Capita Defenders of Awesome Snowboard Review

Initial Thoughts: The Capita Defenders of Awesome is a versatile snowboard that is just as fun ripping high speed carves as it is lapping jumps and rails in the park. It has a fairly aggressive all-mountain oriented side cut that allows for natural hard arcing turns as well as carbon stringers and Kevlar in its construction for increased durability and responsiveness. In the end this is a do-it-all style snowboard that is actually capable of doing it all, and thriving wherever you take it.

Carving & Edge Hold: This is one of the two areas that really stand out on this snowboard. The deeper all-mountain oriented side cut creates a really fun carving experience for those of you that enjoy getting on some groomers and laying over some aggressive carves, and also holds an edge very well despite not having any additional contact points.

Flex: Capita hit the nail on the head with a solid medium flex for the Defenders of Awesome, I would say it feels true to about a 5 out of 10 creating a board stable enough to handle higher impact scenarios while not being too stiff for some styled out freestyle riding.

Stability: Pretty average stability for an all-mountain freestyle snowboard. This thing isn’t built for charging steep alpine lines everyday, but can certainly stand up to that scenario if need be. As far as landings on jumps and tricks as well as maintaining stability at high speeds, I think this board provides a level of stability most riders would be happy with.

Butters: I am actually quite surprised at how well this board is able to lock into butters, it may have a medium flex but its not too stiff to get into a styled out press. You can initiate a nice looking butter, and have a nice platform to balance on without too much effort from the DOA; this is a good compromise for the added stability you get out of this type of board. This board also provides some nice pop on the way out of the trick, but more on that below.

Jibbing: The Defenders of Awesome holds it down on rails; I enjoy the feeling of locking into board slides on regular camber boards and the DOA is no exception. It gives off a precise and in control feeling when hitting jibs but also demands that you pay more attention to your edges while hitting rail features. The camber is less forgiving than boards with rocker between the feet. You can also get a nice looking press out of this one but it will require a bit more focus than on some more jib oriented options like the Ultrafear or Horrorscope.

Jumps: This board is great for hitting jumps of all shapes and sizes. Its comfortable and maneuverable on the approach, has good pop for the takeoff and solid stability on landing. The carbon additives in this snowboard definitely work in its favor with regards to jumps.

Pop/Snap: This is the second area that really stands out on this snowboard, and is something that I think separates this board from the rest of the crowd. The carbon stringers in the nose and tail combined with the regular camber profile produces TONS of pop! If you like to ollie things, or enjoy getting that extra bit of boost coming off of a takeoff, you are going to love the Capita DOA.

Recommendations: This is the snowboard for the all-mountain focused rider that likes to dip into the terrain park, or for the freestyle focused rider that appreciates some well executed carves between park laps. Basically, what I am saying is that whether you’re into park or all-mountain cruising this is the snowboard for someone who wants one board to do it all. I would recommend this snowboard to intermediate riders and up due to the stiffer flex and regular camber profile.