CAPiTA MotherShip: How CAPiTA Snowboards Are Made
The CAPiTA MotherShip: Where Snowboards Meet Serious Innovation
What if the snowboard you’re riding was made in a factory designed from the ground up to rethink how snowboards are produced?Welcome to The CAPiTA MotherShip.
Nestled in the Austrian Alps, The MotherShip is far more than a snowboard factory. It is CAPiTA’s own purpose-built manufacturing facility, where advanced technology, experienced craftsmanship and a serious commitment to more responsible production come together to build the boards riders are taking all over the mountain.
From the wood core at the heart of your board to the final grind of the base, CAPiTA has brought an incredible amount of the manufacturing process under one roof. The result is a fascinating combination of traditional snowboard craftsmanship and some seriously futuristic production technology. Explore Capita
What Exactly Is The MotherShip?
Think of The MotherShip as CAPiTA’s snowboard laboratory, workshop and production hub all rolled into one.
Rather than outsourcing its boards to a conventional factory, CAPiTA has invested heavily in its own manufacturing facility in Austria. The aim is simple: have greater control over how boards are made, experiment with new technology and continuously improve the construction, consistency and environmental impact of its snowboards.
That means CAPiTA can have direct oversight of everything from material selection and core milling to printing, pressing, grinding and final quality control.
And this isn't just about making production faster. The MotherShip has become a huge part of CAPiTA’s approach to snowboard development, allowing the brand to experiment with materials and manufacturing techniques that can ultimately change how a board feels underneath your feet.
Everything Is Possible
CAPiTA’s MotherShip is driven by a pretty fitting mantra for snowboarding:
EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE.
That mindset is at the heart of what happens inside the facility. Instead of simply repeating the same manufacturing process year after year, CAPiTA continually invests in new machinery, materials and production techniques to push snowboard construction forward.
That might mean finding ways to make a board lighter without sacrificing strength, developing new resin systems, improving the precision of the construction or finding a more efficient way to produce a topsheet.
For riders, that innovation matters because the factory isn't just where the board gets made. It is part of the process of figuring out how the board can ride better.
100% Clean Energy Manufacturing
One of the things that makes The MotherShip particularly interesting is the way CAPiTA approaches energy use.
The facility is powered by 100% clean energy, generated through an on-site hydro-activated NH3 thermal energy system combined with an expanded solar panel array. CAPiTA built the facility around the idea that producing high-performance snowboards shouldn't have to mean ignoring the environmental impact of manufacturing.
That is particularly relevant for a snowboard company. After all, the entire reason we make snowboards is because we love winter, mountains and snow.
CAPiTA has therefore made responsible manufacturing a core part of The MotherShip, rather than treating it as an afterthought.
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Local Materials, Less Transport
The sustainability story doesn't stop at the factory's energy supply.
CAPiTA says that around 90% of the materials used to make its snowboards are sourced within an eight-hour drive of The MotherShip. Being located in the Austrian Alps gives the factory access to a network of nearby suppliers, helping reduce the need to transport raw materials long distances around the world.
It also means CAPiTA can work closely with its suppliers to develop and refine materials specifically for snowboard construction.
Less distance between suppliers and the factory, more control over the production process and a focus on materials that can improve both performance and efficiency. It is a pretty different approach to simply shipping components around the globe before putting them together.
How a CAPiTA Snowboard Is Made
So what actually happens inside this futuristic-looking factory?
Making a snowboard is a surprisingly complex process. Every component has a job to do, and getting the combination of materials, shape, flex and construction right is what gives each CAPiTA model its individual personality.
At The MotherShip, CAPiTA brings together advanced machinery and experienced craftspeople to take a snowboard from raw materials to mountain-ready board.
1. The Core: The Heart of the Board
At the centre of every snowboard is its wood core. This is one of the most important components in determining how a board feels and performs.At The MotherShip, CAPiTA selects different wood species according to the characteristics required for each board. The cores are then precision milled using 5-axis CNC machinery before being hand inspected by experienced craftsmen.
Why does that matter? Because tiny differences in the core can affect weight, flex, response and overall ride feel. Precision here helps CAPiTA produce boards with the characteristics its designers intended.
2. In-House Printing: Where CAPiTA Gets Creative
CAPiTA is known for its distinctive graphics, and The MotherShip gives the brand an impressive amount of control over how those designs are produced.Printing is handled in-house using digital printing, silk screening and CAPiTA’s proprietary PLT Topsheet Technology.
PLT is particularly interesting. Instead of applying the topsheet during the main pressing process, CAPiTA bonds the finished topsheet to an already pressed snowboard. This helps create a smooth, lightweight finish without relying on the traditional lacquer-heavy approach used to hide imperfections.
In other words, the graphic isn't simply there to make your board look good. The way it is applied is part of the construction technology.
3. Pressing: Building the Board
Once the different ingredients are prepared, it is time to bring everything together.CAPiTA uses computer-controlled pressing recipes designed around the individual requirements of each snowboard. Different combinations of cores, fibreglass, resins and performance materials can produce dramatically different ride characteristics.
The MotherShip also uses lower-temperature pressing processes where possible, helping reduce energy consumption during production.
4. Grinding: Getting the Base Dialled
A freshly pressed snowboard isn't ready to hit the mountain just yet.The MotherShip features an advanced automated grinding and finishing line that precisely works the snowboard to its final specifications. Computer-controlled machinery helps improve consistency while also reducing material waste and energy consumption.
