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Developed in collaboration with all-terrain powerhouse Arthur Longo, the Capita Aeronaut is a directional all-mountain board built for riders who view the entire mountain as an aerial playground. Commended by reviewers as a premier all-mountain deck, it blends old-school high-camber power with a modernized shape, built specifically to launch off side hits, blast through transition, and carve at full throttle. The Aeronaut relies on Capita’s Alpine V3 profile, which features a massive section of positive camber extending past the inserts into a small rockered section in the tip and tail. This gives the deck immense energy, explosive pop, and exceptional edge hold. When you load the tail to pop over a roller or gap a cat track, the return of energy is immediate and powerful. Despite its directional shape and slightly tapered outline, it lands switch cleanly and handles high-speed groomer carves with rock-solid stability. Because of its stout camber profile and focused design, the Aeronaut is not meant for timid riders or slow-paced exploration. It demands deliberate edge engagement and strong legs to compress the core. In deep, low-angle powder, the board requires active rear-foot pressure to keep the nose above snow, making it better suited for steep soft snow or side-hit hunting than flat, bottomless powder fields. **Highlights** - High-camber profile delivers explosive pop off side hits and rollers - Directional shape with slight taper carves cleanly and stomps landings - Fast, durable sintered base maintains speed across flat sections - Excellent torsional stability through high-speed compressions **Watch-outs** - Stiff, camber-dominant profile catches easily if technique falters - Requires high speed and steep terrain to float effectively in powder
Pros
- Explosive snap and energy return from deep traditional camber
- Remarkable edge hold and tracking stability at terminal velocity
- Wide sizing options prevent boot drag on aggressive carves
- Durable sintered base maintains speed into flat sections
Cons
- Unforgiving flex profile punishes lazy technique and backseat riding
- Requires high speeds and active rear-leg effort to float in powder
- Premium $700 price tag sits at the high end for all-mountain boards
Best uses
- Aggressive resort carving
- Side hit hunting
- High-speed all-mountain freestyle
- Steep hardpack and groomers
Specifications
- Profile
- Alpine V3 directional camber
- Shape
- Directional with subtle taper
- Available Sizes
- 153, 155, 156w, 157, 158w, 159, 160w, 161, 162w cm
- Approximate Price
- Around $700
- Riding Style
- All-mountain freestyle and resort charging
- Rider Ability
- Advanced to expert
Pricing
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Best for
Aggressive resort carving, Side hit hunting, High-speed all-mountain freestyle, Steep hardpack and groomers
Where to buy the Aeronaut
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The Capita Aeronaut is a purpose-built directional all-mountain deck engineered in collaboration with French freestyle snowboarder Arthur Longo. Built for riders who view natural resort terrain, cat tracks, and rollers as continuous launchpads, the board combines an aggressive traditional camber backbone with modern shaping. Reviewers widely praise its ability to bridge high-speed resort carving and explosive all-mountain freestyle riding, earning recognition from publications like Outside Magazine. Under the hood, the board utilizes Capita's Alpine V3 camber profile. This geometry places deep positive camber between the feet and out toward the contact points, finishing with slight early-rise rockered zones near the tip and tail. The design creates immediate edge engagement, firm edge hold through icy compressions, and immense pop when loading the tail off transition. However, the Aeronaut is decidedly tailored to experienced riders. It requires deliberate input and active physical commitment to manage its stiff flex and sharp tracking. Those looking for a forgiving deck to cruise relaxed blue runs or an effortless powder floater will find it demanding, but riders with strong fundamentals get a precise, high-flying carving machine.
Target Rider and Intent
The Aeronaut is not built for casual intermediate riders or those who prioritize relaxed cruising. Its design directly reflects Arthur Longo's distinctive riding style: ultra-high speed, massive aerial transfers off small terrain features, and uncompromising carve precision. Snowboarders who will get the most out of this deck possess strong lower-body mechanics and comfortable board control across all resort conditions. It favors riders who actively load the tail to pop over obstacles rather than those who slide their turns or ride flat-based. Because of its directional shape and slight taper, it works exceptionally well for directional riders who still insist on landing switch and throwing spins off natural features. If your primary goal is finding an easy-turning board that softens mistakes or eases turn initiation at low speeds, the Aeronaut's stiff torsional rigidity and catch-prone contact points will quickly tire you out. It demands respect, deliberate edge pressure, and forward momentum.
Core and Layup Architecture
Manufactured at Capita's zero-emission Mothership facility in Austria, the Aeronaut incorporates high-end composites designed to withstand massive impacts without deadening board feel. The core blends lightweight woods with reinforcing stringers to balance swing weight against resilient snap. Capita integrates tailored carbon and structural fiberglass weaves that stiffen the board torsionally, ensuring the edge does not twist away or wash out when banking into a high-G carve on hardpacked snow. Underneath, a dense, high-molecular sintered base ensures rapid acceleration into features and minimizes friction along low-angle runouts. Sintered bases of this grade absorb wax thoroughly and maintain glide over long days, though they require routine waxing to maintain peak speed. Overall, the fit and finish reflect top-tier Austrian manufacturing, with reinforced sidewalls that absorb vibrations when traversing frozen chop or landing deep in the flats.
