Bataleon Goliath 2020 Review by The Good Ride

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Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews.  We do make money from the “Where To Buy” links, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average riders’ perspective.

How This Review Happened:  We borrowed this for an extended demo and then returned it.
Size: 159
Days: 5
Conditions: Pretty varied spring conditions from cold to freezing rain to warm spring soft snow good times.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-195lbs), Jimbo (Size 11, 5’11” 160lbs),
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV,
Insoles: Sandsole Custom Insoles,  Footprint Insole Technology Gameghangers Low Profile
Bindings: Union Strata, Union Contact Pro, Union Superpro,

Similar Boards (but not the same) That we like: Lib Tech TRS HP,  Never Summer Proto Type Two, Nitro Fury,  Yes Greats, Lib Tech Hot Knife, Stone Message, Prior Wildcard, Marhar Darkside,

Set-Up: 22” Wide. 15 front -15 back.  Centered.

Approximate Weight

Feels normal.

Sizing

The 159 felt pretty good, and I might prefer a 156, but it for sure worked. Jimbo needed something a little wider for his 11’s.

Flex/Buttering

The Bataleon Goliath has a very rubbery but poppy flex to it that masks the wood core underneath. It has lots of pop back as full camber does.  It’s not as easy to butter as the Evil Twin but it still is a very fun/easy board to butter. Both of these boards were incredibly fun to butter around the mountain. It also was still snappy and lively out of the tip/tail.

On Snow Feel/Ability Level/Skidded Turns

Tripple Base Tech is not an easy thing to learn. It feels edgeless at first and it’s like the board wants to go into an endless spin. It took days to get this to track the way I wanted it to. When I figured it out it had a semi-stable feel to it. It would track like camber until you leaned into the edge a little bit and then it would wash out like continuous rocker.  So there is a learning curve if you haven’t tried TBT but once you get it the ride comes alive and I really had a fun time on it.

Edge Hold

Not a hard gripper but I was expecting a lot worse with the massive lifting of the edges throughout most of the board. On a hard snow spring day, it rode well enough but it is best for those that mainly ride in good conditions.

Turn Initiation

Once we figured out how to make the Bataleon Goliath track better we started getting this to turn with pressure between the bindings that are channeled into the edges in the middle. Then we could turn it pretty quickly without it skidding a turn on us instead.

Turning Experience/Carving

I’m still new to how to turn TBT boards well but I couldn’t keep the Bataleon Goliath committed to a harder carve. It washed out on me when I tried to lean hard into the turn as I did with other boards. It wasn’t bad though and might just take more learning on my part.

Powder

It’s almost a true twin so it doesn’t have a lot of setback onboard but it should float well for a twin with soo much of the nose/tail lifted. It’s a great choice for those that want a twin and don’t set it back.

Speed

Pretty comfortable at moderate mountain speed and it is not too chattery if you try to point it. Definitely a step up from the Evil Twin for mountain performance.

Uneven Terrain

So I really liked how this core tech/board design really interacts with the messy wet and hard uneven snow we got it on. It can turn around snow really well but power over snow moderately well. Overall, it’s the kind of board that you want to ride all day on a crowded Saturday.

Switch

Very doable either way and felt like a true twin to us.

Getting Air/Park

The BataleonGoliath seems like it’s better for bigger air than the Evil Twin. It has a little more pop and a little stiffer flex. The Goliath was cool with us going small around the mountain but would have been just as cool for those who go medium-big. The pipe was fun and easy when it was soft but it’s not a hard pipe kind of ride for us. Jibbing was doable for sure but I’d rather be on the softer ETA.