2019-2022 Review

The Capita Mercury hasn’t changed much in terms of shape/design over the years but it’s flex has.  Each year the Mercury seems to keep its dampness at speed and pop but Capita continues to mellow the overall flex making it a much better all-rounder for the one board quiver seeker.

The 2019 Capita Mercury has a couple of very subtle improvements under the hood when it comes to improving the board’s personality underfoot but we didn’t even notice a difference from the 2018 model.  Both have a great nice balance between butterability, dampness, and pop.

Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews.  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.

Size: 153 (2018) 157 (2019)
Days:  10+ and rising.  I own this board.
Conditions:  Mainly good snow and good spring conditions but it was hard at times in the morning.
Riders: James, Jimbo,
Boots: Burton Almighty, Adidas Tactical ADV,
Bindings: Union Atlas,
Set Up: Centered 15 front -15 back about 22.75″.

Approximate Weight

Feels normal bordering on light for its size.

Flex

Every year Capita seems to be improving the flex on all their boards.  There is more bend, more pop and the same or better dampness.  There seems to be a lot of thought gone into the tech that allows the board to flex better, like sidewalls, top sheet and of course the core.  The better ability has improved over past years and the newer flex gives this a more well-rounded ride. It’s med/stiff between the feet but feels medium at the tip/tail and easy to butter.

Sizing

The 155 fo 157 seem like my best fit with size 9 boots but the 153 I tried wasn’t too bad to try. It’s definitely not the size I would buy but it was sure fun to try.

On Snow Feel

The on snow feel has been gradually changing since the first time I rode this board when it came out as the Totally FK’n Awesome to now.  It’s really transformed from a board that used to feel Aggressive Mountain to a board with a much wider All Mountain appeal that can still be just as aggressive as the old board but with a better more forgiving feel that seems less catch free.  You can still charge the mountain with the Capita Mercury 18 but also butter easier and not catch an edge as easy.  it’s a great one board quiver for those that like keeping it centered on groomer days but also want more of a set back than a twin on powder days.

Edge Hold

We feel the Mercury has the best edge hold in Capita’s line.  It’s not a hard snow specialist but it’s a little better in harder snow than the other boards.  Even the small 153 I rode held a better edge than the 159 BSOD we had at the same time for an extended demo.  It’s one of the only boards that we feel is acceptable for riding in medium/hard conditions in Capita’s line.  We’d like to see a little more but it works.

Turn Initiation

It’s not that fast edge-to-edge.  Maybe it’s the bump in the middle of the sidecut called Death Grip or the slightly wider nose/tail/waist than what my size 9 is used to or other aspects of the sidecut but on snow, it just doesn’t quite roll edge to edge as quickly as some of it’s competitors.  I really like the Union Atlas, T.Rice or other responsive to very responsive bindings with the Capita Mercury.  It’s really noticeable when you have a less responsive binding on.

Turning Experience

The overall turning experience is really fun with the Capita Mercury.  It’s got a nice spring out of a turn that makes it fun doing what snowboards do more than anything else when it’s underfoot. It’s really fun to ride around the mountain making short to wide radius turns.

Carving

The Capita Mercury’s camber between the feet make this feel like you are carving on a board slightly smaller than it’s size but there is good spring out of a hard carving turn and we always have fun laying it out on the Mercury.

Skidded Turns

When we first started riding the Totally FK’n Awesome skidding a turn felt more difficult but these days it feels more like many of the all mountain boards out there and it’s pretty forgiving.

Speed

Even though the flex feels a little more mellow/butter friendly in the tip and tail the Mercury can still bomb on a big mountain rather well.

Uneven Terrain

The improved flex and overall feel of the board make uneven terrain better than it was before.  The Old Totally FKn awesome and even older model Mercury’s seemed to be a little more cranky powering over uneven snow and chunder compared to the new 2018 Mercury.  It’s definitely an improvement and the only thing for me and others like me is it just doesn’t weave in and out of bumps super quick like some of our other all mountain favorites.  Still with a pair of really responsive bindings

Powder

The Mercury doesn’t have the directional float of the other directional boards in their line but it can still set back more than all the other Capita Twins which is great for setting it back and getting a little surfier than you could with let’s say the Outerspace Living. When set all the way back at a 22.75″ stance you can get -1.625″” back from center of board which isn’t amazing but better than most Capita true twins. That, combined with a good bit of rocker in the nose makes this a pretty easy floating board to ride in powder.

Switch

The Capita Mercury seems like it’s almost a directional twin and it’s just barely twinish.  It’s very doable taking it fakie and it’s great to be centered upon sidecut for groomer days.

Jibbing

A little better than past models but still not an ideal jibber.

Pipe

It’s pretty good driving from wall to wall, has enough edge hold for most, and although I personally like quicker turn initiation in the pipe, it’s still really fun.

Jumps

Nice pop off the nose and tail, and the hybrid camber ride pops almost as well as the camber.  Even though the 2018 Mercury seems to flex more than older models, it still seems to have as much or more pop after it flexes.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the Mercury just keeps evolving a little bit year over year to the point where the personality change starts to become evident. Last year, it bordered on being an all-mountain board, and this year, it really doesn’t feel as unforgiving or aggressive. You can still push it just like you did with past models, but it seems more forgiving and more suitable for mellowing out, too, which is great.

2016-2018 Mercury Review

The Capita Mercury is pretty much the Totally Fkn Awesome, but due to some pressure from retail stores, they changed the name. It’s a little lighter, but still, the same all-mountain ride.

