Capita Mercury

Capita Mercury Review

The Capita Mercury is a slightly set back, all terrain board that is lightweight, fast and really fun wherever I rode it. It is on the higher end, more expensive set of Capita boards, but I think this one is worth it, for my style of riding.

Features of the Capita Mercury

Resort V2 Profile
There is a traditional camber section for most of the board, with reverse camber on the nose and tail. The camber section keeps it stable and poppy, and the reverse camber section helps with float in deep snow.

6.5/10 Flex
Capita give the Mercury a rating of 6.5 out of 10, though to me it feels stiffer.

FSC Certified Panda Core
Based on the P2 Superlight core, which is made up of an even mix of Poplar and Paulownia wood, to get a balance between pop while still having a smooth flex. The Panda Core version saves some weight and adds extra pop by adding two Bamboo Power Rods. It is FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified, which means that the wood comes from managed forests that, have sustainable harvest levels and quick regeneration.

Amplitex V-Tech Amplifier
These are a mix between a natural flax fiber, that is woven with carbon strands. The carbon is strong and reactive, and the flax is lightweight and damp (absorbs vibrations). They are only found on the high end Capita boards.

Holysheet Triax/Triax Fiberglass
With a higher glass to weight ratio than normal fiberglass, it means that it is stronger and more responsive without being heavier.

Magic Bean Resin
Made up of 60% renewable, agricultural raw materials, it is plant based, and is made without waste or greenhouse emissions.

Hyperdrive Base
The fastest base that Capita make, that is a sintered material that has added carbon.

New Age Directional Sidecut with Death Grip
It is a progressive sidecut, with a small reverse arc that adds an extra contact point in the middle of the sidecut for extra grip. Only found on the Mercury.

Multitech Level 6 DeepSpace Silkscreen

PAM16000 Topsheet with Metallic Underlay

Die-Cut Base
Saves on waste, for example one board will have a mainly black base with white logo, while the next board will have a mainly white base with black writing.

PLT Topsheet Technology

360 Degree HRC48 Steel Edges
Steel edges that run the whole way around the board.

Full ABS1000 Sidewalls

Stainless Steel 4 x 2 Inserts
Plain old regular inserts. You can mount any 4×4 or 4×2 bindings on this board.

How the mercury Rides

Board size: 157cm

Boots: Salomon Launch Boa SJ 27.5 / Vans Infuse / Burton Photon Step On

Bindings: Burton Cartel / Step On X

This review is based on me riding the 157cm 2020 model. I bought the Mercury without testing it, but I had only heard good things about it from people who have similar riding styles to me, so I was fairly confident that I would like it. I was looking to get a new board to replace my regular daily board, the Salomon Ultimate Ride. There was nothing wrong with it, just time for a change.

I’ve been riding this in BC, Canada, in everything from fresh deep powder, to hard-packed and windblown snow and ice. So far I would have around 60-70 days of riding on it.

Camber Profile

The Resort V2 Profile is a pretty good option for a do it all board, and has a good balance of rocker and camber. Coming from a (almost) full camber board, I was interested to see how this would ride, as I am used to a pretty long effective edge, and a very stable feel. Even though I was riding a longer size Mercury than I regularly ride (157 instead of 155), it still has a decent and solid feel. With the rocker nose and tail, less of the actual board touches when you are riding on hard-packed snow, so it still feels easy to move around, while still being stable.

Flex and Pop

The Mercury has a medium flex rating, that Capita rate as a 6.5/10. Of course that only applies if you are within the recommended weight ranges, and for the 157cm they have a weight guide of 59-86kg, and I weigh 72kg, so I am right in the middle of their range. The medium flex suits my riding really well, it is definitely stiff enough to be able to charge through chopped up powder and rough terrain, without feeling like a stiff plank. The pop is really good, better than I would expect for a board with rocker in nose/tail. It flexes nicely, and pushes back strongly with a nice snap.

Edge Hold

The edge hold is pretty good, not as reliable or “grippy” as a full camber board, but still quite good. I can still ride fast into a turn and be confident it will hold without a problem. In the middle of the sidecut there is the “Death Grip” little bump, which is hard to see unless you look directly down the sidecut, but I assume that it is helping give some extra edge hold.

Float

The Mercury has pretty decent float for a board that isn’t too far off a twin board. The reverse camber nose does give a little lift in deep snow, and if you lean back just a little bit you get a nice surfy feel without much effort.

Speed

Easily one of the best features of the Mercury is the speed. The base is one of the better options from Capita, and it has been nice and quick in all the conditions I have ridden it in. It soaks up wax well, and performs like you would expect from a fairly expensive board.

Pros:

• Fast base
• Lightweight
• Nice medium to stiff flex
• Useful all terrain camber profile

Cons

• Expensive (though it doesn’t seem so expensive now with boards like the Super DOA or Mega Merc)

Overall

Overall, I have been super happy with the Mercury. It has quickly taken the place as my daily board, it does well everywhere. The only thing I haven’t ridden it on is rails, as I don’t know if I want to detune it yet – or at all. Jumps, carving, powder, it does it all nicely.

Really there wasn’t any major cons to the board, but it is a fairly expensive one. The camber profile and core gives enough edge hold and grip for aggressive riding, but the rocker nose and tail mean that it doesn’t have a full on feel like a traditional camber board, so you can be lazy and messy without it catching. It definitely isn’t a beginners board, but if you are an intermediate or better rider, you could probably get quite a lot out of this board.

Being an all-terrain board, there has to be tradeoffs somewhere, and I think that the balance is just about as good as it can get with the Mercury. Enough camber for hard snow, enough rocker for deep snow, enough flex to be fun and reliable without being too stiff, I think it is going to stay as my main board from now on.

After a few years, I haven’t really changed my mind on the Mercury at all. If anything I think it is better than ever. I haven’t been nice to my 157, and it has held up great overall. I normally rotate through a lot of boards, buying and selling to always try something new. I haven’t even considered getting rid of the Mercury, as there isn’t anything that I think that would replace it – but we will see.

Where does the Mercury sit in the Capita Line?

What are similar boards like the Mercury from other brands?

Jones Mountain Twin

Very similar overall, the biggest difference is that the Jones has 3D Base Contour, which means that the nose and tail have some 3d shaping. Read more about the Mountain Twin.

Yes Standard

Quite similar specs overall, though the Standard does have a bit more volume (float), and with the MidBite shape still has a regular waist width. Read more about the Yes Standard.

Capita Mercury Technical Specs

Length	Effective Edge (cm)	Nose/Tail Length (cm)	Waist Width (cm)	Sidecut (m)	Weight Range (lbs)	Weight Range (kg)
153	115.3	29.6	25.3	7.50/1.50/7.50	100-160	45-72
155	116.9	29.9	25.5	7.70/1.50/7.70	120-180	54-81
157	118.5	30.1	25.7	7.85/1.50/7.85	130-190	59-86
159	120.1	30.3	25.9	8.00/1.50/8.00	140-200	63-90
161	121.7	30.6	26.1	8.15/1.50/8.15	160-220+	72-99+

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