The Capita Navigator is an all-mountain powder board that’s been on the Capita Snowboards lineup since 2018. Now, in its seventh year of production, it has a few notable upgrades that I wanted to try out here on the East Coast to see how this board performs when you spend more days riding ice than powder.
Here’s what I thought of the Navigator as more of a resort Board (than a powder board).
The Capita Navigator
Summary: Is the Navigator Still Good on Icy Days?
Ultimately, I am going to say no. This board performs better on powder than on ice. It performs well enough to get by, but if you will be riding on ice often, I would recommend getting a board with a bit more grip.
Overall, the Navigator is a decent all-mountain board, even if you are not always riding it in deep pow. The edge hold was only “okay” on ice, though. When the conditions got really slippery, I found my back foot started to slip out of my turns.
That said, if you do get to ride in powder often, this board is an outstanding option specifically for how well it floats. However, if you’re like me and rarely get powder, there are better boards out there for riding on ice or carving through hardpack.
To me, this board felt like it was responsive, but it just didn’t feel locked in on the typical East Coast type of conditions we encounter. It performed well enough to get by, but if you’re an East Coast rider, you’ll want a board with a stronger level of edge hold.
Board Reviewed: 158 Capita Navigator 2025
Price of Board: $649.95
How the Price Compares to Others:
The Capita Navigator costs $106.12 more than the average snowboard price of $543.83.
Our Rating Score: 4 out of 5
How the Capita Navigator Ranks Against Others:
Ranks 37th out of the 37 boards reviewed in the all mountain category.
Who is the Navigator the Right Board For?
This board is for an all-mountain rider who wants a dedicated powder board but still needs their pow board to occasionally cruise on groomers. The Navigator is designed to float and still carve all over the resort.
Who Is the Navigator Not the Right Board For?
Resort riders who ride a lot of ice. The Navigator excels in powder, but its performance on hardpack and icy conditions is mediocre.
Jibbers. This board is designed for all-mountain riding and powder, not for pressing into rails. Its stiffer flexing tail and directional shape won’t make for the best experience on rails or boxes.
Pros
- Excellent Value: Premium, durable construction at a budget-friendly price for a pow all-mountain board. (You can still find last season’s version for around $350, too.)
- True All-Mountain Versatility: Handles groomers, trees, and powder with ease.
- Easy Turn Initiation / Easy to Steer: Easy to turn, steer, and maneuver in all types of conditions.
- Surfy Feel: Fluid and fun to ride in all conditions. You’ll be making slash-type turns all over the resort.
- Noticeably Light and Damp Construction: It’s lighter and less chattery than average, so you can ride it longer without getting tired.
Cons
- Limited Grip to Ice: Can feel too loose in icy conditions, so you’ll need to keep the edges sharp.
- High-Speed Performance Trade-offs: It’s not the most responsive or aggressive at high speeds.
- Maybe Too Stiff for Some: It may feel too stiff for lighter riders or those preferring a softer feel. This board feels like a 6 / 10 flex with a slightly softer nose at 5/10.
The Main Benefits of the Capita Navigator
- Surf-Inspired Shape -This board has a wide and long rocker nose and tapered shape with camber between your feet. This profile and shape combo naturally helps the board float and gives it a surfy yet in-control feel.
The board is designed to ride similar to a surfboard. It’s wider in the front and tapers down to be slightly narrower in the back towards the tail, with your stance set back by .8 of an inch behind the center.- The wider nose and narrower tail make turn initiation feel more natural and less forced (kind of like how a surf board cuts through water)
- The rocker-shaped nose helps with turn initiation and makes the board have a forgiving feel, so you won’t need to be precise with your turns or landings.
- Despite being directional, the design is forgiving enough that you can still comfortably ride the switch when needed.
- The wider nose and narrower tail make turn initiation feel more natural and less forced (kind of like how a surf board cuts through water)
- Hyperdrive Base – This is a type of ultra-high molecular weight base material that is engineered for max speeds. This helps you maintain speed through the flat sections while giving the board a smooth glide.
- Versatile (Good for Both Powder & Groomers )– Capita’s Resort V2 Directional Profile is a directional camber dominant profile that offers response, power, and grip at high speeds on groomed runs, choppy terrain, and in pow. This means you’ll get excellent stability and control in all types of conditions.
