An In Depth Honest Written Review of the Cardiff Goat Review by The Good Ride

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An Un-Paid, Un-Biased Breakdown Of How the Cardiff Goat Rides And Who It Is For

How It Was Tested:

We borrowed the Cardiff Goats for an extended demo and sent it back.

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Size: 156 for James and 162 For Davey
Days: 3 For James and 4-6 for Davey
Conditions: Good mixed spring conditions with a little pow  and an early morning slackountry time with Drift Boards & Union Rovers
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10”, 185-190lbs). I’ve tested and compared 800+ boards.
Davey (Size 12, 240lbs, 6’4”). He’s tested 25-50 boards.
Boots: Ride Deadbolt, Bataleon Acid BOA for james and Burton Ion’s For Davey
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Atlas, Union Force, Davey Rode Force’s
Redundancy: Strapins in case boots or bindings break.
Jacket: Skyline Fuse Jacket, Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Tusk Jacket
Pant: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Hover Pant, Skyline Faze Pant
Helmet: Smith Method, Smith Scout
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/-9. Close to Reference on groomers and Set all the way back in powder.
Davey’s Set Up: 23” Wide. Stance Angles +18/-3, +18/+3. Close to Reference on groomers and Set all the way back in powder.

Similar Boards We Like (but not the same): 

Amplid Souly Grail, K2 Alchemist, YES PYL Uninc, Weston Backwoods, United Shapes Cadet, Burton Gril Master, Jones Flagship Pro,

Approximate Weight

The new Goat Enduro feels lighter with the minimized top sheet vs. the Enduro Classic.

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

Sizing

The old Enduro 158 Split I tried felt a little slow to initiate a turn, and it was fatiguing when the snow was uneven. The 154 felt too small. The 156 is a good balance between my 185-195lbs and size nine boots. Davey felt the same way about the 162, but the 166 would be a little easier for his specs than the 158 would be for mine.

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.

150: 7.5-8.5
154: 8-9
156: 9.5-10.5
158: 10-11
162: 11-12
166: 11.5-12.5

I would stay close to the brand’s recommended weight ranges. If it comes down to boot size or weight, I would ensure it fits your boot first and then your weight a close second.

Shape

The Cardiff Goat has 11mm of taper in the 156, and it didn’t feel like it. It looks pretty tapered in the pics but feels almost like a directional twin on snow. Cardiff did an excellent job making this not feel tapered on groomers and only in pow. Even when I got on the Crane, a directional twin, it didn’t feel that different for groomers.

Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

This camber profile isn’t ideal as it’s a massively used demo, but it is brand new, and the camber is higher. I didn’t mention this in the video review, but the camber does have a flat area in the middle, above the snow. It’s just a little less than the Crane, but a committed intermediate could ride this even though it shines more for advanced to Expert riders. It skids a turn easily and pivots for a board with such a non-turny sidecut.

Edge Hold

It’s so hard to get this on video or in a pic, but there is a very subtle disruption right after the inserts where the camber ends that really adds to the grip. It performs better than many sidecuts with much more disruption and grabs less in soft snow when you don’t need that grip.

Flex Personality

The flex of the Cardiff Goat feels softer than the Enduro Classic but also has more pop. It’s strange, though, for the flex to be so mellow compared to many similar big mountain freeride boards. If you want a stiffer, meaner, much more aggressive ride, you can fit a 162 go with the Cardiff Goat Pro-Carbon. The Crane Pro-Carbon was a beast, so this is similar. It was pretty easy to butter too.

Uneven Snow

I liked the Enduro Classic better in uneven snow, and I wish they could marry the additional pop of the new Classic with the Dampness of the old. It did well enough not to buck me too much, but there were moments when I was bucked in soft, uneven snow when I wasn’t on other boards with same-day tests against other boards like the Nitro Banker, Alternator, and United Shapes Cadet. It was a good bit damper than the Capita Aeronaut and Bataleon Beyond Medals. The Goat Pro Carbon will be better in soft, uneven snow.

This is pretty close to the older Enduro Classic model in harder, uneven snow.

Speed

The sidecut likes going straight, and it can go fast, but the medium-ish flex isn’t ideal for really pointing it.

Base Glide

Very fast. I love this easily repairable, almost all black base. This is excellent for long traverses.

Turning Experience/Carving

The Goat 156 turned quickly for my nine boots and is easy edge to edge. There is a pretty straight line friendly side cut, but it can turn pretty well across the groomers compared to many sidecuts like it on other boards. Coming off the Goat to the Crane, the crane did have a more turny experience.

Powder

…

The Cardiff Goat wasn’t for me for low-angle pow at Mt. Bachelor. It’s too centered on board for what I like from a pow board. I could only get 2.875″ back from the center of the board with a 22″ stance width. If it had set-back inserts like the Powgoda and Swell, this would be great when it gets deep. If you are someone who rides centered in pow and likes steeper lines this will be fine.

Switch/Jumps/Pipe/Jibs

It’s a very doable switch for a tapered directional board. It’s not my kind of pipe board, but this can straight line super well into a kicker or cliff drop. I liked getting my small airs around the mountain.

Final Thoughts

The Cardiff Goat is a very unique big mtn board with this mellower flex, but somehow, it still feels more aggressive than it should while still being easy to butter. If you can fit a 162 Pro-Carbon, that might be the way to go, as it doesn’t buck and bounce or chatter like many Pro/Ultra/Plus boards do, and it matches many of its peers.