Bataleon Goliath Snowboard Review

An In Depth Breakdown of How The Battalion Goliath Snowboard Rides Review by The Good Ride

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Bataleon Goliath Snowboard Review by The Good Ride

How The Bataleon Goliath Was Tested:

I borrowed the  for an extended demo and I’ve been trying to send it back but Bataleon hasn’t responded.

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Size:156
Days: 3
Conditions:Good but varied spring conditions and some wet late spring pow
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10”, 185-195lbs). I’ve tested and compared 800+ boards
Boots: Ride Deadbolt, Bataleon Acid BOA
Insoles: Footprint Kingfoam Orthotic Elite
Bindings: Union Force
Redundancy: Strapins in case boots or bindings break.
Jacket: Skyline Fuse Jacket
Pant: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Hover Pant, Skyline Faze Pant
Helmet: Smith Method
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove, Drop Tahoma Mitt,

James’s Set Up

21.5” Wide. Stance Angles +18/-3, +18/+3, +24/+6, +27/+9 back, +18/-9, +15/-15. Close to Reference on groomers and Set all the way back in powder.

Similar Boards We Like (but not the same):

Korua Otto, Ride Algorythm, Ride Shadowban, Salomon Highpath, Yes Standard Uninc, Capita Black Snowboard Of Death, Jones Rally Cat, Cardiff Crane, Cardiff Lynx, Nitro Alternator, United Shapes Horizon, Gnu Antigravity, Lib Tech Dynamo

Approximate Weight

The Bataleon Goliath didn’t feel heavy or super light either. I would say it’s on the lighter side of normal. (We don’t put in the exact weight because with wood cores, there is no consistency in a board’s weight)

Sizing

The 156cm Bataleon Goliath fit me really well. It handled my weight comfortably and matched up well with my boot size. I compared it with the 159 Goliath Plus, and while that board worked too, I preferred the shorter width of the 156. It offered easier control, better buttering, and playfulness, while still fitting my boots better. If I were to buy one, this would be the size. If you generally prefer bigger all-mountain boards for added float and speed, you could go 159 if your specs are like mine.

Bataleon is pretty good with recommended weight but too liberal with boot sizing and they often recommend much smaller boots for the board width.

Shape

The Bataleon Goliath is a directional twin, or very close to it. The nose is slightly longer than the tail and the shapes differ a bit, but the tip and tail are the same width. On groomers, when centered on the sidecut, it feels almost like a true twin with a centered feel underfoot. When set back, it becomes more directional.

Camber/On Snow Feel

The camber is what Bataleon calls medium camber but to the rest of the industry it’s really high When you factor in what Bataleon calls Low 3BT, there isn’t a single part of this edge that contacts the snow at rest. So it’s low for Bataleon but really lifted compared to almost any other brand’s 3D tech. It takes some getting used to. At first, it feels edgeless and washy, but onee I adapted, and learned how to stay perfectly centered on board, I loved the forgiving nature. Beginner to experts can ride this and it’s very easy to skid a turn.

It does loose some stability has the snow firms up and then it feels even more edgeless and washy than described above and you loose some stability where most camber boards with lift not into the effective edge don’t.

Edge Hold

One of my biggest issues with the Bataleon Goliath is the edge hold. I really had trouble holding an edge in hard snow and it was really sketchy. Some people don’t care about edge hold but for me, this felt very limited. It’s a deal breaker for me.

Flex Personality

The Bataleon Goliath has a pretty continuous medium flex that can just keep flexing but with almost exceptional pop back. Its got carbon inserts into the core, carbon on top of the core and a lot of camber. All that works together to make this an incredibly poppy board. It ollies incredibly well and springs out of turns in good conditions like a champ.

I wasa pretty impressed with how it butters as well thanks to the flat sections in the nose/tail. Its not easy like a fullly flat board but easier than any other spoon tech nose from competitors outside of Bataleon.

The Goliath Plus may have slightly more pop, but both are excellent. The board feels spring-loaded, like you’re on cambered rubber bands. Bataleon makes an incredibly poppy board and all their boards I tried this time popped harder than any other board I rode.

Uneven Snow

In hard uneven snow, it handles well and doesn’t chatter or fatigue the rider. But in soft, thick, bumpy snow, it felt like riding a bucking bronco…and I’m no cowboy.  I wouldn’t want to take this through a bumpy treeline; it could toss you off your line. It’s not chattery, but all that pop can work against you when things get rough. I personally love boards that can maintain their composure in soft uneven snow so this is another deal breaker for me but many are willing to sacrafice uneven snow performance for more pop.

Speed & Base Glide

It’s not super damp but competent enough for moderate straight lines. The sidecut is friendly at speed, and the base glide is good, especially when freshly waxed. Even without a wax after several days, I had no real complaints — it’s good, not great.

Turning Experience

The Goliath initiates turns quickly — not super-fast, but medium quick. It has a balanced sidecut that is friendly for any type of radius turn. It really springs well out of carves and while it’s not super torsionally stiff, it’s great for moderate carves and playful edge control.

Like I said in camber profile, the Goliath’s 3BT needs a center-weighted turn on a commited turn/carve. Back-foot or front-foot weighting just doesn’t work well with the lifted tech and it washes out if you do

Powder

Thanks to setback inserts, you can convert this from a mountain freestyle board to something with a little bit of a freeride feel. It gives a floaty, set-back ride without needing to change boards.

The Triple Base Tech isn’t like other lifted sides. It goes well into the effective edge, giving it a boat-like float that counteracts all that camber up front.

Even with all that camber, the nose fights to stay above powder, and even with it’s center weighted needs on set back inserts, it held its own float wise with some of my favorite all-mountain boards.

With the setback inserts at a 22.5-inch stance width, you can get 2.875 inches back from center which is excellent for a directional twin. I didn’t use the Astro or Atom bindings, because their discs barely fit and didn’t allow for much stance adjustability. Instead, I went with Union Force bindings that have larger discs, offering way more adjustment. I managed to dial in my stance better that way.

Getting Air

The Bataleon Goliath is a great board for those that like to go a lot bigger than I do. I thought the lifted tech might feel sketchy on approach, but as long as you’re center weighted, it holds an edge well and launches effortlessly. I didn’t lap the park — I’m too old for that now — but I hit a few very small jumps around the mountain and popped soo easy compared to any other board I tried.

Switch

The Bataleon Goliath was super easy to ride switch when set up on reference stance and it felt close to a twin.

Jibbing

For jibbing, this board does surprisingly well for what it is. If you want a softer twin, Bataleon makes better options. But the TBT design handles rails and boxes decently.

Pipe

I felt the Bataleon Goliath is good in the pipe only if it’s soft to slushy. I’ve ridden the Goliath in spring pipe sessions, and it was fun and forgiving — even allowed me to butter on pipe walls without fear of catching an edge. But for consistent pipe use, look elsewhere.

Final Thoughts

So Bataleon boards are always a mixed bag for me and the Bataleon Goliath is no exception. It’s got big flaws like limited edge hold and a pretty bucky nature but man it’s got other worldly pop while still being super forgiving. So its up to you to decide if the benefits outweigh the costs.