Positives
- Stable and Forgiving
- Easy To Butter
- Good Pop for such a mellow camber
Negatives
- Turns slow for it's width
- Bucks Alot In Uneven Soft Snow
- Marketed as A Freeride Board
Summary
These days, there are many boards that set back more in pow for better directional float and have more camber for carving/getting air vs. the Capita Mercury. It also bucks and bounces around too much for my taste in soft uneven snow. That being said it's still a very fun, forgiving ride for those who primarily want to ride centered. Update 2025: The 2023-2025 Capita Mercury is the same exact model. The only difference is the paint job, so this review still stands.Where To Buy
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Riding Style | All Mountain |
Riding Level | Intermediate - Expert |
Fits Boot size (US) | 8-10, 10-12 |
Manufactured in | Austria at The Mothership |
Shape | Twinish |
Camber Profile | Hybrid Camber |
Stance | Setback -12.5mm |
Approx. Weight | Feels Normal |
Split | No |
On Snow Feel | |
Turn Initiation | |
Skidded Turns |
Flex | |
Buttering | |
Edge Hold |
Where To Buy
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Blauer Board Shop
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Tactics
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BlueTomato Belgium
BlueTomato France
BlueTomato Sweden
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SnowCountry
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Capita Mercury 2023-2025 Snowboard Written Review Review by The Good Ride
A Detailed Breakdown Of How the Capita Mercury It Rides And Who It Is For
How This Review Happened:
I Borrowed the Capita Mercury for an extended demo and sent it back.
Size: 157
Days: 4 on the 2023 but many on similar past models.
Conditions: Firm but fun Sierra snow and varied cascade snow.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-190lbs), Davey (Size 12, 240lbs, 6’4”)
Boots: Burton Kendo, Burton Ion
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Atlas, Union Force
Redunancy: Strapins in my pant pocket.
Jacket: Jones Mtn Surf Anorak, Jones Shralpinist Stretch Jacket, Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Tusk Jacket, Volcom Guide Jacket, Burton Gore-Tex 3L Treeline Jacket, Jones Peak Bagger Jacket. Burton AK Helitak Gore-Tex Jacket
Pant: Jones Mountain Surf Bib, Jones Shralpinist Stretch Bib, 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 Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove, Drop Tahoma Mitt,
Similar Boards (but not the same):Korua Otto, Lib Tech Terrain Wrecker, 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,
James’s Set Up: 21.5” Wide. Sance Angles +18/-9 in the past when I rode it in pow, +15/-15 for groomers. Close to Reference on groomers and Set all the way back in powder.
Davey’s Set Up: 23” Wide. Sance Angles +18/-9. Close to Reference on groomers
Approximate Weight
The Capita Mercury is pretty light. It’s definitely on the lighter side of normal to even straight up light. (We don’t put in the exact weight because with wood cores there is no consistency in a boards weight)
Sizing
Here are some ideal US boot sizes for the Capita Mercury’s. You can of course go bigger or smaller depending on your riding style and boot’s footprint, but these work best for not turning the board slower than it should be and not having the dreaded Toe & Heel Drag.
147: 7-8
150: 7.5-8.5
153: 8.5-9.5
155: 9-10
157: 9.5-10.5
159: 10-11
161: 10-11
156w: 10-11
160w: 11-12
164w: 11.5-12.5
For weight I would stay close to Capita’s recommended weight ranges or even a little under. If it comes down to boot size or weight, I would still make sure it fits your boot first before weight.
Shape/Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level
The Capita Mercury has that shape that has an almost twin like outline but then has a set back on sidecut and board. It seems like it might have a slightly directional sidecut but not 100% sure there. Regardless, you can weight your turns any way you please. Front foot, center weighted or back foot weighted at the end of the turn is fine.
The camber profile of the Capita Mercury is pretty forgiving and goes just a bit past the inserts before transitioning to a good bit of rocker before the tip/tail. It’s forgiving but very stable.
Flex Personality
The Capita Mercury is a pretty forgiving but you sacrifice some pop to have all that rocker. Still, it is very poppy for a hybrid camber profile. You get more pop from boards like the Indoor Survival that’s almost full camber but it is far less forgiving.
