1 / 3Black Crows Junius Birdie 2026/2027
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PTO Verdict
“A ski a light seven-year-old can bend, and a strong older tween will outgrow.”
Best for: Kids in Black Crows' 7-to-13 age band who already link turns and want one ski for groomers, side hits and small park features. It suits a light junior who needs a ski they can bend at low speed, a child starting to carve on the 5 to 11 m radius, and a family that likes the Junius build but wants the Birdie topsheet.
Not for: Older tweens, teens and heavier kids: retail copy for the earlier model warns the soft flex gets less supportive as they grow, and Black Crows' Camox Birdie Jr and Camox Jr, made for 14-to-18-year-olds with a poplar core and a 90 mm waist, are the next step. Juniors who ski fast and hard, or in variable conditions: retail copy for this ski says they may find it limiting. Junior racers, or kids who want a locked edge on firm snow, are asking a soft PU and fiberglass build with sidewalls underfoot to do a job it was not designed for. And deep snow is not its terrain: Black Crows rates the 76 to 86 mm waist for intermediate floatation.
At a Glance
Terrain
Ability Level
Pair It With
Compatible Ski Bindings
Browse our recommended binding brands for this ski.
Description
Black Crows' Junius Birdie is a soft junior twin tip for kids aged 7 to 13, shaped to make carving easier to learn. It comes in five lengths from 101.1 to 141.1 cm, with the waist growing from 76 to 86 mm and the radius from 5 to 11 m; the 121.1 cm measures 112-80-104 mm with an 8 m radius.
Black Crows pairs a double rocker with a classic medium camber underfoot, and rates the flex soft. Black Crows' sources split on the core: the workbook's spec line says PU and fiberglass, its descriptive paragraph says woodcore, and we follow the spec line. A cap top steps down to semi-cap, with ABS sidewalls under the boot. Weights run from 875 g per ski at 101.1 cm to 1,375 g at 141.1 cm.
Who should look elsewhere: heavier kids and the older end of the age band, who outgrow a soft flex; aggressive young skiers who push speed or ski variable snow; junior racers and kids who want edge hold at speed on hard snow; and powder-focused kids, since Black Crows rates the floatation intermediate and we treat it as a groomer-and-park ski. The next step is the Camox Birdie Jr or Camox Jr, one shared build for teens aged 14 to 18: poplar core, sidewalls all around, a 90 mm waist, a 16-18 m radius across the two, and a shortest length of 139.3 cm, 1.8 cm under the longest Junius Birdie. One retailer markets the Junius Birdie to girls; Black Crows lists an age band, no gender, and prints the same spec sheet for the Junius.
The Junius Birdie is a flat ski, sold without bindings. We help pick the length from your child's height, weight and ability, choose a junior binding whose brake suits the waist of that length, and mount it in the shop, where a technician sets the release. Bring their boots.
Details
- Type
- SKI
- Vendor
- Black Crows
- SKU
- 102396-101
- UPC / GTIN
- 0887445462101
101.1 cm
Black Crows Junius Birdie
By PTO Team, Based on Black Crows' 26/27 workbook, the official product page and retail spec listings
Spec analysis · Analysis dated
These 10-point scores express PTO's editorial assessment of suitability for each use. They are not customer ratings or instrumented measurements; the analysis below explains the trade-offs.
Specs
- Ages
- 7 to 13 (Black Crows)
- Waist
- 76 mm (101.1 cm) to 86 mm (141.1 cm); 80 mm at 121.1 cm
- Dimensions
- 108-76-100 mm (101.1) / 110-78-102 (111.1) / 112-80-104 (121.1) / 114-82-104 (131.1) / 116-86-106 (141.1)
- Turn radius
- 5 m (101.1) / 6 m (111.1) / 8 m (121.1) / 9 m (131.1) / 11 m (141.1)
- Profile
- Double rocker with classic medium camber underfoot
- Shape
- Twin tip
- Flex
- Soft (no numeric rating published)
- Core
- PU / fiberglass
- Construction
- Cap stepping down to semi-cap; ABS sidewalls underfoot
- Weight
- 875 g per ski (101.1) / 950 g (111.1) / 1,025 g (121.1) / 1,175 g (131.1) / 1,375 g (141.1)
- Mount point
- -5 cm from center
- Lengths
- 101.1 / 111.1 / 121.1 / 131.1 / 141.1 cm
- Binding
- Flat ski, sold without bindings
The take
“A ski a light seven-year-old can bend, and a strong older tween will outgrow.”
Black Crows built the Junius Birdie for ages 7 to 13, and the ski asks very little of a small skier: a soft flex they can bend, a short radius that turns at kid speeds, and rocker at both ends that forgives a late or sloppy pivot. Black Crows calls it very accessible and gives the sidecut one job, 'to make it easier to learn carving'.
