Capita Defenders of Awesome Review

Hands-On Review of the Defenders of Aweomse

This was the first board in the test to be ridden and our tester thought his job was done after his one run on it. It was super fun, nimble, and capable throughout a turn — all while feeling light. The graphics and shape were the first thing to catch his eye, as they were a mix of cool and somewhat strange. Nine runs later, on different boards, he realized his work was merely beginning. Its hybrid-rocker/camber profile was difficult to notice, especially when compared to other hybrid profiles that claimed to have a similar shape. The Defenders of Awesome performed more like a fully cambered board than a hybrid.

Edging and Carving

The Defenders of Awesome earns a high score here. The longer radius sidecut slowed down the edge-to-edge transitions, but made for nice long turns. Its the second narrowest contender of the boards we tested. This meant we were not able to push it too far while carving without slipping out due to toe or heel drag, which is a bummer. If edging and carving is your jam, we'd recommend looking over the Lib Tech Travis Rice Pro, which scored the only perfect 10 out of 10, followed by the Jones Explorer, our Best Buy winner, and the Burton Flight Attendant.

Float in Powder

The narrow waist, combined with the more camber than rocker look and feel of the board contributed to this contender not performing as well in the pow as other rocker-hybrid rides like the Never Summer Proto Type Two, Lib Tech Travis Rice Pro, and the Rossignol One LF. The “flat kick technology” of the nose and tail want to float more than a tip that is tightly curved throughout, but it isn't enough to score higher than 6 out of 10.

Stability at Speed

The DOA was quite stable during testing. There were no serrated edge bumps to catch while riding straight and the longer sidecut produced pleasant, long turns. Contrary to what their website claims, its base profile is (hybrid). The overall strength that is associated with camber helped it score an 8 out of 10. The Burton Flight Attendant scored the only 10 out of 10 in this metric, taking the cake while providing the rider with a stable ride when achieving high speeds.

Playfulness

The Defenders of Awesome is a lightweight twin tip board with a bit of rocker in the nose and tail; it seemed like a no-brainer that it was going to be fun. However, it wasn't quite as quick to maneuver because of the longer sidecut, which bumped it down to an 8 out of 10. The Never Summer Proto Type Two was our best overall all-mountain board, earning a near perfect 9 out of 10 for Playfulness, while the Arbor Wasteland, and Burton Custom Flying V earned the same, rising to the top in this metric and outperforming other contenders.

Pop

Once again, camber comes to the rescue, placing the Capita DOA right up there with the other top scoring boards in the pop category, with the exception of the Burton Custom Flying V, which scored a 6 out of 10. The snap this competitor displayed off of park and backcountry powder jumps was terrific, earning it another worthy 8 out of 10.

Best Applications

The DOA seems to be most comfortable on groomers and while bouncing through the park.

Value

Conclusion

This is the least expensive board we tested. If you're looking for low cost, combined with a decent ride, then look no further.

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