Past Season Reviews for Capita Mega Merc Archives

2023 to 2024

Hello and welcome to my Capita Mega Merc review.

In this review, I will take a look at the Mega Merc as an aggressive all-mountain snowboard.

As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Mega Merc a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other aggressive all-mountain snowboards.

Overall Rating

Board: Capita Mega Merc

Price: $799

Style: Aggressive All-Mountain

Flex Rating: Medium-Stiff (6.5/10)

Flex Feel on Snow: Stiff (7.5/10)

Rating Score: 90.4/100

Compared to other Men’s Aggressive All-Mountain Boards

Of the 19 current model aggressive all-mountain snowboards that we tested:

• The average score was 84.3/100
• The highest score was 90.4/100
• The lowest score was 78.5/100
• The average price was $622
• The Mega Merc ranked 1st out of 19!

Overview of the Mega Merc’s Specs

Check out the tables for the Mega Merc’s specs and available sizes.

Specs

*note that the 156W, 158W and 160W are new sizes as of the 2023 model.

Who is the Mega Merc Most Suited To?

The Capita Mega Merc is for anyone wanting a stiffer, more aggressive board capable of bombing hills/carving down the mountain, while also being capable on jumps and dealing with crud/chunder.

It has its weaknesses like any board does. It won't excel in deeper powder but it's also not bad there. Nor will it butter or jib easily but if you enjoy doing everything else, especially aggressively, the Mega Merc has got you covered.

Not a board I would recommend to beginners or intermediates as it is just too much but for anyone who is an advanced/expert, this is certainly a board to consider 

The Mega Merc in More Detail

O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Mega Merc is capable of.

Demo Info

Board: Capita Mega Merc 2023, 157cm (257mm waist width)

Date: March 24, 2022

Conditions 

Sunny with barely a cloud in the sky.  

Temperature: 30°F (-1°C) in the morning, warming up to 36°F (2°C) in the afternoon.

24hr snow: 0" (0cm) 

48hr snow: 0" (0cm)

7 day snow: 27" (69cm)

On groomer: Hard packed but not icy.

Off groomer: Icy and crunchy to start but softened up as the day went on. 

Setup

Bindings angles: +12/-9

Stance width: 555mm (22″)

Stance Setback: 12.5mm (0.5")

Width at Inserts: 264mm (10.39") at front insert and 266mm (10.47") at back insert.  

Tester: Fraser

Rider Height: 6'1"

Rider Weight: 180lbs

Rider Boot Size: US9.5 Adidas Tactical Lexicon ADV

Bindings Used: Fix Yale: M 

Weight: 2720grams (6lbs 0oz)

Weight per cm: 17.32 grams/cm

Average Weight per cm: 18.59 grams/cm*

*based on a sample size of around 200 models that I’ve weighed in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2023 models. The Mega Merc is light on the scales and felt a bit lighter than normal on snow as well. 

Powder

Unfortunately on this day we had no powder to test in but looking at the specs the Mega Merc should be decent without being amazing.

It has a directional shape helping to sink the tail in deeper snow, while the rocker in the nose and tail help to give it some float when needed too. Overall it can handle decent amounts of powder but isn't going to excel on really deep days.

Carving

Really enjoyable to carve and I never noticed any washiness. Overall it felt best for long drawn out carves to me, as opposed to shorter/tighter carves. 

Turning 

Ease of Turning/Slashes: Some effort was required to release the tail but overall making turns/slashes was fairly un-catchy. But you couldn't get too lazy. 

Maneuverability at slow speeds: Not overly quick edge-to-edge at slower speeds but not terribly sluggish either. The rocker in the nose and tail coupled with the Wha-Pow tech allows you to be more relaxed and less on top of the edges when at slower speeds, than you otherwise would be. But this is still a board that feels best on edge. 

Catchiness: While it did feel less catchy at slower speeds, the Mega Merc could feel a bit catchy at moderate-higher speeds when you got a bit too casual and didn't lean as hard into your edges.

