Curated Snowboarding Expert Arielle Busch got her hands on the 2024 CAPiTA The Equalizer this spring and put it to the test in the carving, freestyle, and freeride categories. If you have any questions about The Equalizer or need recommendations on which board would be best for you, reach out to a Snowboarding 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.

Brand Claims

What does CAPiTA claim about this board? Designed for women, the Equalizer is an all-mountain board inspired by Jess Kimura for the rider looking to unlock all possible terrain.

Overall Impressions

What is your overall impression of this board? I've been really stoked to get on this board. It's been on my list for a really long time.My overall impression of Jess Kimura's Equalizer is that it is my new favorite board for 2024. I would love to add it to my quiver. I felt like it was the most versatile women's board I have been on in a really long time. I am a very aggressive snowboarder and I like to ride a board that can handle steeps, that can handle technical terrain. One where you can do everything that you want to do, but you're not on a piece of wood. It was really one of the most enjoyable snowboards that I have ridden in a really, really long time.

Carving

How is its edge hold? It just cut in and it let me carve and charge and it let me go fast.

How damp is the board? Do you feel any underfoot chatter? There was zero underfoot chatter on this thing. It was as stable as can be.

How does it perform at speed? The stability that I got when I was locked into my calves and kind of just cruising down at full speed or what I thought was full speed on this thing led me to believe that it would be a little bit stiffer.

How is its energy/acceleration? It's super light. It's really responsive. I kind of felt like I didn't have bindings on it, like in a good way. I felt super secure and it almost felt like the Union Ultra bindings and the board were one and the same, a great combination.

Freestyle

How is it for freestyle snowboarding? This is not necessarily going to be your go-to freestyle board, but the fact that you can get on a directional board and be able to do some freestyle is great. You can definitely spin, you can definitely press the flex in. This thing is so approachable.

Could you speak about playfulness and pop? The pop in this thing was great. I was able to do some big presses. I was able to butter it, do a little tripod. And that kind of creates my perfect board for me.

Is it good for riding switch? Even though it is a directional board, I had no issues riding switch on it.

Freeride

How is it in powder? I think one of my favorite parts is that it is not necessarily a powder or a powder-specific board, but because it is so versatile, it did so well in the powder to the point where all I had to do was just put a little bit of weight on my back foot. It floated like a beast in powder. As I was going over some of the pillow caps, I just sort of popped from each one and just floated on top. That camber in there really sent me up. So I was just floating on top of the uneven terrain.

How is it riding in the trees? How is its maneuverability? The maneuverability was easy and precise. My tree riding was on point. Floating through the pillows of powder was on point.

Recommendations

Who would you recommend this board to? I would highly recommend this board for an intermediate to advanced rider. I would never put a complete beginner on this board. Someone who has a little bit of snowboarding under their belt and really wants to progress fast could go on this board.

A little bit of a lower intermediate could get on this board, because the flex is very approachable. It is right at a 5.5. It is right in the middle and it's got the right profile for that type of rider. It's definitely not something that a lower intermediate should shy away from. But it's also a board that a higher intermediate-advanced rider should 100% get on and potentially add it to their quiver for sure.

This is also a great board for those who love Jess Kimura as much as I do. It'll make you feel like you can do the things that she does and just send it to the moon all the time.

Snowboards work differently for different types of riders. If you want help finding the right board for you, reach out to Arielle or any other Snowboarding Expert here on Curated for free, personalized recommendations on the best board for you.