Curated Snowboard Expert Everett Pelkey tested the 2023 CAPiTA Black Snowboard of Death this past spring. Check out how it performed in the carving, freestyle, and freeride categories, but don’t forget, every snowboarder is different and what works for one may not work for all. If you have any questions on the Black Snowboard of Death or would like recommendations on what snowboards would be ideal for your needs, reach out to a Snowboard Expert here on Curated.

A quick note that we're not sponsored by any brands, so all of these reviews are completely unbiased.

Brand Claims

What does the brand claim about the Black Snowboard of Death? So the Black Snowboard of Death by CAPiTA is here for that all-mountain directional rider who wants to get the flare of free-riding wherever they need to go and the nimble and light ability to take this all over the mountain.

Overall Impressions

What is your overall impression? It's going to give you that stability, but feel like you do not have a heavy board that's weighed underneath you. Performance is key on this thing to really get that camber when needed, but the flap straight underneath is going to make sure you get the hold stability, but also able to charge hard when you need to go fast.

What is the shape of the board and how does it impact the riding experience? This board has a hybrid setup with a mainly flat profile going on in between the feet with a little bit of camber outside of the bindings, just to make sure that you get that extra stability as camber always gives you. But the flat is not loose enough that you're still getting a good torsional adjustment and stiffness to it to make sure you're staying stable wherever you're taking this board to.

The board is going to handle super well with the flat in between the bindings, but the camber's giving you that extra stability to make sure that you can charge hard and feel stable while on it but still get the loose and nimble ability while riding this thing around.

Carving

How does the board turn? I was able to put in harder charging turns. It's still going to initiate the turn pretty quick, but you're not going to get too much of a flex that you feel like you're really making only sharp turns. It's a fluid, comfortable feel that'll feel your contact no matter how hard you take those turns.

What does the edge hold feel like? Surprisingly, this board will be able to control an edge much smoother than you expect, based on its weight.

When charging with the Black Snowboard of Death, how does this board feel underfoot for you? The Black Snowboard of Death really handles better than expected. It’s not going to be a super stiff hard charger that is going to be able to take up all the hard chattering that gets thrown at it, but it works better than you expect for a mid-flex rating board.

Is this board lively? This board has a lot more liveliness to it than you would expect. This board kind of threw me off because it was a lot more fun and stable, but it felt like nothing in my hands before I even put it on. I was able to play around with it like I naturally would. It's still got some of that freestyle flare but definitely is made for a hard riding of the entire mountain.

Freestyle

How playful is this to ride in terms of freestyle? CAPiTA makes a lot of good park-friendly boards, and even though this is a directional free-ride board at its core, it still has the ability here and there to give you that freedom to mess around and play around. I was still able to get the flex on presses. I was still able to initiate good jumps and turns on it. I wouldn't say it's specifically meant for that, but the light and nimbleness make it so you can still have fun on this board.

Freeride

So in today's conditions, what have you taken away from how it feels in powder? Based on today's conditions, I wasn't technically able to really take it into powder. It is bulletproof ice out here right now, but as it's been softening up, I can get that nose float when needed because the directional structure and the light nimbleness of this board will keep you up off the snow when you need to. But I wouldn't say it's a true powder hound of a board.

How is it in the trees? I was able to sneak into a few trees over here. It does not feel like you're making too abrupt turns that it flows super well through the trees. It isn't its most highlighted area, but it does handle it much better than expected.

What terrain is this board ideal for? The board is really meant for an all-resort groomer kind of day, and this board is meant for the person who likes to cruise around the entire mountain. You can get off a little bit. You can find some trees dipping in here and there. You can find a few cliff drops. It'll be able to handle many of the daily conditions you run into. But on an everyday groomer resort, this board will be great for having fun all day.

What terrain should riders avoid? I would not seek this one out as a true powder board, but it can handle those days when you do get a few extra inches here and there. It's a great all-mountain board, but it will not be super park friendly either. Park is not really its expertise. You'll have fun where you need to. The trees will be a little tighter and hard, icy conditions will not be its best friend. It will be able to handle those steeper terrains and a few more technical areas as you progress in your riding, but I wouldn't say it's for a full-blown, hardcore, freeriding expert.

Recommendations

Who would you recommend this board to? I recommend this board for intermediate riders to push their ability comfortably as they explore more of the mountain. It's catered for someone who really likes to go all over, who doesn't know the exact niche they're going for, but as they progress, they can find what feels great to them. And this board will cater to just that.

I wouldn't say this is a particularly beginner-friendly board, but it also wouldn't be a super expert advanced board that I would send out to people who really know what they're doing if there's no specific style of writing they're looking for. This is a fun all-mountain board that'll get you to point A to point B in a super fun way and stable the whole way down.

Who should avoid this board, there are other better options for them out there? I wouldn't recommend this board for more beginner riders or people who are a little more park-style oriented too. This is not a super freestyle-minded deck. It has that capability if you know what you're doing, but it does not mean that's where it really excels in performance. And also, when it comes to expert riding for really steep and deep hard-charging, this is not something that is really a true peak performer in those kinds of conditions, but you can handle it if you find yourself starting to go that way.

If you were buying this board and going from rentals to this being your first purchase, what would you keep in mind if you were looking to progress on this snowboard? If you're committing to jumping to this board as your first brand-new purchase, this actually kind of fits that category well for someone very comfortable with their riding ability but who wants to see what else the mountain has to offer.

It'll open up the doors for where you want to go and see where this can take you. You will have fun but feel super comfortable the whole time, and nothing is really out of its wheelhouse. It'll be able to take you there, but don't expect it to go too hardcore in any specific direction.

Snowboards work differently for different types of riders. If you want help finding the best board for your needs, reach out to Everett or any other Snowboard Expert here on Curated for free, personalized recommendations. They’ll help you find the right setup for you.