Location: Winter Park, CO
Snow Conditions: Hardpacked to icy conditions on the mountain, flat-light riding conditions.
Setup: I rode the Capita Black Snowboard of Death with Union Flite bindings and Vans Veil Boots.
Size: 156cm.
First Impression: The BSOD is back, 10 years later and charging the mountain like the badass board it’s meant to be. It felt like coming home, coming back to a board I loved and what made me a better rider.
Weight: Lighter than average
Flex: I found the Black Snowboard of Death (BSOD) to be torsionally softer, easier than I was expecting to turn and be able to get quick response edge to edge from it. Longitudinally it felt stiffer in the nose and tail so while it was easy to maneuver when you pointed it straight, it charged. Overall it’s a stiffer board but with 10-11 more forgiveness than in previous years. The BSOD is reverse camber freeride FK so positive camber between the feet and then reverse camber from the inserts to the contact points, then flat kicks up on the nose and tail. The feeling is a stable cambered ride with reverse camber to help lift the contact points, float in powder and not impact the freeride capabilities of the board.
Turning: The BSOD has always been a more advanced freeride board but I found the freeride FK version a bit easier to handle than previous years. It was less catchy and easier to put on edge than what I remember from the past BSOD. I found it quick responsive edge to edge, torsionally softer so you could really lay it over into turns short or long radius and it handled them all. The new sidecut grips the snow without feeling locked into a turn and the camber between the feet still has the powerful ride.
Stable: The most noticeable stability from the BSOD was the edgehold, it gripped the snow very well for the first board of the day on some icy/shitty areas of the mountain. There were moments where the forgiveness saved me with the flat light conditions and I could have wrecked but didn’t. When I took it into the pipe, it surprised me by just how well well it rode the walls and never slipping out. On the hardpacked, when I took it faster and through some bumpy areas I didn’t feel flopped around on it and felt stable riding down the mountain especially when going fast on it…it loved being fast.
Pop: I didn’t play with the pop on the BSOD, flat light conditions and my own riding waking up meant cruising fast with it and not playing with it. I took it in the halfpipe where it was held an edge, easy to rotate 180’s and felt comfortable but no big pop tests on this board.
Switch: Easy to manuever into switch riding and being directional was possible to ride switch but not what the board is meant to do all the time. I made a couple turns switch and was stoked to be back to charging regular on it.
Overall Impression: Capita re-introduced the Black Snowboard of Death for their 10 year anniversary and this revamped freeride FK version continues with the qualities that made the original a legendary ride but with an increased better ride for today’s technology. The freeride fk doesn’t lose the freeride focus, the bsod continues to charge the mountain but now lighter and faster than before. To be frank, it’s still a badass board.
Shay’s Honesty Box: If there’s one board that I knew I’d be tough on at the on-snow demos, it was this board because it has a lot to live up to in my opinion and I still own this board so I know how good of a ride it can be. The expectations were upheld and I found myself riding a better improved BSOD with reverse camber, that doesn’t lose the freeride board that is meant to charge the mountain with. I ended up spending the morning riding this board and taking my time enjoying it again, it was like coming home to the BSOD and we enjoyed the ride together. My only complaint was the early morning conditions and the wax on it, made it slow in the flat areas but everywhere else the board did fine.
*This Review was done in February 2010, please be aware that products may change.
On Snow Photo
Capita Black Snowboard of Death description
Review Disclosure: I rode this board at a demo day.
February 10th, 2010 at 8:10 am
hey shay, are you going to be putting up a review on the union flites? thanks!!
February 10th, 2010 at 8:41 am
Great review! Thanks Shay!
I’m looking forward to get some sort of freeride stick able to charge in 2010/2011 and I’ll count the BSOD to be a good choice to make (another one – NS Premier F1).
February 10th, 2010 at 8:43 am
Gr8 review Shay!!
Its such a sexy all mtrn board!! Loves the combo with the blk/gold binding. Good to knw it live up to its bad ass graphic!!
February 10th, 2010 at 9:08 am
Hey Shay!! Thank you so much for this review. I’m very exciting about this board and might get it for next season. I just have couple of questions. What other freeride deck would you recommend me to look into and will you review the Union Flite bindings? Also, very interested on how they perform.
February 10th, 2010 at 10:01 am
Hi Shay,
How do you feel it compares to the Black Death Inc? I remember you tested one of those last year, and if I remember right, you were very positive.
February 10th, 2010 at 10:06 am
I saw the BSOD a Ispo yesterday and it was one of the most impressive boards in the whole trade show. It looks absolutely awesome in every aspect. Big props to Capita!!
February 10th, 2010 at 10:39 am
Shay, are there wide models? I didn’t see any on the sheet (may have been cut off the pic). Anyway a 165 regular looks to be 26.2 and I could probably rock that anyway.
February 10th, 2010 at 10:59 am
No mention of “Death Grip”? They threw an extra contact point into the board in the middle to help with grip. For sure taking this board out as soon as I can. I owned a Black Death Speed Tribe and loved it, but this just seems to good to be true. Killer killer board.
February 10th, 2010 at 5:56 pm
DK, yep Flite’s will be coming soon for a review. Just need to get the product image first.
Ghostovan, definitely one of the big considerations for freeride boards. Everyone that I talked to who also rode it at the demos enjoyed the ride as well.
Jeremy, it lived up to it for sure. Those are the new flite bindings from Union.
Tomasz, Raptor is another freeride board to consider though I’ve been riding the softer version of it and not sure how the stiffer version will be until I ride that but another charger board. I’m putting up a lot of 10-11 info soon so you’ll get to see some other freeride boards coming out soon.