Handling and Carving Dynamics
On firm groomers and steep pistes, the Aeronaut behaves like an aggressive carving machine. The extensive positive camber profile puts maximum steel on snow, biting securely into hardpack, boilerplate, and spring slush alike. Turn initiation requires deliberate commitment, but once locked into a sidecut radius, the board tracks with unwavering stability. Reviewers note that compressions that normally buckle softer boards are handled effortlessly, allowing riders to maintain speed through bumpy transitions and steep gully walls. The rebound energy out of a turn is pronounced; releasing edge pressure unleashes a slingshot effect into the subsequent turn. When approaching kickers or side hits, the stiff tail provides a solid platform that will not wash out if a landing is slightly off-center. However, this same stiffness means low-speed micro-adjustments feel sluggish, reinforcing that the deck thrives only when driven hard and fast.
Powder and Soft Snow Realities
While Capita gave the Aeronaut a directional silhouette and subtle nose-to-tail taper, it is primarily a resort charger rather than a dedicated powder board. In shallow powder and chopped resort snow, the deck punches through obstacles with authority, using its stiffness to deflect debris. However, in deep, low-angle snowpacks, the board's aggressive camber and limited rockered tip surface work against effortless float. Riders must maintain significant speed and actively weigh the back foot to prevent the nose from submerging in flat sections. On steep pitches, where gravity supplies plenty of speed, the board navigates soft snow smoothly and allows for powerful drops and slash maneuvers. Still, anyone looking for effortless, surfy float in bottomless backcountry powder would be better served by a dedicated volume-shifted or heavily rockered pow deck rather than this camber-centric model.
Sizing and Stance Considerations
The Aeronaut comes in a comprehensive sizing range spanning from 153 cm to 162 cm, including wide iterations in 156w, 158w, 160w, and 162w. The inclusion of dedicated wide profiles is essential for riders with US size 10.5 boots and larger, allowing them to lay out deep carves without boot-out drag compromising edge hold. Sizing should be chosen based primarily on rider weight and preferred riding terrain rather than height alone. Because of the deck's high longitudinal stiffness and camber preload, sizing up can result in a board that feels like an unyielding plank in tight trees or moguls. Riders with centered, skate-style stances will appreciate that the setback is moderate, allowing comfortable switch riding, but micro-adjusting bindings a notch backward on heavier storm days helps mitigate the physical burn on the back leg.
Comparisons and Price Perspective
Retailing near $700, the Aeronaut sits firmly in the premium tier of all-mountain snowboards. At this price point, its most direct rivals include decks like the Burton Custom X and the Jones Aviator 2.0. The Custom X provides a similarly demanding camber ride with lightning-fast edge transitions, but leans further toward traditional halfpipe and pure groomer carving, offering less freestyle play on natural side hits. The Jones Aviator 2.0 features full camber with 3D contouring in the nose and tail, which softens turn initiation slightly compared to the Aeronaut's crisper, more abrupt edge engagement. The Aeronaut's primary justification for its premium price is its unique combination of Arthur Longo's side-hit geometry with high-grade Mothership construction. If you want explosive pop, supreme dampness, and premium materials, the price is defensible, though riders wanting everyday versatility might prefer slightly cheaper, more forgiving hybrid-camber alternatives.
How we picked
We started with a long list of snowboards that people actually buy, cut anything that could not clear our baseline for durability and field performance, then ranked the 10 that were left against the same criteria. Rankings are editorial. No brand pays for placement, and affiliate links never move a pick up or down.
- Edge hold and stability
- Grip on firm snow and composure at speed for the intended skier level.
- Versatility across conditions
- How the ski or board handles groomers, crud and fresh snow in one day.
- Real-world durability
- How the material, stitching, or steel holds up after a season of hard use — not how it looks new.
- Performance in bad conditions
- Wind, rain, cold, and grit are the test. Anything that only works on a nice day gets marked down.
- Weight and packability
- Every ounce has to earn its place in the pack, but not at the cost of something that fails in the field.
- Ease of use
- Setup, adjustment, and maintenance with cold hands, in the dark, without the manual.
Aeronaut — frequently asked questions
- Is the Aeronaut worth it?
- We rank it #10 in Snowboards. Developed in collaboration with all-terrain powerhouse Arthur Longo, the Capita Aeronaut is a directional all-mountain board built for riders who view the entire mountain as an aerial playground. Commended by reviewers as a premier all-mountain deck, it blends old-school high-camber power with a modernized shape,…
- What is the Aeronaut best for?
- Best for aggressive resort carving, side hit hunting, high-speed all-mountain freestyle and steep hardpack and groomers. Standouts: explosive snap and energy return from deep traditional camber and remarkable edge hold and tracking stability at terminal velocity.
- What are the downsides of the Aeronaut?
- Unforgiving flex profile punishes lazy technique and backseat riding, Requires high speeds and active rear-leg effort to float in powder and Premium $700 price tag sits at the high end for all-mountain boards.
- What are the key specs of the Aeronaut?
- Profile: Alpine V3 directional camber · Shape: Directional with subtle taper · Available Sizes: 153, 155, 156w, 157, 158w, 159, 160w, 161, 162w cm · Approximate Price: Around $700 · Riding Style: All-mountain freestyle and resort charging
- Target Rider and Intent — what should I know about the Aeronaut?
- The Aeronaut is not built for casual intermediate riders or those who prioritize relaxed cruising. Its design directly reflects Arthur Longo's distinctive riding style: ultra-high speed, massive aerial transfers off small terrain features, and uncompromising carve precision.
- Core and Layup Architecture — what should I know about the Aeronaut?
- Manufactured at Capita's zero-emission Mothership facility in Austria, the Aeronaut incorporates high-end composites designed to withstand massive impacts without deadening board feel. The core blends lightweight woods with reinforcing stringers to balance swing weight against resilient snap.
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