun to rip around some of the more technical spots of the mountain. With a wide range of ability levels and applications, these skis have a lot going for them, making it easy and fun to get involved in the sport of skiing. As some of the narrowest all-mountain skis out there, the Black Crows Vertis Birdie is a fantastic ski for those who are unsure if they’re looking for a front-side specific ski or something more versatile. These lie somewhere right in the middle, being able to hold tight to the firmer groomers while also having the wherewithal to rip around the whole mountain, whether you’re looking for smoothness or adventure.

Allison Kozar skied the 159, and with a minimum of emotion, she noted that it felt “fine.” It’s likely a good length for her, as the 169 might be on the long side. She gave the Vertis Birdie some nice scores as a result, with 4’s out of 5 given for overall impression, versatility, playfulness, flotation, and maneuverability. Torsional stiffness and edge grip earned a 3, and that’s not terribly surprising given the light weight nature of the ski. Allison notes that the Vertis Birdie performed admirably, and she “was pleasantly surprised how it handled choppy soft snow. Stable and pretty playful.” A lot of times, those two things don’t necessarily go together, so it’s nice to see that she had that positive experience, filling two different buckets at the same time. It’s also impressive that Allison liked how they handled choppy and soft snow, allowing for the skis to be both grippy and strong on firmer snow, as well as being compliant and fun in softer stuff as well.

Lauren Lepage got to try out the 169, and did note that it was on the long side for her. She might be in-between sizes for this ski, as my guess is that the 159 would be on the short side. Either way, she scored the ski 4’s out of 5 for flotation, stability, torsional stiffness, and edge hold, with 3’s taking the rest of the categories. This is another great example of consistent scores representing the consistent performance of a ski. Lauren comments about the length, but also notes that it did a fair job for what it was: “Stable and responsive ski, charges on groomers. The 170 was definitely long for me, I think I would have felt better and enjoyed the next size down.” My guess is that she liked the stability of the longer length, allowing for that increased edge contact.

For the intermediate to advanced skier looking for a versatile, well-rounded ski that can handle a wide variety of conditions and terrain, the Black Crows Vertis Birdie is an excellent choice. They have the Black Crows pedigree in that they have a unique feel and personality, allowing the skier to better dictate the style of skiing, putting more emphasis on having fun and making sweet-looking turns from the top to the bottom.