- Medium Flex Rating (5.5/10) – The middle-of-the-road flex makes this board incredibly versatile. It’s stiff enough to provide stability at speed and power through choppy snow but still soft enough to remain playful and forgiving when you want to get creative with side hits or natural features.
- Dampening / Impact-Absorbing Reinforcement – This board features Technora + Flax Boosters These are aramid fiber strips that act as shock absorbers while also storing and releasing energy during turns for a bit of extra power. This feature makes the board feel damp through really choppy terrain while offering an added level of pop for jumping. Additionally, the use of flax keeps the board lightweight.
My Review Rating of the Capita Navigator Snowboard
| Considerations | Rating Out 5 | Score Out of 100 | Weight / Importance to Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resort Riding / Versatility | 4.00 | 80 | 10 |
| Pop / Power | 3.50 | 70 | 5 |
| Powder | 5.00 | 100 | 30 |
| Carving / Turns | 3.50 | 70 | 10 |
| Responsiveness | 3.50 | 70 | 5 |
| Speed | 4.00 | 80 | 10 |
| Ice / Poor Conditions | 3.00 | 60 | 5 |
| Switch | 2.00 | 40 | 2 |
| Jibs | 3.25 | 65 | 2 |
| Jumps | 3.75 | 75 | 5 |
| Dampness | 3.50 | 70 | 10 |
| Buttering | 3.25 | 65 | 2 |
| Fun to ride | 4.00 | 80 | 4 |
| Weighted Score | 4.0175 | 80.35 | 100 |
Our Rating: 
80.35 out of a possible 100 or 4.0 out of a possible 5 review score for the Capita Navigator 2025.
Photo Gallery From the Navigator Review
Actual Feel of the Flex
- Between your feet, this board felt like it was correctly scored with a 5.5 out of 10 flex. It feels slightly over medium.
- The nose feels noticeably softer and more pressable than the rest of the board at a 4.5 / 10 flex.
- The tail felt slightly stiffer than the center of the board at a 6.5 / 10 flex. It’s possible to tail press, and you’ll just need to put some muscle into it.
- The torsional, toe to heel flex, felt like a consistent 5.5 out of 10 flex.
What I like most about the flex
I like that the nose is playful feeling while the rest of the board is responsive. It allows you to charge while still being able to press or nose butter here and there.
How Does the Capita Navigator Feel to Ride?
This board has a surfy sort of feel that makes you want to make wider cruisy-style turns and slash every single snow mound you find. It’s got a fast base, an extra boost of pop, and a playful, pressable nose that really stands out, but honestly, everything else felt noticeably average to me. So it is an awesome powder or slush board, but at the icy East Coast resorts (like the one I get to ride), it’s going to feel pretty average for most other kinds of riding that we get to do out here.
The board’s responsiveness felt average. Its turning experience is average, and so is its edge hold on ice and even its smoothness on groomers – all feel pretty average when using this as a resort board rather than a powder board.
Powder
Powder is what this board was made for. Its tapered directional shape, soft nose, and parabolic sidecut all work together to make this board ride incredible in deep snow.
Jumping
It felt right at home, hitting small to medium jumps and side hits. It’s got a decent boost of pop off your backfoot, and the rockered nose helped make the landings feel more forgiving than a standard camber board. You can ride away from spins where you would normally catch an edge.
Jibbing Rails & Boxes
Jibbing works to get by. However, it’s not what this board is made to do. The jibbing highlights of the Navigator were more nose pressing a box here and there. While it can nose press, the flex pattern through the rest of the board doesn’t do much to help you balance on the feature.
Buttering
This board is easier to butter off its nose than its tail. The long flexible nose worked well to get a nose butter around. The tail works too, but you’re going to need to put some muscle into it.
Riding Switch
Riding switch here and there works, but it is also not what this is made for. It can ride switch for a few turns or to set up for a cab spin. However, you’ll want to revert around and take it back to regular.
Versatility / Terrain This Works For:
- Excellent: Powder and slush.
- Decent: Groomers.
- Okay: Park (better for jumps than rails).
- Mediocre: Ice and hardpack
Weight of the Board
It felt average to me. It wasn’t too heavy and it didn’t feel noticeably light.
Speed & the Base
The base felt a hair faster than average. It wasn’t the fastest and far from the slowest. It held its glide well even through the flatter sections.