Uneven Terrain
In hard micro-bumpy snow the Capita Mercury is pretty competent but it does buck pretty hard in softer uneven snow.
Edge Hold
In the past I found the Capita Mercury to not hold as well. There might have been a slight tweak to the edges or sidecut to give this a little more grip. It held very well in some emerging snowment.
Speed/Base Glide
The Capita Mercury can clown shoe a little bit but it’s pretty good for moderate to even pretty aggressive straight lines. You can feel the way the sidecut is made to allow a straight line into any size kicker.
The base glide is pretty fast. Not quite as fast as the Mega Mercury but still really fast. Capita has been doing really great things with base glide. I would like to see less structure though as it can feel a little grabby in some conditions.
Turning Experience/Carving
The Capita Mercuy is not that fast edge to edge but when you get it on edge it is more balanced but still not super turny. Engaging in a carve is satisfying but not on the same level as many boards in Capita’s line with more camber.
Powder
I didn’t get the Capita Mercury in powder this time but I have with pretty much the same shape, set back on board and camber profile in the past. It floats pretty well for those who want a more centered ride in pow but still want to have a little more set back on board when it’s deep. If you want a real floaty true twin go with the Spring Break Powder Twin but you do have compromises with such a wide board on groomers if you are a regular boot size.
Switch/Pipe/Jumps
Not asym twin or true twin perfect but really good. If you ride switch a lot like I do this is a great one board quiver choice. Great for kickers but I never liked this in the pipe. You can jib with it pretty well too. Not a super jibber but pretty good.
Conclusion
So the Capita Mercury hasn’t changed much over the last few years. They have just refined little things. The only reason I got this again was to have it to compare it to the Mega Mercury but I thought what the hell…update the old review in our new format as well. It did seem to have a little better edge hold and a faster base so I’m glad I did.
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Capita Mercury Past Reviews
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.
Capita Mercury Specs
Capita Mercury Images
Capita Mercury User Reviews
Little background, I’m an advanced rider who enjoys all mountain riding, some back country and powder, but mostly groomers and resorts in the Nottheast. I will take a couple laps through the park but I prefer to bomb and carve most of the day. I’ve been using a beginner board for years as I didn’t know the intense benefit that came from having a board designed for more skill. I way out rode the beginner board so I bought this, and holy sh*t! I see the inspiration behind the design because this is a rocket! It handles speed and carves with no chatter, locks in on carves (I can hold a carve while sliding my forearm against the ground). And has great edge to edge control. I’ve gone over 60mph and had no worry about the board failing or slipping out. I’ve done some jumps in the park and no complaints there. The one thing I didn’t do well in is moguls given it’s a bit stiffer than I’m used to, but those are hard on boarders regardless. I also had to drastically change my stance from what I’m used to in order to fit the aggressive nature of this board- I was riding with slight duck stance before but now I have both bindings in a forward position (+18, +6). I totally recommend!!!
Good but i prefer traditional camber
Some background (Me: 6'2", 170 lbs, size US10 boots): I've been riding for over 20 years, riding the whole mountain on traditional camber boards.
Have been riding a full camber 162.5 Stepchild Corporate since 2011, which i loved, but which is starting to noodle out a bit.
So i bought a 2019 159 Mercury last season as i wanted to try something different but still something with precision and control for going full throttle.
Adjusting to the Mercury was difficult at first, traditional camber engages quicker than camrock. The Mercury felt super playful, even uncontrolled at first, before i learned how to engage the edge better. When on edge there was a lot of control and going fast was no issue.
I rode it a few days in pow (float was great!), pipe and park. It managed to do everything well, buttering in comparison to my Corporate was relatively easy.
But in direct comparison riding both boards on the same day i realized that i prefer the direct precision and control of
traditional camber, it was also easier on my knees as it was much more stable.
So in the end i sold the Mercury. I guess i'm just an oldschool camber guy. Might try a 162 DC Space Echo next.
Happy
Great endorphin release at high speeds. This board contributes to my overall level of happiness.
I checked the box therefore I am human.
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