Speed

The Mega Merc had a considerable amount of glide allowing it to go really fast when desired, which was perfect for bombing hills. With all the speed came stability and dampness too and it never felt like you were pushing it too hard. It just always had more to give.

Uneven Terrain

Crud: Handled crud/chunder with ease, smashing right through it whenever needed. Felt like it would take a lot to throw you off - and I never found that limit. 

Trees/Bumps: It required some effort to get it moving quickly between edges, particularly at slower speeds, but when you put the effort in, you could get through trees pretty well.  

Jumps

Performed decently well on jumps.

Pop: Overall an average amount of pop. Some of it was pretty easy to access, but to get most of it, you had to wind it up a bit. 

Approach: Pretty good, without being amazing, for making last second adjustments and really stable. I never noticed any chatter of note. 

Landing: The Mega Mercs stiffness helped absorb landings nicely, which made it good for landings off larger jumps. 

Side-hits: Enjoyable on most side his. It was capable of handling rough approaches and landings and the pop was solid enough to get some extra air. 

Small jumps/Big Jumps: A great option on any size jump. I really didn't have a preference.

Switch

Even though it is a directional twin board with a setback stance, it's only a minimal amount, which allowed it to feel really similar when riding switch. Transitions weren't perfect but were fun so long as you didn't get too sloppy with them. 

Spins

Capable of setting up switch takeoffs/landings with a bit of effort and practice. The transitions felt decent too and once the board was in the air it didn't feel heavy, allowing you to whip it around for 180s and 360s pretty easily. 

Butters

Initiating butters on the Mega Merc requires you to apply some muscle, due to its stiffness. But leaning into it and using your weight is well worth it as it locks into place nicely when you get there. But certainly takes some doing. 

Score Breakdown and Final Verdict

Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.

The Capita Mega Merc is a capable board almost anywhere for the right rider. It's versatile but in a more aggressive way, which makes it really enjoyable for those that like their riding fast and hard. 

Speed and carving are its two strongest attributes, while also being on jumps too. Don't expect it to rip powder like it does crud/chunder but it's still pretty decent in pow, particularly compared to other boards in this category.  

Overall, if you can handle the Mega Merc, it's hard to find many faults in it. It's pretty well rounded.

--CAPITA MEGA MERC 2022--

Board: Capita Mega Merc 2022

Price: $749

Style: Aggressive All-Mountain

Flex Rating: Medium-Stiff (6.5/10)

Flex Feel on Snow: Stiff (8/10)

Rating Score: 86.0/100

Compared to other Men’s Aggressive All-Mountain Boards

Out of the 16 men’s aggressive all-mountain snowboards that I rated:

Who is the Mega Merc Most Suited To?

The Mega Merc is best suited to advanced riders who like to ride aggressive and who need a board that can handle speed and can lay down a big carve, but that can also hold its own in powder. 

A one board quiver for those that ride aggressively and don't believe in riding casual. Or the bomber in a quiver, if you have other boards for cruising or park or powder. 

Definitely not for the beginner and not even an intermediate rider. You want to be advanced on this board and preferably relatively strong. 

The Mega Merc in More Detail

Bindings angles: +15/-15

Stance width: 555mm (22″)

Stance Setback: 12.5mm (0.5")

Width at Inserts: 265mm (10.43") at front insert and 267mm (10.51") at back insert.  

Rider Height: 6'0"

Rider Weight: 175lbs

Rider Boot Size: US9.5 Adidas Tactical ADV

Bindings Used: Burton Malavita M 

Weight: 2770grams (6lbs 2oz)

Weight per cm: 17.64 grams/cm

Average Weight per cm: 18.43 grams/cm*

*based on a sample size of around 100 models that I’ve weighed in 2019, 2020, 2021 *& 2022 models. The Mega Merc, typical of Capita, is significantly lighter than average. Felt normal on snow. I think the main reason it doesn't feel as light on snow as it weighs is how stiff, damp and smooth it feels. Snappier, softer boards tend to feel a little lighter on snow. 