Specs and Sizes Available
| Size (cm) | Effective Edge (mm) | Tip Width (mm) | Waist Width (mm) | Tail Width (mm) | Sidecut Radius (m) | Stance Setback (in) | Stance Range (in) | Stance Range (mm) | Rider Weight (lbs) | Width |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 155 | 1182 | 301 | 252 | 290 | 8.0 / 6.8 / 8.0 | 0.8 | 21 | 533 | 130 – 190 | Regular |
| 158 | 1195 | 305 | 256 | 293 | 8.1 / 7.0 / 8.1 | 0.8 | 22 | 559 | 150 – 200 | Regular |
| 161 | 1222 | 310 | 260 | 297 | 8.3 / 7.2 / 8.3 | 0.8 | 23 | 584 | 160 – 210 | Regular |
| 164 | 1238 | 315 | 264 | 301 | 8.5 / 7.4 / 8.5 | 0.8 | 23 | 584 | 170 – 220 | Regular |
| 167 | 1249 | 322 | 268 | 307 | 8.7 / 7.6 / 8.7 | 0.8 | 23 | 584 | 180 – 230+ | Regular |
How Does the Capita Navigator Compare to the Capita Mercury Snowboard?
Navigator is the right board if you’ll be riding in deep snow more than on groomers, and the Mercury is the right board from a versatility standpoint. The Mercury offers the stronger performance as an all-mountain / resort board. It can float, but the Navigator floats better. In other words, if you’re looking for a Powder board the Navigator will win out. Outside of floating in pow, though, the Mercury is the more versatile board for resort riders.
- Navigator: Rips in deep snow and slush. It’s got a surfy feel for pow slashing.
- Navigator: Less versatile in resort conditions, average in turning, edge hold on ice, response.
- Mercury: More all-mountain performance, good in park and groomers.
- Mercury: Better edge hold, more response, smoother transitions than Navigator, more fun on groomers and in the park.
Which Bindings go well with the Capita Navigator Snowboard?
The newly upgraded Union Force Bindings pair very well with the Capita Navigator.
Where Can You Buy a Capita Navigator?
You can get the Navigator at EVO, Capita’s Amazon Store, or REI.
There’s also a really good discount deal on last year’s version of this board at here at SunandSki.
About the Reviewer
Rider Name: Steve Weber
Field Test Notes: I rode the 158 2025 Capita Navigator at the EWSRA on snow demo in Stratton VT on February 1st 2024.
Rider Experience Level: Intermediate to advanced
Rider’s Preferred Terrain: The park with small to medium sized features (I
Size / Model: The board I reviewed was a 2025 Capita Navigator in the 158cm size.
Bindings Used: The 2025 Union Force Bindings
Rider Weight: 142lbs
Rider Age: 41
Why Trust This Review?
With over 15 years of park riding experience here on the icy East Coast, I know what it takes to have a safe and fun time out on the mountain. I’m an intermediate park rider who can relate to riders of all skill levels. I’ve been writing in-depth reviews just like this one for the past four years, and my main goal with this review is simply to help you find the right board.
I write these reviews as a “for the fun of it” project. They are as unbiased as I can be for someone who tends to ride in an area with icier conditions.
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Thanks for reading and good luck out there!
Steve Weber is the passionate snowboarder, skateboarder, and author behind Board of the World. He understands that most gear reviews focus on having the perfect snow conditions, but his testing methodology is different. Living in Pennsylvania, Steve describes exactly how a board performs when the conditions aren’t perfect. His reviews cover performance on ice, hardpack, and flat-out brick conditions. In other words, he reviews boards for the conditions that East Coast riders actually face.
Bringing 27 years of East Coast snowboarding and 21 years of skateboarding experience, Steve is a 42-year-old intermediate park rider. His recommendations are informed by decades of battling icy conditions, ensuring every review accounts for the board’s performance on the roughest of terrain.
For the last five years, Steve has poured his passion into writing in-depth, unbiased reviews that help riders make informed decisions about the gear they’ll use. He also works part-time at a snowboard shop in Northeastern Pennsylvania, which gives him a direct line to learning about the new gear tech months in advance. When he’s not writing reviews, Steve is often found riding at Montage Mountain and testing out new boards.
Steve’s goal with Board of the World is simple: to help every reader find the right gear so they can have fun outside from the first time they use it.