Black Crows Set - Ova Freebird, 85 mm + straps, binding (Xenic 10)

Ova Freebird 180 2021/2022

The Ova Freebird is an ideal ski for ski touring, which saves you a lot of energy even during long hikes and multi-day crossings - for example, the legendary Haute Route. When climbing, you will appreciate the low weight of 1,090 g/170 cm and the universal width with low friction when stepping. After long ascents, your legs will thank you for the easy handling of the skis and their ability to stay on the surface of soft snow. You can also rely on them on frozen hard snow, as is customary with Black Crows skis.

A ski that always listens to you

A softer longitudinal flex is not harmful if you want to control the ski easily and long arcs at high speed are not your cup of coffee. The Ova Freebird model does not require strong legs, because thanks to the gentle rocker at the tip , it turns almost by itself. Easy handling is also helped by the progressively raised foot, which facilitates pivoting and quick feeding with an immediate change of direction. The ski is tolerant and forgives even minor riding mistakes.

You will have 100% confidence in the arch on any snow

Stability in soft snow and excellent grip on hard surfaces were achieved by the Ova Freebird skis thanks to the titanal reinforcement under the binding and the torsional reinforcement made of carbon and glass fibers. Torsional reinforcement is along the entire length of the wooden core from the bottom and top of the ski, which makes the ski perfectly rigid and dampens vibrations. Thanks to easy control, you will have perfect confidence even when changing snow or on an ice sheet, and you will enjoy every curve to the last angle.

More experience with less effort

You will feel the ski's low weight of 1,090 g with every step, and thanks to the saved power, you will enjoy the well-deserved descent to the fullest even after a difficult ascent. The guarantee of a perfect experience is primarily the finest materials, which are typical for Black Crows models -

• Core made of noble tropical paulownia wood - very light and flexible.
• Carbon double-sided reinforcement around the core along its entire length - low weight, high torsional stiffness, vibration damping.
• Titanal reinforcement - dampens vibrations, gives the ski stability and prevents the binding from tearing out.
• Glass fiber reinforcement - gives the ski a long life, increases rigidity and protects against damage.

Ideal skis for crossing the Haute Route from Zermatt to Chamonix

During all-day transitions with long stages, every energy saving is worth its weight in gold. Ova Freebird skis were designed for hikes over high saddles and long, tiring descents with a backpack on your back, when everyone feels spared. You will appreciate their lightness, easy handling and construction, with which you will not be surprised by the change of snow or the frozen firn in the morning. Even after a difficult ascent, you will enjoy a fulfilling descent full of playful curves.

Fritschi Xenic 10

In the 2019/20 season, the Fritschi brand came up with the new Xenic 10 model in the category of light bindings, ideal for skis up to 105 mm under the heel. The Xenic 10 model weighs only 280 g (560 g/pair) without brakes and will be appreciated especially by ski alpinists who pedal more, pay attention to weight, but do not want to compromise on safety and comfort of use. Among other things, the Xenic 10 binding model is the result of the modernization of existing Fritschi technologies and offers users various innovations in safety, user comfort and controllability while driving. Supplied with a rental pad with a range of 60 mm.

Brand new tip and pin jaws from Fritschi

The Fritschi Xenic binding tip is completely redesigned. This is the first binding whose pins open and close laterally, ie to the side and do not rotate around a fixed point. This mechanism offers two main advantages:

• easy entry into binding,
• much greater resistance to unwanted shutdown in the event of an impact from below, which can occur at higher speed or when hitting the skis
• it also switches off vertically in walking mode – when covered by an avalanche, loss of balance during ascent or falling during short descents on belts.
• made of carbon supplemented with proven modern polymers - they are lighter than metal parts and at the same time have higher strength and durability.

You can also attach the harshajs to the tip, which are available in three widths: 85 mm, 95 mm and 105 mm. The tip is also equipped with a place to attach a strap in case of use without brakes.

Swivel heel with adjustable release force

The heel of the Fritschi Xenic 10 binding combines low weight and safety features, which until now have only been available in heavier ski mountaineering bindings. The heel platform is wide and offers an optimal transfer of the power transferred to the ski and thus achieves excellent downhill properties. The lateral release force can be adjusted to DIN values ​​from 4 to 10 using the screw on the back of the binding. The precision of the adjustable vertical tripping force is ensured by independently rotating pins (advantage over U-shaped pins) from force DIN 4 to 10.

