Hello and welcome to my Capita The Equalizer snowboard review.
In this review, I will take a look at the Equalizer as a freeride snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Equalizer a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other women's freeride snowboards.
Overall Rating
Board: Capita The Equalizer 2024
Price: $549 (USD recommended retail)
Style: Freeride (bordering on all-mountain)
Flex Rating: Medium (5.5/10)
Flex Feel: Medium(7/10)
Rating Score: 86.1/100
Compared to other Women’s Freeride Boards
Of the 21 current model women's all-mountain snowboards that we tested:
❄️ The Equalizer ranked 5th= out of 21
Overview of the Equalizer’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Equalizer’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
STYLE:
FREERIDE
PRICE:
$549 - BUYING OPTIONS
$549 - BUYING OPTIONS
Ability Level:
flex:
feel:
DAMPNESS:
SMOOTH /SNAPPY:
Playful /aggressive:
Edge-hold:
camber profile:
HYBRID CAMBER
HYBRID CAMBer - Capita's "Resort V2" profile
SHAPE:
setback stance:
SETBACK 0.8" (20mm)
BASE:
Sintered | Capita's "Quantum Drive™ Base"
weight:
Felt normal
Camber Height:
5mm
Sizing
LENGTH (cm) | Waist Width (mm) | Rec Rider Weight (lb) | Rec Rider Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
142 | 229 | 90-140 | 41-64 |
146 | 235 | 100-150 | 45-68 |
150 | 241 | 110-170 | 50-77 |
154 | 247 | 120-190+ | 55-86+ |
Who is the Equalizer Most Suited To?
The Equalizer is best suited to someone looking for a one-board quiver, but one that's on the more freeride end of the spectrum and one that strikes a balance between being able to lock in an edge on a carve, but still easy to slash turns on as well.
Not for beginners. Suitable for intermediate and up.
THE Equalizer IN MORE DETAIL
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Equalizer is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: Capita Equalizer 2024, 150cm (241mm 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: 20″ (510mm)
Stance Setback: Setback 0.8" (20mm)
Width at Front Insert: 9.8" (249.5mm)
Width at Back Insert: 9.9" (251mm)
Weight: 5lbs 12oz (2620grams)
Weight per cm: 17.47 grams/cm
Average Weight per cm: 17.38 grams/cm*
* based on just over 40 women's boards that I've weighed in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 & 2024 models. The Equalizer is pretty much bang on average on the scales and felt normal on snow too.
Tester: Meira
Rider Height: 5'4 (163cm)
Rider Weight: 130lbs (58kg)
Rider Boot Size: US Women's 8 (Burton Limelite)
Bindings Used: Union Milan
Powder
No powder to test in on the day but based on specs, feel and past experience with the board in powder, it should be a good board in powder. While the taper is only very subtle, it has a bit of setback, plus the nose is longer than the tail and there's rocker in the profile, all helping it to do well in powder.
Carving
Good locked-in feeling when carving.
Turning
Ease of Turns/Slashing: While you can lock in carves, it's still nice and easy to slash turns and easy to initiate turns. Strikes a nice balance between being able to carve well and slash turn well.
Maneuverability at slow speeds (nimbleness): I found it nimble at slow speeds and easy to control at slow speeds.
Catchiness: There is a nice uncatchy feeling to this board. Able to vary turn shapes and spins without worrying about catching an edge.
Speed
Very stable at speed and the board feels fast. Glides through turns nicely at speed.
Uneven Terrain
Crud: The Equalizer felt semi-stable riding through crud but with a slight amount of getting thrown around. Was easy to correct when getting thrown off your line.
Trees/Bumps: That nimbleness at slow speeds helps to make it good for weaving through tress and does well rolling over rollers. Would do well with powder in trees too, IMO.
Jumps
Good height and power from pop off jumps.
Pop: It's not super easy to access the Equalizer's pop (not super hard either, but takes some effort), but when you do put the effort in, it has some really good pop.
Approach: A good mix of being stable but also easy to make speed checks and line adjustments.
Landing: Was good for stomping landings but not super forgiving if slightly off when landing.
Side-hits: Good powerful pop off side-hits and decently easy to set up.
Small jumps/Big jumps: Sweet spot would be medium jumps but should handle any size of jump well.
Switch
Good transitions in and out of switch riding. Feels good riding switch, but a little different to normal riding direction.
Butters
While the board isn't super stiff overall, the tip and tail aren't easy to press. You've got to put your weight right over them to get them to press.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
POWDER | 4.0 | 20/25 |
SPEED | 4.0 | 16/20 |
CARVING | 4.0 | 12/15 |
TURNS/SLASHING | 4.0 | 8/10 |
CRUD/CHUNDER | 3.5 | 7/10 |
TREES/BUMPS | 4.0 | 8/10 |
JUMPS | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
SWITCH | 3.0 | 3/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 86.1/100 |
The Equalizer is a versatile board that can do a bit of everything. It's a little more freeride oriented, but isn't a typical aggressive freeride board. While you can get in some deep aggressive carves on it, you can also ride it more casually.
It's also good in trees and does well on jumps and not bad for riding switch even, for a more directional board.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the Equalizer, 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 freeride snowboard options, or if you want to compare the Equalizer to other women's freeride snowboards, then check out the next link.
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