Capita Mega Merc Written Review Review by The Good Ride

• User Reviews
• Product Specs
• Product Images
• Questions?

Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews and this is our unfiltered opinion. We do make money from the “Where To Buy” links, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average riders’ perspective.

Capita Mega Merc 2023-2024 Snowboard Review- How it rides and who it is for

How This Review Happened:

Borrowed this for an extended demo and sent it back.
Size: 157
Days: 4+
Conditions:  Good Groomers, Firm but fair groomers, slightly messy groomers, messy tracked up soft snow groomers and some decent spring powder.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-190lbs)
Boots: Burton Kendo and ThirtyTwo TM-3XD
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Atlas, Atlas Pro
Jacket: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Tusk Jacket, Volcom Guide Jacket, Burton Gore-Tex 3L Treeline Jacket, Jones Peak Bagger Jacket.
Pant: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Hover Pant, Burton AK Gore-Tex 2L Swash Pant, Burton Gore-Tex Ballast Pant
Helmet: Smith Maze
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Guide Glove, Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Clutch Glove, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove, Burton AK Tech Glove, CG Habitats Glove, CG Habitats Work Glove, Drop Tahoma Mitt, Drop Cascade Glove, Drop Web Glove,

Similar Boards (but not the same): Korua Otto, Lib Tech Terrain Wrecker, Capita Mercury,YES NSB, Endeavor Pioneer, Jones Mountain Twin, Endeavor Ranger, K2 Manifest, Yes Typo, Jones Frontier, Ride Algorythm, Ride Wild Life, Borealis Tundra, Tahoe Labs Directional Twin, Yes Basic Uninc, Cardiff Lynx,

Set-Up: 21.5” Wide. Sance Angles +18/-9 in pow, +15/-15 on groomers. Close to Reference and Set as far back as I could.

How It Was Tested

The Capita Mega Merc 157 was often compared to the 157 Mercury, 158 YES Basic Uninc, 156 YES Standard Uninc, 156 Capita Indoor Survival and 159 BSOD.

Approximate Weight

The Capita Mega Merc is pretty light. It didn’t feel like the lightest of the super light boads but it was definitely lighter than the Mercury. (We don’t put in the exact weight because with wood cores there is no consistency in a boards weight)

Sizing

The 157 Mega Merc was good for my 185lbs but the 155 might be a little better for my size 9 boots. This isn’t a super fast turning board so if you want more response go to the next size down from what you would normally do.

Here are some ideal US boot sizes for the Capita Mega Merc. You can of course go bigger or smaller but these work best for not turning the board slower than it should be and not having the dreaded Toe & Heel Drag.
153: 8-8.5
155: 8.5-9
157: 9-9.5
159: 9.5-10
161:10-10.5
156w: 10.-11
158w: 11-11.5
160w: 11.5-12

For weight I would stay close to Capita’s recommended weight ranges. If it comes down to boot size or weight, I would make sure it fits your boot first and then your weight a close second.

Shape/Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

The Twinish shape of the Capita Mega Merc has a very centered ride and it’s just a touch behind that true twin feel when on reference stance. The sidecut is somewhat directional but it feels closer to a twin than a directional board. You can weight your turns any way you would like.

The camber profile of the Capita Mega Merc is just like the regular Mercury with camber just past the bindings transitioning into a pretty pronounced rocker before the nose/tail. It is very forgiving but still tracks well one footing and flat basing.

Flex Personality

There is a very dynamic and lively flex with the Capita Mega Merc and on same day tests this just out popped the Mercury when it came to turning and ollie power. It was still pretty easy to butter as well. Now in comparison to the BSOD and especially the new Indoor Survival the Mega Merc didn’t have the pop they did. I think it might be because the BSOD has flat in the tail to hold on a turn and pop harder from the tail on an ollie. The Indoor Survival only has a little early rise before the tip/tail so it popped like a camber board. However both of these are less forgiving and floaty so it’s a trade off.

Uneven Terrain

I didn’t get to really stress test the Capita Mega Merc in a lot of uneven snow but surprised me at how well it did compared to the boards I tested it against. It does really well for an ultralight and I didn’t really feel much of a difference vs. the Mercury in the conditions I rode.

Speed

The Capita Mega Merc has a sidecut that favors a straight line or two and it wasn’t very chattery when picking up speed. It isn’t a full on bomber but you can see it is designed for the straight lines necessary to get air.

Edge Hold

The 1.5mm extension’s on each side of the waist (called Death Grip) seems to help with a little more grip and I felt comfortable in harder patches. It isn’t an ice specialist but it’s competent in harder snow.

Turning Experience/Carving

I’ve never found the Mercury or this Mega Merc to turn quickly. I always liked pairing it up with more responsive bindings to get it to turn faster.

The overall turning experience is a little more on the straight line side of turny but it is still pretty balanced. It doesn’t fight you on an across the groomer carve or a circle carve. Narrower down the line turns are very doable and where the Mega Merc shines is those straight lines into a kicker.

So the modest camber is felt when turning the Mega Merc. It is fun but it didn’t have the drive out of the turn like all the other boards I tested it against. It was a little better than the Mercury but both were a little behind the group. They all have a little more to a lot more spring out of the turn.

Powder

The extra rocker before the nose/tail helps with riding centered on pow days. If you want to set it back and get a little extra directional float the Mega Merc is pretty good. That being said there are better boards when it comes to getting more set back on board. For example, the Mega Merc, with a 22.75” stance width, has a -1.625” set back from center of board. Many all mountain boards can get up to 2.25” or more and have a narrower stance width. It is still better than most centered stance twins though.

Switch/Pipe/Jumps

Very doable switch and it’s just a little behind a true twin. The Capita Mega Merc isn’t my ideal pipe board because I like something that turns a little faster. So if you want to get air this is a great board for that. If like to get air but don’t get that far up in the air (like me) this works fine. If you like to go big this works fine too.

Conclusion

So overall, the Capita Mega Merc is an expensive but much more lively version of the Mercury. Neither are super damp boards but the great thing is I didn’t feel like I sacrificed any dampness in comparison to the Mercury.

If this review helped, we’d appreciate if you:

•  Become a Patron and get early access to reviews well before they are published.  https://www.patreon.com/thegoodride
•  Donate to https://venmo.com/TheGoodRide (@TheGoodRide) or https://paypal.me/thegoodride
• Follow Us: https://www.instagram.com/thegoodride​
• Like & Subscribe on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@thegoodridesnow