Griff, last year was a good year and they made it better this year…don’t get me wrong last year was solid but I am a fan of reverse camber so I think they made it just a bit more solid by the new tech this year. I definitely want to try it out in powder/more mountain conditions where it deserves to be.
Marcus, awesome loving it at ispo…it’s super fine in person right!
Nolan, no wide models unfortunately but you are right the 165cm is a 26 waist
Lee, haha sometimes I forget the tech names involved and focus on how it rides in the review. It gripped, that pipe wall was icy death in the morning and i had no slipping out, partially the reason I ride pipe with the boards is to see how well it holds on those walls…and sometimes they suck, black death held and could have stayed put haha.
February 10th, 2010 at 7:45 pm
Hey Shay, great review!! Do you know how much the board will retail for next year? Also, is this the only board in cqpita’s 2011 lineup that will have the freeride FK? thanks!!!
February 11th, 2010 at 12:07 am
I have the 09 BDinc and i must say it’s a killer all-mountain board, especially on ice and groomers, i didn’t enjoy it in the powder though….maybe the new BSOD will solve this problem.
Capita seem to do a great job marketing the FK with their freerde FK, they have probably the freestyle/jibbing FK and powder FK on the charlie so they do resemble TBT from bataleon
Great job shay, do you know a simmilar MALE site? i mean i would appreciate some male boots review
February 11th, 2010 at 12:37 am
159 with mc’s. oh yah. thatd be intense.
thanks shay!
February 11th, 2010 at 11:03 am
I think the cost of the board is five hundred and some change. There’s a video where Johan talks about the board and he says the price at the end.
February 11th, 2010 at 11:31 am
I hurt 549 US retail in the USA.. and should be around 649 CAD in Canada
At this retail price, YES snowboard is getting a pretty competition compagny against this model
February 11th, 2010 at 11:59 am
Imn, it’ll retail for $549 US in the fall. Yep it’s the only board in the line up with freeride FK.
Sotha, boot reviews are really up to you…I barely put out boot reviews since so much is dependent upon fit than boot tech. Unless your getting shitty boots, most boot companies out there make a good product but all dependent on fit of the boot.
March 3rd, 2010 at 7:17 pm
Thanks for the awesome review shay. I’m torn over whether to get this board or not. I wont have the opportunity to demo it. The specs are perfect for my size and I want to get a capita but I feel it may be more suited to really charging hard than my riding style while is mainly cruising around the groomers doing small natural jumps, butters etc. I spend a bit of time off piste though. Would love to pick this up.
March 4th, 2010 at 9:56 am
[...] You have to check out the 2011 Capita Black Snowboard of Death. This board is a hybrid camber with positive camber between the feet and flat kick in the tail and nose. THis board has made some huge hype and it will be a very popular board. Review made by Shay. [...]
March 11th, 2010 at 11:04 pm
is it too stiff to go in park? I guess that if i want a board that can do it all (rails, jumps, powder) i should go with the indoor right?
thanks!
April 6th, 2010 at 8:02 am
Best board I’ve ever ridden. Maybe it’s just me (since I’m 6′5′ and 220lbs) but this board it stiff, forgiving, fast and sticks to any conditions in an aggressive turn. The board I’ve been looking for.
Found myself smiling all day. I rode it so long, I wanted to ask the groomers to give me a lift back up the mountain so I could ride all night.
Brilliant….
April 10th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
How would you compare the flex to the YES Great Dudes of History you tested? They seem very similar boards, is the BSOD stiffer?
April 10th, 2010 at 3:17 pm
Big matt, maybe try the indoor survival then.
Vince, Indoor would do it all, BSOD you might find not forgiving enough to ride park all the time with.
Wilky, awesome you got on it too and great to hear you feedback on it!
Alex, BSOD is a lot stiffer than the great dudes, great dudes is more freestyle and BSOD is more freeride so completely different rides. BSOD is more aggressive, faster and more stable while the great dudes is softer, more playful, easier.
April 12th, 2010 at 8:04 pm
Shay, I ha e heard that alog of Capita’s have top sheet issues….. What has been your experience. All the reviews on the BSOD are favorable but……
April 13th, 2010 at 7:26 am
Steven, the only issue I’m aware of was with the 2008 stairmbaster that had topsheet delams from issues at the factory. I’ve never seen topsheet issues with any of the boards I’ve owned from capita including the bsod, ultrafear, or others I’ve ridden.
April 15th, 2010 at 10:24 am
and those issues happened with other companies that used the same materials. besides its just a topsheet. its not like the edge blew out or it turned to dust as soon as it touched snow.
April 18th, 2010 at 4:37 pm
I can’t wait to get my hands on this board. If I’m 5′9, 150 lb, and size 9.5 boots should I go for a 159? I’m thinking about getting 159 BSOD for general all mountain riding and a short-ish indoor for the park+buttering. What do you think of that set up?
April 18th, 2010 at 4:49 pm
edit: I should probably go for the horrorscope instead of the indoor.
April 18th, 2010 at 10:07 pm
Actually Shay, can you recomend me two boards since you are a lot more knowledgeable than me? As stated earlier, I’m 5′9, 150lb, and wear size 9.5 boots. I can probably afford a maximum of 2 board+binding setups. I live in Japan and though I’m moving soon, I’ll probably visit Japan to go snowboarding at least once a year. I think I want one board for shredding the mountain and pow and one board for hte park and buttering. Would a 2011 BSOD and horroscope work?