Capita Navigator Snowboard Review

Who is the Navigator Most Suited To?

The Navigator is first and foremost a powder board, but one that does well on groomers too - so great for those wanting a board for powder days, but need it to be able to handle terrain to get to that powder and that is still fun to ride after the powder's all tracked. 

Especially good if you want all of the above but don't like your board overly stiff. The Navigator is a nice medium flex. 

Ideal as an addition to a quiver, but could be a daily driver depending on the rider and whether or not they see regular powder days. Also priced well for a quiver addition. 

Not for a beginner, but intermediate riders should be fine with this board. 

Bindings angles: +15/-15

Stance width: 560mm (22″)

Stance Setback: Setback 25mm

Width at Inserts: 272mm (10.70") at front insert and 270mm (10.63") at back insert  

Rider Height: 6'0"

Rider Weight: 185lbs

Rider Boot Size: US10 Vans Aura

Bindings Used: Burton Malavita M 

Weight: 2800grams (6lb 3oz)

Weight per cm: 17.39 grams/cm

Average Weight per cm: 18.45 grams/cm*

*based on a small sample size of 51 boards that I've weighed in 2019 and 2020 models. Lighter than normal (which is typical of Capita) for it's size - and it's got a bit of width to it as well, so really light for it's size.   

Flex

Feels like a solid medium. Capita classify it as a 6/10 for flex, and I would say that's pretty much bang on. 

Powder

Didn't have any fresh powder unfortunately, but could just tell this board would ride well on powder. And the snow was soft for the most part, so I could get some feel for how it rides in softer conditions. 

And the specs certainly point towards being good in powder - a good amount of taper, a good amount of setback and with a directional camber profile, with good rocker in the nose. 

Carving & Turning

Carving: Not an epic carver, but you can still lay a decent carve on it. Which was quite surprising given that it's a directional flat to rocker profile. Surprised me a little here. 

Maneuverability at slow speeds: Surprisingly good in terms of agility at slower speeds, especially given that it's relatively wide - and a longer length than I would typically ride too. This, and how it manages uneven terrain, made this a great board in the trees. Would be even better in powder in the trees.   

Skidded Turns: Can skid turns on it. Not a catchy feeling at all. 

Overall a smooth feeling board to turn on. 

Speed

Felt nice and stable at speed, especially when sitting toward the back foot a bit. At its flex never going to be an out and out bomber but still really good. Both flat basing and on edge felt good.

Good glide on flats too. 

Uneven Terrain

Felt good at absorbing bumps and absorbed chatter well on crud. And nimble enough for weaving around bumps. 

Let’s Break up this text with a Video

Jumps

All round OK without being a jumping machine. 

Pop: OK without being epic. 

Approach: A good balance between being stable and nimble.  

Landing: Not a stomper, but solid enough landings.

Side-hits: Decent, without being amazing. Nimble enough for trickier approaches but not overly poppy or exciting on them. 

Small jumps/Big Jumps: Pretty good for both. Medium jumps probably the sweet spot. 

Switch

Not great riding or landing/taking off switch. Doable, like pretty much any board is, and I've ridden worse for riding switch for sure. 

Spins

It's quite a light board, which helped to make it easier to get the spin around - and it was quite easy to get around, but landing/taking off switch not so great. And whilst the pop was decent, it could use a little more for spins. But not what this board is designed for at all. 

Butters

Actually reasonably buttery. Though it's not an overly stiff board for a freeride board, so not a big surprise there. 

Overall, the Navigator is a well priced option for those looking for a board for powder days, that can handle the groomers well too.

If you predominantly ride on powder days, then this could be a one board quiver, but for the most part it's a good addition as a powder board that isn't just a powder board.