Under the Junius Birdie's cap top, which steps down to semi-cap, the workbook's spec line lists a PU and fiberglass core, with ABS sidewalls where the boot loads the edge. The same page's descriptive paragraph mentions a woodcore; one retail spec table prints PU / fiberglass, another a synthetic core. Rocker at tip and tail lets a light child pivot and keeps the shovels from catching, and the medium camber in the middle gives them something to stand on as they tip it over. We read it as a learning build: forgiving at low speed, not a tool for holding an edge on ice.
The Junius Birdie changes shape with every length. The 101.1 cm is 76 mm underfoot with a 5 m radius and weighs 875 g per ski; the 141.1 cm is 86 mm with an 11 m radius at 1,375 g. Sizing up for growth therefore also buys a wider ski that carves a longer arc, which suits a child who already skis with some pace more than one still braking in a wedge.
The Junius Birdie's ceiling is weight and speed. Retail copy for the earlier Junius Birdie, whose 121 cm dimensions match this one, says older tweens and teens may find the softer flex less supportive; retail copy for this ski says more aggressive or experienced young skiers may find it limiting at higher speeds or in variable conditions. Black Crows rates its floatation intermediate, so this is a groomer, side-hit and small-park ski rather than a powder ski.
In Black Crows' junior line the Junius Birdie has one twin and one step up. The Junius prints the same description, construction, size table and weights in the 26/27 workbook; the topsheet artwork is the difference. The step up is the Camox Birdie Jr (the Camox Jr shares its build and adds a 171.1 cm), made for ages 14 to 18: 139.3 to 164.2 cm, 90 mm underfoot, a 16 to 17 m radius, a poplar core and a tolerant, progressive flex. Because its shortest length overlaps the longest Junius Birdie, a tall, strong 12-year-old is sized by weight and how hard they ski, not by birthday.
Black Crows publishes the Junius Birdie's age band and no height or weight chart, so we size at the counter from height, weight and how the child skis now; retail guidance says it runs true to size. It is sold flat, so the binding, its brake width and the release setting are handled in the shop at fitting.
Bindings we'd pair with it
Mount point: -5 cm from center (Black Crows workbook and product-page details; the product page's spec table prints -4.2 cm). Flat ski, mounted in the shop by a technician. Our pick: A junior alpine binding chosen at fitting, its brake sized to the ski's waist.
- Junior alpine binding, chosen at fittingEvery Junius Birdie length
Black Crows names no junior binding pairing for the Junius Birdie. We pick one that fits your child's boot sole, choose a brake width to suit the 76 to 86 mm waist of the chosen length, and a technician mounts it and sets the release.
The Junius Birdie is sold without bindings. Mounting and release setting are a technician job, done in the shop with your child and their boots.
Common Questions
- Black Crows Junius Birdie vs Junius: what is the difference?
- The Black Crows Junius Birdie and the Junius print the same description, construction, five-size table, radius and weights in Black Crows' 26/27 workbook. What differs is the topsheet artwork and the style number, 102396 for the Birdie and 102395 for the Junius. The workbook prints the same mount point and drilling spec for both; the binding for either is chosen at fitting.
- Is the Black Crows Junius Birdie a girls' ski?
- One retailer sells the Black Crows Junius Birdie as a girls' ski, but Black Crows' own workbook and product page give an age band of 7 to 13 and no gender. Its build matches the Junius line for line. Any child in that age band who suits a soft twin tip can ride it.
- Black Crows Junius Birdie vs Camox Birdie Jr: which should my kid ride?
- The Black Crows Junius Birdie is built for ages 7 to 13, with a soft flex, a 76 to 86 mm waist and a 5 to 11 m radius. The Camox Birdie Jr targets ages 14 to 18, with a poplar core, 90 mm underfoot, sidewalls all around and a 16 to 17 m radius. Their lengths meet at 139.3 and 141.1 cm, where weight and strength decide.
- What size Black Crows Junius Birdie should I get?
- The Black Crows Junius Birdie comes in 101.1, 111.1, 121.1, 131.1 and 141.1 cm, and Black Crows publishes an age band of 7 to 13 rather than a height or weight chart. Each longer size is also wider and turns a longer radius, from 76 mm and 5 m up to 86 mm and 11 m. We size it at fitting from height, weight and ability.
- Is the Black Crows Junius Birdie good for beginners?
- The Black Crows Junius Birdie suits beginner-to-intermediate juniors, the level retail listings give it, and Black Crows calls it very accessible with a soft flex. Its short radius is there to help a child learn to carve. It works best for a child who already links turns on groomers.
- Which bindings fit the Black Crows Junius Birdie?
- Black Crows sells the Junius Birdie as a flat ski and names no binding pairing for it, so the binding is chosen at fitting. It has a -5 cm mount point and a 3.5 x 7 mm drilling spec, and the brake should suit the waist of the length, 76 to 86 mm. A technician confirms the fit to your child's boots and sets the release.
