Black Crows Mentis Freebird
By PTO Team, Based on official specs and professional review consensus · Spec analysis + professional review consensus on this ski
The take
“900 grams at its shortest, 80mm underfoot - a firm-snow uphill tool that pays its weight bill in float and damping.”
The Mentis Freebird carries Black Crows' TOURING program label, and the numbers explain the assignment: 80mm at the waist in all four lengths, with weights of 900g per ski at 157.1cm, 975g at 164.3, 1,000g at 171 and 1,075g at 178.2. That is per ski, not per pair - Black Crows' own store lists pair weights at exactly double, and two independent measurements agree. The brand's stated target is 'very high skiability' for a range this light.
The build story - where the Mentis Freebird puts its material and why - is told in the description above; what matters here is the boundary of the evidence. The one metal Black Crows names is a titanal reinforcement under the bindings: a localized mount-zone plate, not a full sheet, and no damping claims come with it. The brand publishes no rocker figures, flex index or mount point. The profile in circulation - a slight tip rocker ahead of a long run of classic camber - is third-party coverage, not a Black Crows spec, as are the squared tips notched for race-style skin attachment.
On firm snow, that long camber contact is the Mentis Freebird's signature. Two independent reviews land in the same place on edge hold - confident bite well above the weight class - and one of them describes a ski that holds an edge and wants to arc turns longer than its 19m radius. The trade arrives the moment snow stops being firm, and it lands exactly where the description above says it will: float is weak, and every wider Freebird does it better; chatter shows up in refrozen and cut-up snow; breakable crust, in one reviewer's words, is a rough and slow ride; and the thin tips are vulnerable to rock damage.
Line the Mentis up before you buy it. Inside the family, the Ova Freebird - 85mm, $849, $200 less - is the more accessible light-touring choice when the last 100g matter less than breadth; the Navis Freebird - 104mm, $999 - is the opposite pole, the downhill-first Freebird. Across brands, one independent review forks it against the Blizzard Zero G 95: the Mentis for uphilling and multi-day traverses, the Zero G with more ski underfoot when a single high-consequence descent is the objective. World-Cup-level skimo racers should keep walking: dedicated race skis are lighter still - the Mentis spends its last grams on skiability.
PTO carries the Mentis Freebird in 157.1, 164.3 and 171cm; the 178.2 is not in our order. The radius runs long for the category - 18m in the two shorter lengths, 19m in the two longer - the geometry of long arcs, not slalom turns. At $1,049 the ski arrives flat, and Black Crows makes no statement about touring-binding compatibility, so neither do we: the binding conversation happens in the shop, with the ski on the bench and your setup in hand.
Bindings we'd pair with it
Mount point: Flat ski - sold bare; Black Crows gives no mounting spec. Our pick: None named - the brand gives us nothing to quote.
Black Crows sells the Mentis Freebird flat and makes no statement about touring-binding compatibility - no pin-binding, insert or brake-width guidance exists in its published material. We do not infer compatibility from the category. Bring the touring binding you are considering and our technicians will evaluate the pairing on this ski before mounting.
Common Questions
- Black Crows Mentis Freebird or Ova Freebird?
- The Ova Freebird is one step wider at 85mm and $200 cheaper at $849, and it was largely revamped for 26/27 - the more approachable route into light touring when versatility beats the final 100g. The Mentis is the sharper tool: narrower, lighter, aimed at fitness laps, long traverses and firm spring snow.
- How much does the Black Crows Mentis Freebird weigh?
- Per ski: 900g at 157.1cm, 975g at 164.3cm, 1,000g at 171cm and 1,075g at 178.2cm. That is per ski, not per pair - Black Crows' own pair listings run exactly double, and independent measurements corroborate the basis.
- What touring bindings fit the Black Crows Mentis Freebird?
- Black Crows sells it flat and publishes no compatibility spec for touring bindings - no pin, insert or brake-width guidance - so we do not infer any. Bring the binding you are considering and our technicians will check the pairing on this ski at mount time.
- What length Mentis Freebird should I get?
- Four lengths exist - 157.1, 164.3, 171.0 and 178.2cm - and PTO ordered the first three. Radius is 18m on the two shorter lengths and 19m on the two longer, a long-arc geometry. We size a touring ski this light against your height, weight and objectives in the shop.
- Is the Black Crows Mentis Freebird good for powder?
- No. An 80mm waist with minimal tip rocker gives limited float, and independent reviewers do not recommend it for deep snow. The wider Freebirds - the 85mm Ova, 91mm Orb, 97mm Camox Freebird, 104mm Navis and the Draco - offer more float than the Mentis.
- Can I use the Mentis Freebird as a resort ski?
- It will get down a groomer, but it is the wrong tool for lift-served days: this light a ski has no damping margin at resort speeds and chatters in end-of-day chop. For lift days, look at the Serpo, Camox and Vena Cor side of the Black Crows catalog.
