About the Review: This review is my own honest opinion of the snowboard, which I bought with my own money in November 2021.

My take

The CAPiTA Mercury is a great board for a more aggressive all-mountain freestyle rider looking for a board to support their advanced riding and terrain.

About the gear

• Model: 2022 CAPiTA Mercury
• Size: 157cm

Test conditions

• When I bought it: November 2021
• Days tested: 40
• Mount position: +12, -12
• Boots: 2022 Vans Infuse
• Boot Size: US men’s 10
• Bindings: 2022 Union Strata
• Where I’ve used it: Copper Mountain, Arapahoe Basin, Steamboat Springs
• Terrain: Groomers, steeps, jumps, rails, trees, powder, moguls.

About me

• Height: 5’ 11”
• Weight: 195 lbs
• Experience: 11 years snowboarding

How it performs

What I was looking for

When I was looking for boards, I was seeking something a little stiffer and more powerful while still having some play. I wanted a board with a lot of versatility to handle all my riding from park, powder, trees, and groomers.

Why I chose this gear

I got the Mercury for its long-standing name as a top all-mountain, do-anything style deck. I wanted my board to leave my options open on the hill. I considered other options but eventually came to the Mercury for its more well-rounded build and that slightly longer nose for help in powder.

What I love about it

• Speed: The Mercury has really impressed me at high speeds. The camber in the middle of the board really holds well and makes it really stable when tearing down a groomer.
• Edge hold: This deck has really good edge hold. The CAPiTA new-age sidecut is very smooth and confident feeling on groomers as well as choppier snow during late-day laps. The Death Grip™ bump in the center of the edge does a great job of giving more grip on hard snow and even adds a little hold on ice.
• Groomers: I really love this board on groomers. Its edge hold is super fun to rip edge to edge on groomers, and it has great snap out of turns, which is extra fun on a fresh run! CAPiTA’s Hyperdrive™ base keeps this board super fast, and I love that most on groomers.
• Powder: The Mercury has a slightly bigger nose that really helps it float. The board floats better with some speed, but should still get me through flatter sections of fresh snow without a problem. I definitely still need to ride my back foot when it’s really deep but once I get the nose up, it has a nice feeling for making some swoopy pow turns!
• Park: I am really loving the Mercury in the park. It is easily my favorite jumper I have ridden. The sidecut makes setting up and going off lips really smooth and gives me a lot of confidence where other boards have felt catchy and unpredictable off lips in the past. It holds well on rails and has lots of pop for getting onto features and getting over jumps.
• Backcountry: I haven't used it in the backcountry, but it’s not a bad option with its shape and slightly setback stance with the bigger nose.
• Durability: I have definitely hit some rocks on this thing, and I have yet to get a core shot. The Mercury comes with CAPiTA’s ultra-high density Hyperdive base, which is super tough. I find that CAPiTA top sheets tend to chip when hit and not peel like other top sheets I’ve had, which holds true for the Mercury.
• Switch riding: The Mercury has a directional twin shape yet it feels really good riding switch. I come from riding true twin boards, and even with the directional shape I have found it to ride really well, if not the same, either way you point it. They did a really good job on hiding its directional shape when switch to the point where I don’t notice any huge differences.
• Stability: The Mercury is very stable with tons of pop that is easy to access. It gets a little chatter when going through really rough, chopped-up snow, but for the most part, it plows through everything without any issues. It inspires a lot of confidence at speed and on steeper runs.
• Other: The Mercury is definitely going to shine best for a rider with some years under their feet and likes a camber-dominant profile.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Weight: The weight is pretty average, not the lightest, but it’s not something I think about or notice when popping off features or riding up the lift.
• Turns: The Mercury really comes to life with a little speed. It can be a little catchy on turns at slow speeds due to the camber, but once it gets moving, that camber comes to life for some super-clean turning. It can make really tight quick turns or super-long, drawn-out carves; it all depends on how much power you give it.
• Trees: It has taken some time to get used to riding this board in the trees. This board likes speed, but once I got some days on it and made better use of the rocker in the nose and tail, I can now get some really fun runs in the trees.
• Moguls: It does okay in the moguls, but can be a little catchy going bump to bump. If you take your time and have experience in the bumps, you can still make it fun.

Favorite moment with this gear

My favorite places to take the Mercury are jump lines or fresh groomers. The edge hold combined with the way its sidecut turns is just so much fun. That same sidecut is so smooth and controllable that it has really given me a huge confidence boost on the jumps, inspiring bigger tricks and features.

Value for the money vs. other options

The 2022 CAPiTA Mercury sits in a very large pool of all-mountain snowboards, such as the Salomon Assassin, Arbor Element, or the Lib Tech Lost Quiver Killer. CAPiTA’s forward thinking, high-end tech, and materials combined with its long-standing name in the industry really elevated the Mercury to the top of the list for me.

Final verdict

For me, the Mercury unlocked a new level of riding because it is so supportive all around. Its stability and confidence-inspiring feel have made me ride harder and try new things faster than I had ridden them before. If you are looking for a supportive, do-it-all, don't-check-the-forecast-and-rip kind of deck that is a step up from your old deck, I can’t recommend the Mercury enough.