Cardiff Crane Snowboard Review

Cardiff Crane 2024-2025 Written Review Review by The Good Ride

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An Honest But Objective Breakdown Of How The Cardiff Crane Rides And Who It Is For

How It Was Tested:

I borrowed the Cardiff Crane for an extended demo and sent it back.
Size: 156
Days: 5
Conditions: Pretty good late spring conditions and even a little wet but fun late spring pow. 
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10”, 185-190lbs)
Boots: Bataleon Acid Boa, Ride Deadbolt
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Atlas, Union Force, Union Falcor
Redundancy: Strapins in case boots or bindings break.
Jacket: Jones Mtn Surf Anorak, Skyline Fuse Jacket
Pant: Jones Mountain Surf Bib, Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Hover Pant,
Helmet: Smith Method, Smith Scout, Smith Maze
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove

James’s Set Up: 21.5” Wide. Stance Angles +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, K2 Manifest, Jones Frontier, Ride Shadowban, Salomon Highpath, Yes Standard Uninc, Yes Basic Uninc, Cardiff Lynx

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Approximate Weight

The Cardiff Crane feels on the light side of normal but not full-on ultralight.

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

Sizing

I was impressed with how well the Cardiff Crane 156 fit me for having such a wide waist and width over the inserts. It might be the narrower nose/tail that made it easy for my 9’s to turn, but who knows. I can only say it didn’t feel like a 26cm waist. Instead, it felt like a 25.4cm waist, and it was pretty easy to control. The 158 would be better for my weight of 185-190lbs but not enough for me to want to relinquish the control I have with the 156. That’s the size I’d buy.

Sizing is all about balancing what fits your boot size and your weight for how you like to ride. If your boot is too wide, you can’t turn it; if it’s too narrow, you get the dreaded Toe & Heel Drag. Your weight is a close second to boot size because it determines how the board will feel under your foot.  Height comes in a distant 3^rd. Some prefer control, so matching the boot size is the priority. Others prefer dampness over control and like to size up.

Here are some ideal US boot sizes for these boards.
146: 6-7
150: 7-8
154: 8.5-9.5
156: 9-10.5
158: 10-11
162: 11-12
Cardiff doesn’t seem to have recommended weight ranges, so try to find a board that is close to the length you normally ride. With the bigger sizes, you can ride this 4-8mm wider than you normally would a standard-length all-mountain board.

Shape

The 2024-2025 Carfiff Crane went from a slightly tapered, almost directional twin to a full-on directional one. The nose is longer than the tail, and there is a -20mm setback on the sidecut, but it feels pretty centered.

Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

There is a long camber, but it doesn’t really keep rising like some hybrid camber boards. It almost flattens out over the inserts, and the overall feel of the underfoot is pretty stable and forgiving. There is just enough early rise for it not to be locked in, and riders of any level could go for this. That being said, I’d say keep it to intermediates and experts, as Cardiff has a fun and a little more forgiving board called the Lynx, which is a better fit. All Cardiff boards, including the Crane and Lynx, track one footing and flat basing very well.

Flex Personality

There is a nice even medium to medium-stiff flex through the camber points, but the nose and tail are a good bit softer. You get a little extra leverage with the early rise before the nose/tail, and the longer nose feels a touch softer than the tail. What I noticed with the new Cardiff Crane Enduro vs. the Older Cardiff Crane Enduro Classic is you get some extra pop, and it has an easier ollie. It’s a little easy to butter as well.

Uneven Snow

You trade some dampness for pop. I feel this is on the verge of being too chatty/bucky/bouncy, but it held on just enough not to be fatiguing in the mostly uneven spring conditions I had.

Edge Hold

Cardiff has a pretty cool disruption in the sidecut that is barely noticeable but just in the right place to be very effective. It’s very competent in hard snow and does better than many boards with a much more exaggerated disruption. You won’t feel it grab soft snow at all, either.

Speed

The Cardiff Cran’e sidecut is more balanced than you think, being 7.4M on a 156, so it can go straight. It just doesn’t have the dampness to really go straight and fast. It’s fine for an all-mountain board, though, and you can for sure get a little better straight-line power with the slightly stiffer and more straight-line-friendly Goat.

Base Glide

It’s almost excellent. I love riding boards like Cardiff because I know they take base glide seriously. When it’s waxed, I never have to worry about long traverses. I made some nasty traverses that went a little uphill to a long, flat section without having to unstrap and skate. I didn’t put in the video review because it was so long that even at 600 times normal speed, it was too long.

Turning Experience/Carving

The Cardiff Crane was pretty quick edge-to-edge for my size 9US boots. Again, this worked much better than I thought for having such a wide width over the inserts and at the waist. When I got it on edge, it wasn’t as turny as I thought it would be for a 7.4M sidecut, but it was very fun and balanced. It’s down to make any turn you want to. The spring out of the turn is more satisfying than you would think for the camber height. There is a very good spring out of a more committed turn.

Powder

So I got mostly skunked again because Cardiff sent this thing in spring, but I got a little taste in 2-4″ of thick wet one day and then about 3-5 of much better but mostly tracked pow. On a better day, I had to test with the Powgoda instead. Regardless, the longer nose than tail and 2.375″ set back on board will float well for an all mtn board. It felt like it had very similar float to my wider 156 YES Standard Uninc.

Switch/Freestyle/Park

Very doable switch, great for kickers and fun in the pipe.

Final Thoughts

So I wasn’t sure if I’d like the new lighter and more poppy construction. I usually don’t like boards that can’t handle uneven snow, but this handled it enough for it not to be a deal breaker. It would be even better if they figured out how to dampen this a little more and not make it more expensive. As it stands, this is a very versatile ride.

You can go to Crane Pro Carbon if you want more pop and dampness. I rode the 158. Well, it mostly rode me. That thing is a beast and was way too much board for me. It was just too hard to turn, and I had to speed check too much. It’s a great board for those who want to go big with minimal compromises.

You can go Goat or Goat Pro Carbon if you want something more straight-line friendly with more taper/directional float but not too much to ruin getting big air.

Or if you want something a little cheaper, more directional, and mellow but still really fun, go with the Lynx.