CAPiTA is one of the few snowboard brands that can point to a building and say: “That's where every board we sell is made.” Not assembled. Not finished. Made— from raw materials to shrink-wrapped product, under one roof, powered entirely by renewable energy. In an industry full of sustainability claims, CAPiTA built a factory to back theirs up.

The Short History

CAPiTA was founded in 2000 by Blue Montgomery. The early years were scrappy — small runs, outsourced manufacturing, a brand finding its voice. By the late 2000s, CAPiTA had built a reputation for creative graphics and solid freestyle boards, but the company hit a wall. Outsourcing production meant limited control over quality, materials, and environmental impact. Montgomery wanted more.

In 2012, CAPiTA opened The Mothership— a purpose-built snowboard factory in Feistritz an der Gail, Austria. It was a massive bet. Building your own factory is expensive, risky, and puts you on the hook for everything. But it also means you control everything. And that was the point.

The Mothership: Why It Matters

The Mothership isn't just a factory with solar panels bolted on as an afterthought. The entire facility was designed from the ground up to run on100% renewable energy— wind and solar power every stage of production. CAPiTA manufactures its own cores, lays its own fiberglass, presses its own boards, and applies its own graphics. Nothing is outsourced.

Why does this matter to you as a rider? Three reasons:

  • Quality control.When you build everything in-house, you catch problems at the source. CAPiTA doesn't discover a bad core layup after 10,000 boards ship — they catch it on the pressing floor.
  • Iteration speed. CAPiTA can prototype, test, and refine a new construction technique without negotiating with a third-party factory. The distance between an idea and a finished board is shorter.
  • Environmental accountability.This isn't a brand buying carbon offsets and calling it green. The Mothership's energy footprint is the real thing. FSC-certified wood cores, bio-based resins, solvent-free sublimation printing. The factory is the environmental statement.

A lot of brands talk about sustainability. CAPiTA spent millions building a factory to actually do it. That distinction matters.

The Technology

CAPiTA doesn't chase gimmicks. Their tech is rooted in materials science and proven construction methods, refined year over year in a factory they control.

Wood Cores

Every CAPiTA board uses an FSC-certified wood core. Most models use a blend of hardwoods selected for specific flex and pop characteristics. The D.O.A. and Super D.O.A. use a lightweight paulownia and poplar core (P2 Superlight). The Mercury uses a denser core profile for stability at speed. CAPiTA can dial this in precisely because they're milling their own cores in-house.

Bio-Based Resins

Traditional snowboard resins are petroleum-based. CAPiTA has been steadily replacing these with bio-based alternatives — plant-derived resins that reduce the petroleum footprint without sacrificing bond strength or durability.

Quantum Drive Bases

CAPiTA's sintered base material absorbs and holds wax better than extruded alternatives. The result is faster, more durable bases that maintain their glide longer between wax jobs. On PNW snow — which tends to be wet and slow — a good base matters more than people think.

The Lineup

CAPiTA keeps their line focused. No 47 models with confusing overlaps. Each board has a clear purpose and a clear audience.

D.O.A. (Defenders of Awesome)

The D.O.A. is CAPiTA's flagship and one of the most awarded freestyle boards in history. It's a true twin with hybrid camber— camber between the feet for pop and edge hold, rocker at the tip and tail for catch-free spins and butters. Medium flex. The board that does everything from park laps to all-mountain charging.

If you ask most freestyle riders to name the benchmark twin, the D.O.A. comes up more than anything else. It's earned that reputation through consistent performance, not marketing. See how it compares to the Burton Custom.

Super D.O.A.

The expert-level twin. Same hybrid camber profile as the D.O.A. but with a stiffer flex, carbon stringers, and a more aggressive sidecut. This is the board for riders who've outgrown the D.O.A.'s medium flex and want more response and stability at speed. It rewards precise, powerful riding.

Mercury

CAPiTA's directional all-mountain board. If the D.O.A. is the freestyle benchmark, the Mercury is the freeride counterpart. Setback stance, directional shape, stiffer flex — it's built for riding fast in one direction and handling variable terrain with composure. Powder days, steep chutes, high-speed groomers. Mercury vs. Burton Custom breakdown.

Pathfinder

The entry point. Softer flex, flat camber profile, forgiving at low speeds. If you're buying your first board and want to grow into the CAPiTA ecosystem, the Pathfinder is where you start. It won't challenge you — and that's exactly the point for a beginner or early intermediate.

Spring Break Series

The weird ones — in the best way. Surf-inspired shapes, short and wide profiles, playful flex patterns. The Spring Break boards are for riders who want to slash powder like a wave, butter through trees, and generally treat the mountain like a skatepark. Not your daily driver for most people, but an absolute blast as a quiver board.

The Union Connection

CAPiTA and Union Binding Company share a parent company. This isn't just a corporate footnote — it means the boards and bindings are designed and tested together. The insert patterns, flex profiles, and response characteristics are engineered as a system. A D.O.A. with Union Strata bindings isn't just a popular combo; it's a combo that was literally developed side by side.

You don't have to run Union bindings on a CAPiTA board. Any 4x4 insert binding works. But the pairing is more intentional than most brand partnerships in snowboarding.

Who CAPiTA Is For

CAPiTA riders tend to care about where their gear comes from and how it's made. They want a board built in a dedicated factory with real environmental commitments — not one assembled alongside furniture in a contract facility overseas. They want performance that backs up the story.

If you're the kind of rider who researches construction methods, reads about core materials, and actually cares whether your board's manufacturer treats environmental responsibility as more than a bullet point on a hang tag — CAPiTA is your brand. The performance is genuine. The D.O.A. wins awards because it rides well, not because of green credentials. The Mercury competes head-to-head with any directional all-mountain board on the market. The sustainability is a bonus on top of legitimately excellent snowboards.

Who CAPiTA Is Not For

Budget shoppers.CAPiTA boards are priced at the upper end of the market. The Mothership is an expensive facility to operate, and that cost is reflected in retail prices. If you're looking for the best value per dollar, there are more affordable options from brands manufacturing overseas.

Pure beginners.Outside of the Pathfinder, CAPiTA's line is aimed at intermediate to advanced riders. If you're still learning to link turns, a rental setup or a purpose-built beginner board from any brand will serve you better than a D.O.A.

Riders who don't care about provenance.If where your board is made and how it's made genuinely doesn't matter to you — and that's a perfectly valid position — then CAPiTA's main differentiator won't resonate. You're paying a premium for something you don't value.

Our Take

We carry CAPiTA because the product backs up the story. Too many brands lead with marketing and hope the product catches up. CAPiTA built the factory first, then let the boards speak. The D.O.A. is on our wall because it's one of the best freestyle boards made — full stop. The Mercury is there because it handles PNW conditions beautifully. The fact that they're built in a solar-powered facility in Austria is the cherry on top.

Browse our CAPiTA selection, or read our head-to-head comparisons: