Hello and welcome to my Capita Navigator snowboard review.
In this review, I will take a look at the Navigator as a mellow freeride snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Navigator a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other mellow freeride snowboards.
Overall Rating
Board: CAPiTA Navigator
Price: $649
Style: Mellow Freeride
Flex Rating: Medium (5.5/10)
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium (6/10)
Rating Score: 90.0/100
Compared to other Men’s Mellow Freeride Boards.
Of the 28 current model mellow freeride snowboards that we tested:
❄️ The Navigator ranked 2nd out of 28
Overview of the Navigator’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Navigator's specs and available sizes.
Specs
STYLE:
MELLOW FREERIDE
PRICE:
$649 - BUYING OPTIONS
Ability Level:
flex:
feel:
DAMPNESS:
SMOOTH /SNAPPY:
Playful /aggressive:
Edge-hold:
camber profile:
HYBRID CAMBER
HYBRID CAMBER - Capita's "Resort V2"
SHAPE:
setback stance:
SETBACK 0.8" (20mm)
BASE:
SINTRUDED (In between sinteded and extruded) Capita's "Powerdrive™ Base"
weight:
FELT LIGHTER THAN NORMAL
Camber Height:
4.5mm
Sizing
LENGTH (cm) | Waist Width (mm) | Rec Rider Weight (lb) | Rec Rider Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
143 | 240 | 80-130 | 36-58 |
147 | 241 | 90-140 | 40-63 |
151 | 245 | 110-160 | 59-73 |
155 | 252 | 130-190 | 59-86 |
158 | 256 | 150-200 | 68-90 |
161 | 260 | 160-210 | 72-95 |
164 | 264 | 170-220 | 77-100 |
167 | 268 | 180-230+ | 81-104+ |
* the 143, 147 and 151 are considered the women's sizes and have a different graphic.
Who is the Navigator Most Suited To?
The Navigator is best suited to someone looking for a directional board that is good in powder, but can also handle groomers well, but they don't want a stiff aggressive ride. Rather for those that want a board that's not too demanding or fatiguing to ride and has easy maneuverability.
Particularly good for riding trees, with or without powder.
Not for beginners, but a great choice for intermediate riders who want a directional freeride board, but aren't ready or simply don't want a stiff, aggressive one. Also perfectly suitable for advanced riders who want a ride that's more easy going and more on the playful side.
The Navigator in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Navigator is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: CAPiTA Navigator 2024, 158 (256mm waist width)
Date: March 20, 2023
Conditions
Overcast to start. But higher cloud. 85-90% visibility. Towards the end of the day there was some rain.
Temperature was around 2°C (36°F) - and -2°C (19°F) with wind chill in morning and 1°C (34°F) (and -2°C (19°F) with wind) in the afternoon. SE winds morning and afternoon at 10kph (6 mph) morning and 5kph (3 mph) in the afternoon.
24 hour snow: 0" (0cm)
48 hour snow: 0" (0cm)
7 day snow: 4" (11cm)
On groomer: Soft packed and bordering on slushy. But not ultra slow or sticky or anything. Got a touch slushier towards the end of the day, but not by much. Was pretty consistent.
Off groomer: Decent enough. Borderline slushy but not quite. Not ideal but OK.
Set Up
Bindings angles: +15/-15
Stance width: 560mm (22″)
Stance Setback: Setback 0.8" (20mm)
Width at front insert: 270mm (10.63")
Width at back insert: 266mm (10.47")
Rider Height: 6'0"
Rider Weight: 180lbs
Rider Boot Size: US9.5 Adidas Response ADV
Bindings Used: Burton Malavita M
Control Board for Control Laps: Lib Tech Terrain Wrecker
Weight: 2840grams (6lbs 4oz)
Weight per cm: 17.97 grams/cm
Average Weight per cm: 18.71 grams/cm*
*based on a sample size of around 250 models that I’ve weighed in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 & 2024 models. The Navigator was lighter than average on the scales and felt lighter than normal on snow too.
Powder
Nothing to test in on the day, but based on specs, feel and previous experience with the board, the Navigator should be really good in powder.
It's tapered directional shape (with a good amount of taper), setback stance and rocker in the profile all help with powder float.
Carving
The Navigator is decent on a carve. It can get a little washy as you get into higher speed carves, but nothing more than you'd expect for a board of this flex/profile. Overall decent enough.
Turning
Ease of Turning/Slashing: Really nice and easy to initiate turns on and to slash turns. Was a lot of fun to do casual turns on this board.
Maneuverability at slow speeds: Nice and quick edge-to-edge when riding slow. Turns on a dime.
Catchiness: Really uncatchy. Felt like it would be pretty hard to catch an edge on it.
Speed
Decently fast and with good glide. Stable at speed up to a certain point, but feels a little wobbly/chattery once you get it going really fast. As you'd expect for its flex and lightness.
Uneven Terrain
Crud: It's damper than you'd think, given how light it is, but it's not ultra damp or anything - and is prone to getting thrown off in crud/chunder, to a certain extent. But it's not super easy to loose your line and it remains decently stable through messy snow.
Trees/Bumps: One of the better boards going around for trees, IMO. It's nice and quick edge-to-edge, even at slow speeds and would perform well in trees with fresh powder too.
Jumps
Not the kind of board that will blow you away for jumps, but still really capable.
Pop: While there's not oodles of pop in this board, what is there is really easy to access. So you can extract that pop without having to wind it up too much, which I liked.
Approach: A good mix of being fairly stable and nice and easy to make adjustments to your line or speed check, when necessary.
Landing: Solid enough and allows you to speed check easily after you land, if needed. Not a stomper or anything but decent enough on landings.
Side-hits: Really enjoyed it for side-hits. Not ideal for spins off side-hits because of how directional it is, but otherwise, that nice agility and easy access pop make this board fun on side hits.
Small jumps/Big Jumps: It's sweet spot is medium jumps, IMO, and really good for small jumps too. Can handle slightly bigger jumps, but may struggle a bit on really big jumps.
Switch
Transitions to/from switch felt nice and catch-free and it wasn't too bad riding switch. But it did feel a little strange, as you'd expect, given how directional it is.
Spins
Not the best to setup/land switch, though that said, there's no catchy feeling in that setup. Otherwise pretty good - it's light and has easy access pop.
Butters
It's pretty easy to press the tip and tail on this board. The tip and tail do feel different to press, so there's that inconsistency there, but otherwise, pretty easy to lock in presses without too much effort.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
| FACTOR | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Powder | 4.5 | 27/30 |
| Turns | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
| Carving | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Trees | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
| Crud | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Speed | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Jumps | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
| Switch | 2.5 | 2.5/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 90/100 |
The Navigator is a nimble, light, easy going directional board that is a great choice for someone who wants to be able to take advantage of powder days but when there isn't any fresh snow want something on the more mellow side to explore the groomers and trees with.
Particularly good for riding trees and while it's not a bomber or super aggressive carver, you can lay down some moderate speed carves and it will handle moderately high speeds well enough.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the Navigator, or if you are ready to buy, or if you just want to research prices and availability, check out the links below.
If you want to check out some other mellow freeride snowboard options, or if you want to compare how the Navigator compares to other mellow freeride snowboards, then check out the next link.
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