Black Crows Corvus Freebird Skis, 188

Ahh, Chamonix! It's known as the spiritual home of ski mountaineering and rando racing, but it's also the world capital of freeride touring, which is the preferred domain of the Black Crows Corvus Freebird Ski. With a design that's identical to the original Corvus, with the exception of a lighter core, the Freebird's capable of ascending big lines, but it really excels on the way down with its blend of underfoot camber, tip rocker, and powerful laminates. Black Crows built it on a paulownia and poplar wood core, which is light, lively, and energetic. Black Crows also laid it up with layers of multi-directional fiberglass and carbon fiber, giving the ski a stiff and powerful feel that's hard to find in other touring skis.To balance weight and power, Black Crows built the Freebird with a semi-cap construction, which combines ABS sidewalls underfoot with a tapered cap in the tip and tail, so you can have tons of torsional stability and edge bite while also digging the smooth-turning and lightweight feel of the ski's extremities. The smooth tips and tails also help you smooth out rough and variable alpine conditions, while the tip rocker helps you float over pow, and the gently raised tail allows you to get sideways without compromising strong turn finishing and power. Finally, the Freebird features a flat tail with a small skin notch, so the way up will be almost as smooth and easy as the way down.