You'll want an especially reliable and lightweight pair of skis for this year's volcano trip or great traverse, where long days on the skin track are inevitable. Enter the Black Crows Ova Freebird Skis, super light touring skis designed to climb fast and ski hard. The paulownia core, cap construction, and carefully blended glass-carbon weave laminate have the Ova Freebirds weighing in at under 1200 grams per ski. Boom, you've just lost one more excuse for being slow on the climb. A relatively short-radius sidecut, moderate flex, and 85mm waist give the Ova Freebirds snappy maneuverability in all snow conditions.