2016-2018 Capita Mercury Review

Size: 157 and 153
Days: 30+ I owned a 2016 and now Zobel has it.
Conditions: Hard Sierra Snow, Good Sierra Snow, nasty Sierra Slush, 1-2feet of powder.
Riders: James, Peter, Matt, Jimbo,
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV,  Burton SLX, Salomon F3.0, Burton AMB, Burton Fiend LTD,  Burton Rover, Salomon F3.0,  Burton Fiend, Nike Lunarendore,
Bindings: Union Contact Pro, Union Atlas, Union T.Rice, Union Contact, Burton Cartel, Burton Genesis, Burton Genesis X, Union Force, Burton Diode, Union Contact, Flux SF, Flux DS, Union Contact Pro,
(My Favorite Binding for me was the Atlas, followed up by the T.Rice. It would have been the T.Rice if the ankle strap was similar to the Atlas’)
Set Up: Centered and set all the way back. 22.5″ to 23″ wide, 15 front -15 back, 15 front -9 back, 15 front -6 back, and a few other combos.

Approximate Weight

It feels normal, bordering on the light side of things. It feels a little lighter than the 2015 TFA I owned.

On Snow Feel

It’s got a good camber feel underfoot but with less catch/consequence which is great for those that like to push it. It’s still not a forgiving ride, but it’s more forgiving than camber. The stability between the feet is really solid, and it’s great to flat base or one foot a long way to a close by the second chair.

It’s a board that likes to carve, ollie, and go pretty fast. Also, if you are a stronger rider, it will allow you to butter and play around, too. It’s really fun for riders who love the mountain but also stop in the pipe and hit a kicker or two.  It’s got a lot of the personality that many All Mountain Boards have, but with a sprinkle of aggression on the tip. On the table, I don’t see much difference between other camber profiles, but on snow, it feels like a little more camber/consequence is going on compared to other hybrid camber on all-mountain rides.

Flex

Not super easy to butter, but with a little extra work, you can make it happen. It’s not like many hybrid rocker boards with camber in the tip/tail that gives you a little spring out of it, but it’s not completely devoid of snap thanks to the stiffer rocker tip/tail. After some time on the board, I really started to like the extra challenge of buttering with the Mercury.

Turn Initiation

It’s not super quick edge to edge and it requires the right binding/boot combo to make it snap quickly edge to edge. We often use this for binding tests because the Mercury exposes an unresponsive binding and rewards a responsive one.  So our favorite bindings with this board were the more responsive ones like the Union T.Rice, Genesis X, Diode, and Flux SF. It turned out like you would want it to be in tight spots.  As you go down the response spectrum with bindings you can really feel the Capita Mercury slow down edge to edge. So it prefers you ride with medium/stiff to stiff boots and more responsive bindings to get quick turning. Still, that camber makes the board pop out of a turn well.  So, if you like to really enjoy turns, then this will let you do that.

Skidded Turns

It’s not super easy to skid your turns so you have to be on your game almost as much as you do with a camber board. It can catch an edge, and it prefers you to be on rail.

Carving

It’s not like going out on a 166 Camber Freeride board but it does a really good job. Carving is satisfying with the Capita Mercury.  What we love about the Mercury is right after a carve you can ride switch, or do a manly Jimbo butter and enjoy the mountain in other ways.

Powder

There was no powder yet with the Capita Mercury, but because it’s the same board as the TFA that we rode in powder, then it will have a nice directional float. There is a 1/2 inch set back on the side cut and about an inch set back on board when you factor in the longer nose, so combined with rocker in the nose, that makes for a pretty easy off-the-back foot, somewhat surfy kind of float.  You can also ride this switch pretty well with the rocker on the back foot. The BSOD with the taper in the tail has easier float, but this is great for a double ender that can also own groomers.

Speed

It’s a nice, stable, fast board that can bomb. Again, it’s not going to bomb like a big freeride board, but it’s at or near the top for all-mountain boards. Remember, if you want a board to do most things well on the mountain, you have to compromise. This is a good compromise.

Uneven Terrain

End of the day, snow wasn’t easy, but it also wasn’t bad either.

Edge Hold

Nice grip that handles most firm snow, but in the harder to icy mornings I had with this board, I felt like it was at its limit. I’m glad it had the Death Grip bump in the middle of the board. The 2017 death grip seemed a touch less pronounced than the 2016, but it still seems to have the same effect as before.

Switch

You know, when centered up and ducked out, it’s not bad. I’d almost call this a Twinish board, and it’s pretty easy to get used to riding the switch. The Capita Mercury definitely favors directional riding, but it’s a very doable switch. The Outerspace Living would be a better call if you spend a lot of your time riding the switch.

Jibbing

didn’t jib with this board.  I’m not a strong jibber, and its stiff flex and camber profile is too intimidating for me. Matt has Jibbed with it here and there and likes it, but it’s not ideal and more likely to buck you with this stiff poppy flex.

Pipe

No pipe was built where I was riding, but I would have loved to take this through the pipe and carve some walls. With the TFA, it was a lot of fun.

Jumps

The Capita Mercury has a nice, light, snappy, effortless pop to it, and it’s one of those boards that’s fun to ollie off natural features. It’s not a perfect board for hitting kickers like a twin with the same camber profile, but it does a decent job if you aren’t expecting to switch landings as well as regular. If you want to lap the jumps all day that is more the territory for the Outerspace Living and DOA.

Conclusion

So, all in all, the Capita Mercury is a really fun ride for those who like to be aggressive but also want a little less consequence than a traditional camber board. I love this board, and so does our crew.