Curated Snowboard Expert Arielle Busch got her hands on the 2023 CAPiTA Birds of a Feather this spring and put it to the test at Powder Mountain in Utah. Check out how it performed in the carving, freestyle, and freeride categories, but consider the fact that each and every rider is different; if you have any questions about the Birds of a Feather or need recommendations on which board would be best for you, reach out to a Snowboard Expert here on Curated.

Before we get started, it's worth noting that Curated Experts are not sponsored by any brands. All of these reviews are completely unbiased.

Overall Impressions

What is your overall impression of this board? My overall first impression of the Birds of a Feather is that it is super playful and flexible. You can press it and you can butter on it. And surprisingly with how soft it was, it actually does pop really well. I was able to get some air off some side hits and really just play around on it, and it was an all-around fun board to be on.

Carving

How did it turn? This board can definitely get into some carves. I definitely was not just skidding my turns, I was able to get it up on edge. But because it is a little bit softer, when I was in those carves, I wouldn't say that they were fast hard-charging carves. I would just say that they were kind of mellow-chill carves. Maybe I just coined my own term, I don't know. But you can definitely get into some carves on this one. You can definitely get up on that edge. And like I said, the turn initiation is really easy, and that kind of helps you get into nice arcing turns. But it would not be my hard-charging, carving boardercross type board by any means. It's definitely going to be a little bit more of that playful, want to kind of touch a little bit of everything option.

Was it stable? It was a little choppy and slick this morning. It definitely wasn't the most stable for me when I did get it into that uneven terrain, I was definitely able to make my turns, but I just didn't feel as confident in that terrain.

How did it perform at speed? It is a mid-flex, but it's pretty soft as a mid-flex board. The speed on this thing, it can definitely keep up with people, but it's not going to be your fastest board, and that is due to its flex.

Freestyle

How did it perform riding switch and buttering? This board is able to be ridden switch. You are able to get into your spins comfortably. Definitely able to press, definitely able to butter. Really, all I wanted to do on this board was just get into a really nice wheelie and it kind of just went for it. And it really sat on that tail really, really nicely and it was super fun. I am not usually the most playful rider. So for me, this was kind of just something I can make the whole mountain into a playground with, which was super fun and different for a rider like me.

How was it on jumps? I definitely think I would rather take this on some rails and boxes versus some jumps but you can definitely get air and definitely land your jumps. No problem there.

Freeride

How would it be in powder? I am not usually the most playful rider. So for me, this was kind of just something I can make the whole mountain into a playground with, which was super fun and different for a rider like me. I tend to be a little bit more of a hard-charging, aggressive, steep and deep kind of rider. So this board would not be my pick of choice as a powder board or even a freeride board.

How about tree runs? You can definitely take this board into the trees. I was able to make some tight little short radius turns with this because the turn initiation on it is so easy, you don't really have to think about it too much.

What kind of terrain would it perform well on? This is going to be a little bit more of your either daily driver or something where if you are able to have multiple boards in your quiver, it's going to be more of that fun, freestyle resort, all-mountain board, for sure.

Recommendations

Who would you recommend this board to? This board would be great for that intermediate, low-advanced or high-beginner rider, who likes to get a little playful in the park, likes to get a little playful on groomers, likes to jump off those side hits and just honestly be willing to try anything on this board. That flex is really forgiving and it makes you want to try things that maybe you weren't comfortable trying before.

Who should avoid this board, there are better options for them out there? I don't think this board should be ridden by a brand new beginner. I think there are some other boards out there that might be a little bit more user friendly, and I wouldn't necessarily recommend this board for any of my harder charging, aggressive, playful riders. I think there are stiffer freestyle, heavy boards out there that might be better for you. Also, today's conditions when I rode the board were a little hardpack and a little icy. I will say that this board didn't do the best in those conditions, in my opinion. I did slip out a lot. I had some falls. So for me, I wouldn't recommend this board necessarily for an ice coaster. If you were only riding on the East Coast, I'd maybe look at something else because on these harder-packed conditions, it wasn't the most forgiving.

If you’re wondering whether the Birds of the Feather or another board would be best for your riding style, reach out to Arielle or another Snowboard Expert here on Curated for free advice on what would work best for you. Note that the 2024 version of the CAPiTA Birds of a Feather is linked below - same tech, just different graphic: