The Official CAPiTA Thread

[SJF_NH]

Got some time on the Aeronaut. Great board that does exactly what it says on the wrapper. Just a really good time zooming around the resort jumping off stuff and making those short tight (but not laid out) carves. Very nimble and easy to control and ultra sendable. One of those boards that constantly whispers in your ear "you can clear that gap, you're not that old, you will look so cool, no speed checks".

The 157 felt a bit small for me. When trying to carve hard I could lose the edge quite easily. But thats not what it's for. Staying light on your feet and bouncing around the mountain is what its all about and it does it very well.

Younger me loves this board
Older me's brain loves this board
Older me's body is seriously concerned about this board

i wish my 161 wasn't dead so i could ride it b2b with the banked country. similar sentiments to you, although i can't seem to accept my body aging . injuries take a lot longer to recover from, and i've had a few stupid ones this winter.

love the dampness of the BC, but the aero was just as fun to charge on with a bit more pop, imo.

I rode it back to back with the BC 159 (my weird old shape/new graphics one) on a big mountain in the Alps, so basically every condition, often in one run, including park and pipe. As an all day, all conditions ride I prefer the BC as it's smoother, more confident at speed, grippier on hard snow and is better in pow. I'm struggling to accept the transition to freeride dad but there's no doubt it's a board more befitting my 46 years. It makes staying on the ground look and feel good but is still comfortable in the air.

In the right snow conditions the Aeronaut is more fun for sure but on hard morning groomers, icy off-piste traverses and run-outs, beaten up afternoon snow it was hard work. If I lived very near a mountain and could ride hard for a few hours a day on a regular basis I'd go Aeronaut and probably add a proper pow board for the deepest days.

This tracks with my experience exactly. I rode my BC 159 (both old and new versions) against my Aero on same day conditions on quite a few days last season. The Aero is definitely livelier and in really good snow I prefer the sidecut/turn shape it would make over the Banked. But maybe because our conditions are rarely that good, I'd choose the BC over the Aero 99 times out of 100, and most definitely in the steeps and/or chunky snow.

[YukonCornelius]

well, the universe works in strange ways.

i was in rush to get up to the mountains late this morning, and forgot several things. i didn't bring any boards with me and don't have any up in the mountains. thankfully i had an old pair of Ions in my truck, and ended up picking up a 57 aeronaut and union ultra's at a great discount. i forgot how much i loved this board last season, and had a fantastic day at the hill. it is crazy how lightweight and twitchy it is compared to the banked country (and how used to the damp go mach 1 million down the fall line tendency), but it is my favorite jumping board i've owned. will be a fun quiver with these two plus my transition finder.

[C.Fuzzy]

The mervin dampness vs another brands liveliness always has me going this is better, no, this is better.

[Kevington]

The mervin dampness vs another brands liveliness always has me going this is better, no, this is better.

I’m stuck on that exact pendulum.

Please tell me the board that is right in the middle and I’ll be very happy.

[C.Fuzzy]

The mervin dampness vs another brands liveliness always has me going this is better, no, this is better.

I’m stuck on that exact pendulum.

Please tell me the board that is right in the middle and I’ll be very happy.

Probably will just have muted qualities of both and therefore be unremarkable in both directions.

Or, in a sense mervin sits in the middle between the extreme dampness of NS and the rest. Maybe it is the middle ground.

[Jean77]

Mervin might be damp, it's also heavy, slow (need to get a basetune after you buy it new), poor construction (delams after delams,..) I own some Mervin boards but I've given up on them, the love/hate relationship is over for me. I'd rather buy a good board, better base, overall better construction for less money than a Mervin board. That's my opinion ofcourse.

[C.Fuzzy]

Mervin might be damp, it's also heavy, slow (need to get a basetune after you buy it new), poor construction (delams after delams,..) I own some Mervin boards but I've given up on them, the love/hate relationship is over for me. I'd rather buy a good board, better base, overall better construction for less money than a Mervin board. That's my opinion ofcourse.

It's a Mervin thing, you wouldn't understand...?

[Kevington]

Anyone want to swap a 159 Aeronaut (either season) for my 2024 157?
Also, is anyone running Ultras a la Arthur on their Aero? @Jean77 put up a sweet link in the deals thread and I might cop.

[SprockingCrail]

I’ve run the Ultra and the Force on mine, I prefer the Force. New Force is the perfect binding for me.

[YukonCornelius]

Anyone want to swap a 159 Aeronaut (either season) for my 2024 157?
Also, is anyone running Ultras a la Arthur on their Aero? @Jean77 put up a sweet link in the deals thread and I might cop.

i run ultra's on my 57, love them. i've been running stiffer bindings for years (Now Drive's and Burton Genesis's) and love the feel these bindings have. i had now drive's on my 161 aero which were probably extreme overkill, i like this new setup much more. it is much nicer for doing tricks and feels much more skate-esque of a setup. also running this in much softer boots (2023 burton ion leathers with 150 days or so on them i estimate).

as for your earlier comment on the pendulum between the BC and the aero, i know how you feel. right now, i am super stoked on how the aero handles/behaves and it is much more exciting to me than the BC, probably just recency bias. the damp destroyer of everything in front of it will certainly have it's uses, and i'm curious what my preferences will be next season. probably will ride the aero the rest of the season at this point