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PTO Review
We skied them. Here's how they stack up.
These snowboards span 2 categories (Freeride, All-Mountain Freestyle). Scores reflect each snowboard's intended use — direct comparison across all dimensions may be misleading.
The Matriarch — advanced to expert riders who ride on edge and drive the board - full traditional camber run at a directional 7 rewards technique and punishes a passenger. D.O.A. — riders who want one board that does 90% of everything well. Check the radar chart below to see where each one wins.
Each row compares all boards on one dimension. 🏆 marks the highest score.
| Dimension | The Matriarch | D.O.A. |
|---|---|---|
| Carving | 8🏆 | 7 |
| Park | 5 | 8🏆 |
| Playfulness | 4 | 9🏆 |
| Forgiveness | 2 | 7🏆 |
| Stability | 8🏆 | 6 |
| Powder | 5🏆 | 4 |
Advanced to expert riders who ride on edge and drive the board - full traditional camber run at a Directional 7 rewards technique and punishes a passenger. The 'park to powder' rider especially: a freestyle background moving into natural terrain, side hits, cliffs, backcountry transitions and variable snow, which is CAPiTA's own brief for it. Nose-forward riders who value pop and edge hold over the ability to ride switch, and who want a premium build - SuperCarbon glass, a sintered base, a brand-new core - and will pay $729.95 for construction rather than a bargain. Torstein Horgmo fans who want his first signature board and the two years of prototyping behind it. Riders with US 10.5 boots and up belong on a Wide - the same board, a separate style, the same price.
Beginners and most intermediates: full traditional camber with no rocker at a Directional 7 flex is the least forgiving thing CAPiTA makes, and $729.95 is an expensive place to learn. This is a structural call from profile, flex and price, not a tested one - no beginner has been put on this board in any review we can find - but the construction is demanding and the money is real, and CAPiTA's forgiving boards sit elsewhere in the line. Switch, park-and-jib and true-twin riders: it is directional with a 0.8 in setback and a stiff flex, so the D.O.A. and the twin family are your tools, not this. Deep-powder specialists chasing maximum float: 4 mm of taper on a fully cambered deck is modest, and the Navigator or Kazu Kokubo Pro will out-float it. Value hunters: it sits above the more versatile, more forgiving Mercury at $699.95, and the CAPiTA-value reputation built on the D.O.A. does not apply here. Women shopping for a women's-specific board: CAPiTA files the Matriarch as a men's board, and the women's freeride deck in this range is the Artemis at $679.95 - a woman wanting a women's board should start there, not on a softer default. Riders who never wax, because the sintered base gets slow when it is neglected.
Riders who want one board that does 90% of everything well. Park riders who also rip groomers. Side hit hunters. All-mountain freestyle riders who value pop and versatility.
Beginners — the camber profile demands some technique. Deep powder devotees. Riders who want a dedicated freeride or carving board.
The The Matriarch is best for advanced to expert riders who ride on edge and drive the board - full traditional camber run at a directional 7 rewards. The D.O.A. is best for riders who want one board that does 90% of everything well. park riders who also rip groomers. side hit hunters. The right choice depends on your primary terrain, ability level, and riding style.
The CAPiTA The Matriarch scores highest in Stability at 8/10, making it the strongest all-mountain option. It handles groomers, chop, and variable conditions without losing composure, so it's the best single-snowboard choice for riders who want one board for the whole mountain.
The CAPiTA The Matriarch leads in Carving with a PTO score of 8/10. Its edge grip on hard snow and groomed runs is the strongest in this comparison.
The CAPiTA D.O.A. is the most forgiving option with a Forgiveness score of 7/10. It doesn't punish imperfect technique, making it the easiest snowboard to progress on among these.
Not sure? Ask us.