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First Look: Black Crows Orb Freebird

By

Gavin Hess

The Black Crows Orb Freebird sports some camber under foot for better bite in form conditions.

The Black Crows Orb Freebird sports some camber under foot for better bite in form conditions.

Many of the 90mm category skis I have reviewed and/or skied over the years are decisively built for steep, firm snow. Skis like the Dynastar M-Vertical 88 and Fischer Transalp 92 have lots of camber, long turn radii, and long effective edge lengths that make them confident in the steeps but a bit unforgiving and…

Responses

  1. Alex Hatcher

    I skied the Orb Freebird for a season. Longest effective edge I’ve ever felt-hard to break into a turn but holds an edge in firm conditions like none other. Minimal rocker. I didn’t find it pleasant in powder-not that anyone would expect it to-when the snow held up in the early spring alpine.

    Ultimately 173cm might be a good length for someone who normally skis a 180ish ski. I was on the 179cm ski and that skied way too long for me.

    If there was a ski with a similar rocker profile, but closer to 100mm at the waist I’d be very interested. I loved how strong it skied on firm conditions but couldn’t tolerate the Orb’s soft snow performance.

    1. Gavin Hess

      The Zero G 105 from Blizzard may be what you seek – its a little less than 105mm (102 or 103) in the 172, and has fit exactly what you described, in my experience.

  2. Ethan Ayer

    While I haven’t skied either, the BC Orb Freebird and the Blizzard Zero 95 or 85 come to the top of my list skis I see my peers choose for steep skiing and big objective days during high pressure. Both have very different characteristics. I’m looking forward to your review on how this compares to other skis in this quiver slot.

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