CAPiTA Dark Horse 2026

The Dark Horse is Capita's new park-oriented board for 2026, stepping in where the Outsiders left off at a lower price. It rides on Capita's Park V1 profile: traditional camber between your feet that bleeds out to a short zero-camber section about 4 cm before each contact point. That gives you the locked-in edge hold and genuine pop of a cambered board, but with just enough give at the tip and tail to keep the catch risk manageable when you're buttering or pressing a feature. The core is a Dual Core of poplar and beech, light enough to keep swing weight down but with the backbone for clean takeoffs, and two 30 mm carbon aramid boosters run the length of it so there's real snap underfoot when you ollie. You feel it load and release rather than just flex and slap. The flex is the part to understand: it's a stiffer 6/10 nose-to-tail but a noticeably softer 4.5/10 torsionally (toe to heel), so it holds an edge but still lets you wrap and pivot through nose and tail presses. True twin shape, centered stance, so switch feels identical to forward, which is what you want when you're learning to spin both ways or set up jib lines.

This is built for intermediate riders who are starting to spend real time in the park, or on groomers between hits, think small-to-medium kickers, side hits, jibs, with the odd resort lap thrown in. It's a solid first real park board once your edge control is sorted, and $499 keeps it within reach. Be honest with yourself, though. If you're chasing icy groomers at speed or expecting it to power through heavy chop, that soft torsional flex will hand you chatter and uncertainty right when you want to trust the edge. Deep days aren't its thing either, a centered twin with a Park V1 camber profile gives you no float in powder. If you want to charge fast, variable terrain or drop into the backcountry, look at the Capita Navigator instead, it's directional with a setback and tapered tail and the stability to back it up.