• The transition between pedaling mode and skiing is easy and comfortable with the help of a rotating heel. The heel of the Fritschi Xenic 10 binding can be turned more easily by 180° using the flipped heel support, which gives you more leverage.
• The heel can deflect up to 13mm before disengagement to prevent unwanted disengagement from shock and vibration while driving. Also, when bending the ski, where the distance between the tip and the heel is shortened, the heel can move and prevent unwanted shutdown at important moments, while also eliminating damage to the binding.

Excellent skiing thanks to the active heel

The active sliding heel adjusts the ski curve by up to 10 mm when the ski bends during the ride and enables smooth bending of the ski along its entire length, which is a necessary feature of the binding for perfect skiing. A binding that does not have an active heel will cause the ski to bend, the center will stiffen, and the ski will bend only before and behind the binding, which significantly worsens its driving characteristics. Fritschi has eliminated this problem, which is why the Xenic 10 binding is also great for excellent riding enjoyment.

Light and above all safe skitouring binding

Skitouring binding Fritschi Xenic 10 is the best choice for those who want light and at the same time safe binding on the slopes without the need to lock the toe. The Xenic 10 binding is intended more for pedaling, but it can easily handle downhill. Thousands of climbed meters and great skiing experiences are definitely waiting for you with it.

Easy to turn on even on a steep slope

The new generation Fritschi Xenic 10 has an innovative tip that you can "kick" even blindly because it has:

• stops from below,
• stops from the sides,
• stop on the tip of the ski boot,
• sensitive trigger.

Thanks to this, when the toe ski is turned on, the ski is precisely guided into the correct position - it is located between the spikes and a sensitive trigger, and even with a little pressure it releases the spikes, which fit exactly into the inserts in the ski boot.

Multifit Vacuum Base 120mm

Ideal belts for all those looking for simplicity and comfort, for women and beginners. Even in the coldest weather , you can easily peel off the strips. Just wipe the wet sticky side and stick it back on the ski. You don't need a foil, you can easily separate the belts from each other and you can even fold them together at the top when there is a strong wind and you need to get down quickly or you simply don't want to fold the belts. The mixture of high-quality impregnated fibers has an excellent glide, holds firmly when climbing and prevents snow from sticking, which saves you a lot of effort during the ascent.

Comfortable handling with the belt

One of the things you need with skialp belts is that the adhesive (adherent) layer holds firmly on the slide even in the most demanding conditions. KOHLA is a leader in adhesive layer technologies and is constantly improving and innovating them.
The result of innovations is Vacuum Base - a special vacuum adhesive without the use of silicone. Vacuum Base eliminates all the disadvantages of a layer with classic glue and still holds perfectly on the slide:

• you can easily separate the belts from each other, put them on and take them off easily, and put them in your backpack without laborious folding
• you do not need a separation film
• you can rely on them - moisture from the snow does not dissolve the vacuum layer as it does with classic glue, and therefore by wiping the layer dry , you restore the tape's stickiness
• if the belt freezes, just put it under the jacket, heat it, wipe the adhesive layer and stick it again
• almost maintenance-free - dirt can be easily removed with water
• excellent grip is maintained even on the edges of the slide
• it holds firmly even in frosts up to -25 °C

It holds firmly even in spring weather

In order for the skialp belt to hold reliably on the slide, it is important that both the slide and the adhesive layer are dry. If moisture from the snow gets on the glue, it stops working, peels off, freezes and doesn't hold. For this reason, KOHLA uses a membrane for skialp belts, which prevents the penetration of moisture from the fibers into the glue. You will enjoy your ski tour without worries, because the glue holds firmly, does not freeze and works great even in spring winters on wet snow.

No snowshoes

Therefore, in order to enjoy your ski tour as much as possible, you need the belts to slide smoothly and hold firmly under load. If the snow is wet, snow can stick to the wet tracks and there is nothing more annoying than having to drag a half-kilo snowshoe on your foot. The belts will stop sliding and it can exhaust you quite a bit. With KOHLA belts, you don't have to be afraid of slippers, because the fibers are factory-impregnated.
Fluorocarbon impregnation has a number of advantages that will save you a lot of energy at the exit:

• repels moisture and thus prevents snow from sticking to the fibers
• improves sliding - belts are faster and movement is easier
• increases the resistance of the fibers - the belts last longer
• strips dry faster
• it is environmentally friendly - without solvents and toxic substances and is biodegradable.

Still like new

However, with frequent use or after several seasons, the impregnation can "rub off", in which case you can easily renew it with KOHLA DRY CLIMB skin impregnation spray or KOHLA impregnation wax. The wax is small and convenient to have on a hike in a backpack, especially for a several-day transition.