Boards then receive additional hand inspections to make sure everything is up to scratch.
For riders, this is where the manufacturing precision starts becoming very real. A well-finished base and accurate edges can make a noticeable difference to how a board performs on snow.
5. Precision Binding Inserts
Even the little details get some serious attention.The MotherShip uses automated thermal insert drilling technology to locate and drill the binding inserts with robotic precision. Instead of relying solely on a standard manual drilling process, the system uses thermal scanning to identify the correct positions before creating the insert connections.
It might not be the first thing you think about when buying a snowboard, but accurate inserts help create a precise connection between your board and bindings.
Magic Bean Resin: Less Energy, More Performance
The sustainability story doesn't stop at the factory's energy supply.
CAPiTA says that around 90% of the materials used to make its snowboards are sourced within an eight-hour drive of The MotherShip. Being located in the Austrian Alps gives the factory access to a network of nearby suppliers, helping reduce the need to transport raw materials long distances around the world.
It also means CAPiTA can work closely with its suppliers to develop and refine materials specifically for snowboard construction.
Less distance between suppliers and the factory, more control over the production process and a focus on materials that can improve both performance and efficiency. It is a pretty different approach to simply shipping components around the globe before putting them together.
It's Not Just About Sustainability
It would be easy to look at The MotherShip and think its biggest achievement is its approach to clean energy and responsible manufacturing.
But for snowboarders, there is another important part of the story.
The MotherShip is a performance-driven facility.
CAPiTA has invested heavily in technology because it wants to make better snowboards. The more control the brand has over production, the more it can experiment with construction, materials and manufacturing techniques.
That can be seen across the current CAPiTA range, from lightweight freestyle boards to powerful freeride shapes and high-performance models. Technologies such as HOLYSHEET fibreglass, Magic Bean Resin, CarbonFlax and different core constructions are combined according to the ride characteristics CAPiTA wants from each model.
The MotherShip Is CAPiTA's R&D Playground
And this might be the coolest thing about the whole operation.
The MotherShip isn't a static factory that was built once and left to do the same thing forever. CAPiTA continually develops the processes happening inside it.
That means new construction ideas can be tested, refined and incorporated into future boards. It creates a direct relationship between manufacturing technology and snowboard development.
CAPiTA describes this as purpose-driven R&D, and you can see that philosophy in technologies such as its automated grinding systems, thermal insert drilling, PLT Topsheet Technology and continually evolving material combinations.
NFC Technology: Your CAPiTA Snowboard Has Its Own Digital Story
There's even a bit of futuristic tech hidden inside some CAPiTA boards.
Since 2020, The MotherShip has incorporated NFC technology into its snowboards. The NFC chip allows CAPiTA to track a board through its production journey, helping with quality control and reducing waste.
But it doesn't stop there.
On compatible boards, you can scan the NFC chip with your phone to access product information, register your snowboard and make warranty and customer service processes easier. CAPiTA also uses the system to provide registered riders with access to product information, drops and team content.
So your board isn't just a snowboard. It has its own digital connection back to the place where it was made.
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Why Should Snowboarders Care About The MotherShip?
Because where and how your snowboard is made can have a huge influence on what ends up underneath your feet.
The MotherShip gives CAPiTA control over an enormous part of the production process, allowing the brand to experiment with new technology, carefully select materials and continually refine how its boards are constructed.
At the same time, the facility has been designed around a more responsible approach to manufacturing, from clean energy and locally sourced materials to lower-temperature pressing and recycling production waste.
For us, that's what makes The MotherShip genuinely interesting. It's not sustainability at the expense of performance, or technology for the sake of having a futuristic factory.
It's CAPiTA asking a much bigger question:
What if we could make better snowboards while finding a better way to make them?
From The MotherShip to Your Mountain
Every time you strap into a CAPiTA snowboard, there is a lot more going on beneath your boots than you might realise.
There is the wood core, the fibreglass, the resin, the base, the edges and the shape. But there is also decades of snowboard knowledge, advanced manufacturing technology, experienced craftsmanship and an ongoing drive to improve the process.
That is The MotherShip in a nutshell.
High-tech manufacturing. Austrian craftsmanship. Responsible production. Serious snowboard obsession.
And ultimately, all of that technology has one job: to make the board you take to the mountain as fun, responsive and capable as possible.
Check out the latest CAPiTA snowboards and discover what has come out of The MotherShip for the new season.
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Capita: We Ride It, We Rate It
We’re snowboarders first, so for us, the best way to understand a board is to get it out on the mountain and ride it properly. Our team lives and breathes snowboarding, from testing new gear and chasing fresh lines to debating which boards deserve a place in the quiver. We put the CAPiTA range through its paces to see how they really feel underfoot, and these three definitely left an impression.
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Ross – CAPiTA Matriarch
“The Matriarch was so much fun to ride. It felt really predictable and gave me loads of confidence when I started opening it up and riding a bit faster.”
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Kaz – CAPiTA Mia Brookes Pro
“I was seriously stoked on the Mia Brookes Pro. It felt quick, playful and full of energy, with loads of pop when you wanted to hit jumps, side hits or just mess around.”
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Steve – CAPiTA Matriarch
“I absolutely loved riding the Matriarch. It’s playful when you want to mess around, but there’s loads of power and response there when you really start pushing it.”
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