Expert Review: CAPiTA Spring Break Slush Slasher Snowboard · 2023


All photos courtesy of Gaelen Mast
About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the snowboard, which I tested for one day in January of 2023.
My take
The 2023 CAPiTA Spring Break Slush Slasher is a quirky snowboard that provides a very easygoing ride and a playful perspective on how snowboards should be ridden. It’s suitable for any skill level; however, intermediate and above riders will get the most out of its unique characteristics.
About the board I tested
- Model: 2023 CAPiTA Spring Break Slush Slasher
- Size: 147cm
About me
- Height: 5’10”
- Weight: 150lbs
- Experience: 10 years of snowboarding
Test conditions
- When I tested the board: January 2023
- Days tested: 1
- Mount position: Regular, front foot +15, back foot -6
- Boots: Vans Aura OG
- Boot Size: 10.5 U.S. Men's
- Bindings: 2023 Union Stratas (Large)
- Where I’ve used it: Winter Park Resort (CO)
- Terrain: Woods, Powder, Groomers, Terrain Park
How it performs
What I was looking for
I’m lucky enough to work at a local snowboard shop and can demo their snowboards for free, and I’ve been looking to find a “party snowboard.” A party board refers to snowboards that are a bit unorthodox in their shape. They’re usually short and wide (aka volume-shifted), flexible, and just generally easy and fun to ride.
Why I chose to test this gear
As far as party boards go, the CAPiTA Spring Break Slush Slasher is held in high regard. Its short and wide shape with a huge nose and tiny tail stands out on the slopes and provides a different riding experience than the average snowboard. So it was a no-brainer to demo the newest model year when I saw the board was in stock.
What I love about it
- The Shape: The most noticeable thing about the CAPiTA Slush Slasher is its untraditional shape. It’s got a massive spoon-shaped nose, a tiny tail with a swallowtail cut, and incredibly wide. This unique shape is what makes the board so fun. The big nose plows over any sort of variable conditions, such as chunder, powder, or slush. The extra width helps me lay down deep carves, and the tiny tail lets me simply kick the board around into turns with my back foot, making the board very maneuverable. These features provide an easygoing and unique riding experience compared to other boards.
- The Weight (or lack thereof): As mentioned above, this board is volume-shifted and meant to be ridden 3-6cm shorter than the average snowboard. This means the board is small and light—very light. As a result, it takes minimal effort to maneuver this board. While it’s not the poppiest board (even with the camber between the bindings), the lightweight makes it super easy to get this board into the air and even easier to spin once airborne.
- Powder Flotation: Despite the easygoing nature of the Slush Slasher, this board is a blast in powder. Its extra width and aggressive setback stance help keep the nose afloat in even the deepest snow. The small size of the board and the back foot steering, which were mentioned above, were super handy when hunting for powder stashes in tighter wood runs, and I could squeeze through even the tightest, most technical trees to score fresh snow. I comfortably rode this board through 8+ inch powder stashes and have full confidence it could handle much more than this.
Issues I’ve encountered
- High-Speed Chatter: This is simply not a hard-charging board. With soft/medium flex that CAPiTA rates as a 4/10, it's great for cruising groomers; however, if one gets it going too fast, it will have noticeable chatter (vibration) throughout the entire board. It will also buck them (throw them off balance) if they’re riding too fast and try to make a hard carve or stop due to this softer flex. This is not a board for the speed demons who like to straight-line it down the trail.
- Switch: This one is probably obvious just by the shape of the board. Can someone ride it switch? Yes, but they’ll look ridiculous. When riding switch with the almost non-existent tail (now the nose that one is switch), it’s very difficult to steer (carve) the board, and it’s a very unbalanced feeling. While this board can be ridden switch, and I have seen people ride it switch in terrain parks, it’s not a good option for someone who plans to ride a decent amount.
- Washing Out (jumps and butters): Washing out is when a snowboard kicks out from underneath someone, usually due to their weight being too far back, and this happened a decent amount to me while riding this board. The two biggest instances I noticed this happening were hitting jumps and doing butters. With jumps, if I didn’t land with my center of gravity in that perfect sweet spot over the board and instead landed leaning even the slightest bit over the tail. I almost always ended up on my butt. With butters, it was super easy to press this board on the tail due to the softer flex. Therefore, it was also super easy to overpress the board and fall backward. This is a great board for butters and jumps, but it has its limits for how hard it can be sent, and it’s quite easy to find those limits.
Favorite moment with this gear
My favorite moment with this snowboard was riding mellow green trails that I normally just cruise through without a second thought while trying to get somewhere. I found that with this board, every little bank was an opportunity to slash, every little bump was asking to be popped off of, and every little tree run was asking to be ridden through. This board’s easy-to-ride nature made me want to get weird with how I rode it and brought the fun back into mundane ski trails.
Value for the money vs. other options:
I’ve tested quite a few party boards, including the 2023 Ride Psychocandy, the 2023 K2 Party Platter, and the 2023 Salomon Dancehaul. While all these boards were fun, they were all more expensive than the CAPiTA Spring Break Slush Slasher. Additionally, none felt quite playful or as much of a party as the 2023 Slush Slasher. In my opinion, the 2023 Slush Slasher is the best party board choice as it’s substantially cheaper than most other party boards and does a great job of providing a great time.
Final verdict
The 2023 CAPiTA Spring Break Slush Slasher is a snowboard meant to simply go around and have a good time on. It’s not the best at doing anything, but it’s easy and fun to ride, and its unique characteristics provide a different perspective on how riders can take advantage of their ski resort. I would not recommend this as a daily driver, but this is an amazing option for anyone looking to switch things up once in a while and breathe some new life into their snowboarding style.
CAPiTA Spring Break Slush Slasher Snowboard · 2023
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