Leading French brand, Black Crows, masters of the geometric ski graphic, have followed the trend that most ski brands have and created a range of female specific skis.

There has been a bit of debate recently as to whether we really need female specific skis, as this article from Backcountry Magazine points out.  Do they lump all girl skiers into the same category? Do they actually cater to women who want to ride hard? And why is it so difficult to find a  girl’s ski if you’re tall?

Black Crows are aware of all this and have come up with the Birdie range, their  first female specific ski collection. All their female skis take on the same shaping and design as their male equivalents, but are tailored slightly to cater to the differences in the female body. For example, all the skis in the Birdie range have been made lighter and softer through the use of lighter core materials. They have also been designed to have the bindings mounted a little further forward to accommodate for our different body shapes.

These may sound like small changes, but sometimes they can make all the difference. One thing’s for sure though, which is that Black Crows have managed to make some sweet skis, ranging from backcountry freestyle to piste. They’re not all designed for tiny girls either, with lengths ranging from 155cm to 178cm, depending on which model you choose. Our favourites are the Atris Birdies, a twin tipped powder ski with a little bit of rocker for blasting through the powder.

And while it’s probably a bit wrong to drool over how pretty they are (we’re all about functionality – honest), Black Crows do manage to work those geometric graphics. For someone wanting just a piste ski, gone are the days of riding race skis that look like they came straight out of the rental shop; Black Crows are following in the footsteps of Roxy when it comes to having a piste ski that actually looks nice.

We’ve got some on out Christmas list, and you can check them out on the Black Crows website here.