Powder

Really decent in powder. Was great to get this board in some pow - all be it not waist deep, but decent amount. 

It's got some rocker in the nose and overall a directional shape with a small setback, which helps, but it's not hugely setback and it's not tapered or anything - and the nose isn't massively longer than the tail or anything. So it's not going to be the world's best floater when it gets really deep, but above average in powder for sure. 

Carving & Turning

Carving: It's a beast and like all beasts it likes to carve. And do it at considerable pace. Prefers to be on edge and really laying into a good carve more than anything. 

Turning: You've got to put in the effort to get this thing to turn. It's not a complete tank, but you've got to put the work in - it's not effortless to turn. And it prefers turning when at speed - and longer turns at speed, versus short sharp turns at slower speeds. 

Maneuverability at slow speeds: Not super nimble at slow speeds. Again, it's not a complete tank, but you've got to muscle it a bit to get it to turn sharply when riding slow. Once it gets into powder though, it's easier to maneuver a little sharper, when riding slower.

Skids: Pretty punishing of skidded turns. You don't want to get too lazy on this board. You've got to take control of it and purposefully ride it. When you do, you get rewarded. When you don't you get punished. 

Speed

You can confidentially bomb on this thing. Just really open it out and go. Feels really stable. Definitely prefers fast over slow. Comes to life and feels most at home when at speed. 

Uneven Terrain

Crud: Completely crushes through any crud in it's path. Doesn't get bucked around, which in some ways is a little surprising, given how light the board is, but it's just so damp and rather stiff, that it doesn't get thrown off. If it did get bucked around it wouldn't be super easy to adjust with, but it doesn't - so long as you don't try to navigate it too hesitantly - in that case you're liable to catch an edge or more liable to get bucked around, and then it's just going to be hard work. This board is better utilized smashing through it. 

Bumps: It's an effort to weave between bumps, especially if you try to do it at slower speeds. Also doesn't hug bumps that well when going over. Better to blast it over and get some air - which doesn't always work out, depending on what's on the other side of the bump! So can be hard work in trees, if it's not powder full trees. In powdered trees, it's fine. 

Jumps

It's stiffer than I prefer for jumps, just because you've got to really load it up to get pop and also it's less forgiving of errors on landings, but it's OK. More suited if you like to go bigger. I prefer the regular Mercury for jumps. 

Pop: Good pop when you load it up. But not easy to access - you've got to put it in to get it out. 

Approach: Super stable on approach - so if you've got  a smooth fast approach works well. But not so good for speed checking or when you need a bit more easy maneuverability, such as trickier approaches to some side hits.  

Landing: Stomps them, when you stomp them! But if you're landing isn't perfect or if you hit the knuckle or something, it's not forgiving of errors and you can pay for it. 

Side-hits: I like a board that's quite agile, to find those trickier approaches and also one that has easy to extract pop. And where those landings are a little rugged, it's nice to have a bit more forgiveness. So I wasn't a big fan of it for side hits. Fine for easy to approach side hits, with nice landings. 

Small jumps/Big Jumps: Most suited to big jumps where you need a nice stable landing platform.

Switch

It's pretty good for switch. It's directional, but not super directional by any means. Feels fairly similar riding it switch. Since it's not a super forgiving board, if you're switch game isn't that tight, then it might be harder to ride switch for you than an easier to ride board.  

Spins

Pretty easy to get the spin around - and I'd say that lightness really helps there. But setup isn't super easy and pop is good but harder to extract. So overall not great for small spins but would be better for bigger tricks. 

Butters

It's not easy to press the nose and tail of this board. It's 2/5 at best - not a lot of give in there. If you're really strong or a heavier rider it might be easier, but then you'd likely be on a longer size, so yeah, not easy to butter. 

The Mega Merc is a beast! I could stop there, as I think that's an apt enough description. 

It loves to bomb and loves to carve. It's not the biggest fan of riding slow, but it is pretty good in powder. A good one board quiver option for a more aggressive, advanced rider - or part of a quiver as your more aggressive bomber.