2027 Black Crows Octo Birdie

For 2027, the Black Crows Octo Birdie is a carryover ski with the same construction, shape, graphics, and profile as last year. Categorized as “all terrain,” Black Crows offers a different piste-side experience, one that involves dynamic carving capabilities with a less serious, more enjoyable spin on it. Rather than focusing solely on aggressive carvers, they invite some fun into it and appeal to a wider audience of skiers. With a unique shape, solid build, and notable attributes, the Octo Birdie loves to be used in a carving format at a shorter arc without being too demanding. Being able to access the entirety of the sidecut due to the flex makes this an accessible carver for those with all sorts of skill levels.

Black Crows uses relatively simple construction in their skis. As a result, we’re getting a poplar wood core and fiberglass laminates for the foundation. With semi-cap construction and full sidewalls all around the ski, this is where the level of on-piste performance comes into play. Delivering great edge grip and stability underfoot, the minimalist build keeps the weight down and at 1525 grams in the 167.2 cm length, it generates an impressive amount of power given how light it is. We see inspiration from the Mirus Cor with the slight swallowtail featuring an aluminum insert. This had a lot of success in the Mirus Cor and does a great job of putting more pressure on the back of the ski. Without locking it into a turn, it instead provides energy and a bit of a boost into the next, putting it into a different category than a lot of other dedicated carving skis. Light and incredibly agile, it transfers from edge to edge with serious quickness, which means you don’t want to crank up the speed dial too much. That said, it handles on-piste terrain with strength and power while allowing for lively quickness. Tester Leslie Gauff notes that "This is an easy, quick turning, lively ski. This ski felt a little light and soft in the tip especially on the firm surface conditions, lacking a degree of stability. It seems like it would be really good on a softer surface, and powder."

The Octo Birdie is a unique ski in terms of footprint and overall style. At 84 mm underfoot, it is not the narrowest ski for its intended use, but that's what gives it such character. With 126 mm tips and 113 mm tails, it generates a 14-meter turn radius which is a nice short arc. Easy and quick to flick around, the taper that is incorporated into the tip and tail invites more versatility and ease when it comes to encountering varied snow conditions. The classic medium camber underfoot provides excellent ski-to-snow contact, and given the rest of the build, it is super reactive and lightweight. It’s great when a ski surprises you, and this might be the case for this new Octo Birdie. Tester Fiona Reed notes: "I had fun on these! They’re playful and quick edge to edge. They were much happier to snap quick slalom turns on the side of the trail than rail big GS arcs but were very maneuverable in this style of skiing and had good pop out of every turn as long as you kept em short. Felt stable and gripped the ice fine, although didn’t feel as rock solid in terms of edge hold as something with more metal might. I took these down ungroomed funky Gondolier for my second run and they were great at handling the variable ice to dust conditions, didn’t ever feel like they got caught up or snagged in the fresh snow. Not a super chargey ski but knows how to dance."

While some skis are shaped to be more race-like in carving nature, the Octo Birdie is quite a bit different. Designed to allow a broader audience of skiers to access it, the level of performance combined with lightweight energy and maneuverability lands the Octo Birdie in a truly unique spot. While there are more aggressive options in the all-mountain/carving category, the agile nature of the Octo Birdie gives it a friendly but powerful appeal. The carving accessibility is a highlight here, allowing skiers to feel like they are carving like their race heroes but at a fraction of the effort.