Cardiff Crane 2023 Snowboard Review

Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews, which is our unfiltered opinion. 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 rider’s perspective.

How it rides and who it is for

How This Review Happened:

We borrowed the Cardiff Crane for an extended demo and sent it back.
Size: 154
Days: 4+
Conditions: Spring Conditions, but it felt better than it looked.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-190lbs) & Clint (Size 10, 175lbs 5’11”)
Boots: Burton Kendo, Burton Ion
Insoles: Sandsole Custom Insoles, F.I.T. Gamechangers, F.I.T. Gameghangers LP
Bindings: Union Atlas, Union Contact Pro/Union Superpro,
Jacket: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Tusk Jacket, Volcom TDF Infuse 3L Gore-Tex Jacket, Burton Banshee Gore-Tex Jacket
Pant: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Hover Pant, Burton AK Gore-Tex 2L Swash Pant, Burton Gore-Tex Ballast Pant
Helmet: Smith Maze, Smith Vantage
Goggle: Smith IO Mag, Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Guide Glove, Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove, Burton AK Tech Glove,

Similar Boards (but not the same):
Korua Otto, Lib Tech Terrain Wrecker, Capita Mercury, Capita BSOD, Jones Mountain Twin, K2 Manifest, Jones Frontier, Ride Algorythm, Ride Wild Life, Yes Basic Uninc 158

Set-Up: 21.5” Wide. 18 front -9 back & 15 front -15 back. Close to Reference

Approximate Weight:

(We don’t put in the exact weight because, with wood cores, there is no consistency in a board’s weight)

The Cardiff Crane felt normal for a 154. Not too heavy and not too light.

Sizing

Here are some ideal US boot sizes for these boards. You can, of course, go bigger or smaller, but these work best for not turning the board slower than it should be and not having the dreaded Toe & Heel Drag.
150: 8-9
154: 8.5-9.5
156: 9-10
158: 10-11
162: 11-12

I was too heavy for the 154 Cardiff Crane, but turning in my size nine boots was easy. The 158 felt right for my weight but was slightly slower for my size nine boots. I think this sizing matches up better with more of a mid/wide boot. The 158 was also a touch slow for Clint (size 10 boots), but he liked it. Now that they have the 156, I’d choose the size.

Shape/Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

There is only a little taper (2.5mm), so the Cardiff Crane feels pretty close to a double-ender. It has a pretty centered ride. I compared it to the Jones Mountain Twin. It obviously felt more directional, but it was way closer to the Jones Mountain Twin than I thought it would be.

The Camber underfoot is not super pronounced but goes a good bit past the inserts to give it a stable but not locked-in feel. It is one-footed and flat-based really well. You could skid a turn pretty easily with this, especially if you match the board width to your boot size.

Flex/Pop/Buttering

The Cardiff Crane pops pretty easily for this medium to medium/stiff flex. It has the everyman’s ollie power that I truly appreciate. Buttering was more work than we thought it would be, but it is more than doable. I like it to be a little more work than most hybrid camber rides. Some give up too easily, and you butter right onto your ass.

Speed

The Cardiff Crane, like all Cardiff boards, has a super fast base. It just has an easy glide to it, and it is up there with Weston, Jones, and other super-fast bases we love. This isn’t a Bonsai bomber, but it has a stable, short-distance straight line. It really feels stable tracking into a jump or when you have to point it to make a flat traverse.

Uneven Terrain

The Cardiff Crane isn’t a chunder buster, but it is a great all-day resort ride for normal snowboarders who slow down when things get uneven. There is a nice balance between being poppy and damp here.

Edge Hold

This has a pretty competent grip without being grabby at all.

Turn Initiation

Even the 154 was a little slow for me, but it was more than manageable at this size. It got where I wanted it to go, and while it wasn’t fast, it was smooth and predictable.

Turning Experience/Carving

I really liked how this turned for a 154 and also turned in a 158 split. It is not a super hard carver, but you can definitely lay it over. The overall turning experience is fun. It definitely lies on the more turny side but doesn’t stray away from longer, narrower down-the-line high-speed turns either. Medium to tighter radius across the groomer turns are the sweet spot, for sure.

Powder

With a setback on board of -1.625 on reference and -2.675 set all the way back, both at a 22” stance width, the Cardiff Crane has pretty good directional float for an all-mountain ride. When you factor in the bigger nose and the little bit of taper, it should do really well compared to most of its peers.

Switch/Mtn Freestyle

It’s a very doable Switch. I also took the Cardiff Crane in the pipe, and it did well. That being said, I just carved the walls. I think this is best for kickers of any size. It tracks so well into the small hits we did that you can see this can go exponentially bigger.

Conclusion

The Cardiff Crane is a versatile mid/wide one-board quiver that can do a little better in powder than most All-Mountain boards.