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The Capita Birds of a Feather is a camber-centric snowboard that feels at home across the vast majority of the mountain. This all-mountain freestyle board has a true twin shape, providing decent edge hold and float. It's the perfect companion for the lady snowboarder out there with an aggressive riding style that wants to send it across the mountain in all snow conditions without needing a quiver full of boards to do it.
Updated Graphics
Capita refreshed the topsheet for the Birds of a Feather board since we purchased our test model. The current graphic is pictured above.
Not the best edge hold, struggles to float on the deepest days
Not the best board for powder
Not the best beginner board
Not the best for jibbing
Not as much pop as other boards
Bottom Line
A twin board for aggressive riders but definitely isn’t for everyone
Earning the highest honor, it did exceptionally well in all our tests
If you want the best of the best all-mountain board, it’s hard to find a better option
A versatile all-mountain board for intermediate to advanced riders with a more aggressive riding style
A fantastic all-mountain snowboard that won’t break your budget
Rating Categories
Capita Birds of a F...
Gnu Ladies Choice
Yes. Hel Yes - Women's
Never Summer Lady West
GNU Klassy
Edge Hold(25%)
7.0
9.0
9.0
9.0
8.0
Powder Performance(20%)
7.0
8.0
9.0
9.0
8.0
Stability(20%)
8.0
9.0
9.0
9.0
9.0
Playfulness(20%)
9.0
9.0
9.0
8.0
8.0
Pop and Jumping(15%)
9.0
10.0
9.0
8.0
8.0
Specs
Capita Birds of a F...
Gnu Ladies Choice
Yes. Hel Yes - Women's
Never Summer Lady West
GNU Klassy
Shape
True Twin
Asymmetrical
Directional Twin
Directional Twin
Directional
Camber/Rocker
Hybrid
Hybrid
Hybrid
Fusion Rocker Camber
Hybrid
Flex
5/10
4/10
7/10
3-5/10
6.5/10
Tested Length
152
148.5
155
153
155
Measured Weight (Tested Length)
5.6 lbs.
5.6 lbs.
5.4 lbs.
5.8 lbs.
6.2 lbs.
Available Lengths
140, 142, 144, 146, 148, 150, 152, 154
142.5, 145.5, 148.5, 151.5, 153.5
146, 149, 152, 155
144, 147, 149, 151, 153, 156
145, 148, 151, 155
Core Material
Poplar and beech wood
Aspen, Colombian Gold, and poulownia wood
Poplar, paulownia, and bamboo wood
NS SuperLight Wood Core
Aspen and paulownia wood
Waist Width
24.4 cm
24.2 cm
24.4 cm
24 cm
24.7 cm
Radius
7.8
8.2/7.9
7.3
7.42
8
Show full specification detailsHide full specification details
Our Analysis and Test Results
While the Capita Birds of a Feather may be a true jack-of-all-trades, it holds to the phrase and is a master of none. This versatile snowboard does well across the mountain but fails to hold its own against more niche boards in certain conditions, like exceptionally steep and icy hardpack or the deepest powder days.
Performance Comparison
The Capita Birds of a Feather has decent edge hold but can start to slip if you hit an icy patch on steep terrain.
Credit: David Wise
Edge Hold
The Birds of a Feather got off to an alright start in our first and most important testing metric. Unfortunately, it can't quite compare to the top-tier boards when it comes to edge hold, which is responsible for 25% of the overall score.
This board has a little more flex and lacks the newer serrated edges prevalent on many of the newest boards on the market. It springs in and out of turns decently well, but we found it to be a little shaky and skid a bit if we were going fast on particularly steep and icy snow.
This board floats alright but we would probably leave it behind on the deepest days.
Credit: David Wise
Powder Performance
After edge hold, our next metric focused on how well the Birds of a Feather flew through the deepest snow. This metric accounts for 20% of the final score for each snowboard, with the Birds of a Feather delivering somewhat lackluster results.
This camber twin snowboard can take some practice to get used to in the deeper snow, and we generally found that it couldn't hang with the directional boards with setback stances on the biggest powder days. However, experienced riders who are very familiar with this type of camber can still have fun but we usually would opt for a different board for pow days.
While it isn't the best at speed, we were pleasantly surprised with how this board handled when we gave it some gas.
Credit: David Wise
Stability
After riding both powder and ice, we had a fairly good idea of how stable each of these boards is at speed and how well they did when riding through crud or other choppy snow. While we might not have been incredibly enamored with the Birds of a Feather when it came to powder or edge hold, we were pleasantly surprised with how it handled itself when we opened up the throttle.
This board is a great companion for ladies with a fast and aggressive riding style. The Birds of a Feather is stiff enough that we didn't have too much of an issue with it fluttering or flapping when we gave it the gas, contrary to its name. It doesn't have too much of an issue when the snow gets tracked out, cutting through rougher snow without too much chaos. However, it can get a little turbulent if you go through some really rough patches, failing to punch through like a directional setback board might.
The Birds of a Feather gives a super fun, comfortable ride.
Credit: David Wise
Playfulness
The Birds of Feather continued its upward flight in the scores with a strong performance in our playfulness metric, which also accounts for 20% of its final score. We awarded points based on how fun, nimble, and maneuverable each board is, as well as its overall feel while riding.
We found the Capita has plenty of spring and does alright with short radius turns but we feel the flat section does hinder as you are going edge to edge. It's flexy enough that you can butter without too much effort, but we overall felt that the flat sections of this board put a little more of a damper on our fun than we would have liked. Don't get us wrong, it's still a super fun twin board, just not quite the best.
True to its name, we could tell this board wanted to take flight with zero hesitation.
Credit: David Wise
Pop and Jumping
Our final round of tests looked at how well the Birds of a Feather did at taking flight, which is responsible for the residual 15% of the final score. This board delivered another solid performance, earning one of the better scores of the entire group.
While the flat sections of this board with zero camber were definite hindrances in our mind for most of our other metrics, these sections give this board plenty of pop whenever you go to ollie. It feels great off jumps and in the air — flying just as well as the owl on the top sheet — and is stiff enough that stomping the landing isn't too bad. It wouldn't be our first choice for a park board but can handle the occasional box or rail without too much of an issue.
Value
This board typically retails for a bit less than most of the other boards. It's a fairly attractive option if you are shopping on a budget and are looking for a board that leans a bit more towards the freestyle side of snowboarding (compared to the freeride side of things).
Conclusion
While the Birds of a Feather might not have been our favorite board when it came to big mountain riding, it is quite fun to ride and feels great once it takes flight. It's a good choice for anyone who wants an aggressive twin board and knows how to handle its camber-heavy profile. It isn't necessarily our quiver killer of choice to recommend if you aren't already very familiar with this style of snowboard.
When selecting a snowboard, it's important to consider not...
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