Positives
- More Pop Than Before
- Skids a Turn/Pivots Easy
- Fast Base
Negatives
- Some Might Like A Stiffer Ride
- Not For Those That Like Turny Rides
- Not as Good In Uneven Snow As Before
- Not Much Directional Float
Summary
The Cardiff Goat was updated for 2024 and stayed the same for 2025. It has a similar shape but a different construction, making it lighter and poppier but not as damp. It is medium in flex but with a straight line friendly/big mountain sidecut and shape.Where To Buy
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Riding Style | Freeride |
Riding Level | Intermediate - Expert |
Fits Boot size (US) | 8-10, 10-12 |
Manufactured in | China |
Shape | Tapered Directional |
Camber Profile | Hybrid Camber |
Stance | Setback -15mm |
Approx. Weight | Feels Normal |
Split | Comes in split |
On Snow Feel | |
Turn Initiation | |
Skidded Turns |
Flex | |
Buttering | |
Edge Hold |
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An In Depth Honest Written Review of the Cardiff Goat Review by The Good Ride
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.
Ethics Statement: I was not paid to do this review, and it comes from an honest, objective perspective with no brand oversight.If this review helped, we’d appreciate it if you support objective content by:
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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 3rd. 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.
Cardiff Goat Past Reviews
2020-2023 Cardiff Goat Snowboard Review- How it rides and who it is for
The Cardiff Goat is an incredibly fun big mountain ride for those who aren’t super stiff but still damp and straight-line friendly.
How This Review Happened:
I borrowed this for an extended demo and sent it back.
Size: 154
Days: 3
Conditions: Mid-summer Mt. Hood snow and cold early winter powder.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-190lbs)
Boots: Burton Kendo
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Atlas, Union Force, Union Strata, Union Contact Pro/Union Superpro, Union Falcor, Burton Genesis X, Burton Cartel, Burton Mission, Burton Malavita, Salomon Quantum, Salomon Highlander, Salomon Hologram, Salomon District, Nitro Team Pro, Nitro Team, Nitro Phantom Carver, Now O-Drive, Now Drive, Now Pilot, Now Select, Now IPO, Rome Cleaver, Rome Katana, Rome Vice, Rome DOD, Rome 390 Boss
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
Goggle: Smith IO Mag, Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Guide Glove, Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Tech Glove, Drop Tahoma Mitt
Similar Boards (but not the same): Yes Pick Your Line, Burton Flight Attendant, Jones Flagship, Rossignol XV, Lib Tech BRD, Weston Backwoods, Cardiff Bonsai, Prior Spearhead
Set-Up: 21.5” Wide. Sance Angles +18/-3, +18/-9. Close to Reference and Set all the way back.
Approximate Weight
(We don’t put in the exact weight because, with wood cores, there is no consistency in a boards weight)
Sizing
So, the 154 felt a little small for me with my specs mentioned above. The 158 in the Crane felt a little too hard to manage with my size 9 boots, so I opted not to go for the 158, but it seems to be a closer match vs. the 154.
Here are some ideal US boot sizes for the Cardiff Goat. Of course, you can go bigger or smaller, but these work best for turning the board faster than it should be and avoiding the dreaded Toe and heel Drag.
150: 7.5-8.5
154: 8-9
158: 9.5-10.5
162: 10.5-11.5
166: 11.5-12.5
Shape/Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level
The Cardiff Goat has a tapered directional shape with almost 11mm of taper but it doesn’t feel super washy if you don’t lean too much into the back foot and try to ride it more like a double ender/twin. It is pretty set back on board but not too much and it has a mellow setback on sidecut compared to many freeride boards like it. Maybe that is why.
The camber profile of the Cardiff Goat has some early rise in the tip and tail with camber well past the inserts. You feel that stable camber feel without the unforgiving nature of camber. It is easy to skid a turn when you get off your game and it one foots/flat bases well.
Flex Personality
What I love about the Cardiff Goat is the flex. Actually, I love the flex personality with all Cardiff rides. It has this medium bordering on medium stiff flex that feels easy to butter or ollie but also is damp and it never shits the bed in any condition you want to ride. Micro bumpy hard poorly groomed runs are doable and messy to bumpy snow is doable if you size this board right.
Speed
Cardiff charges a little more than most but at least you get a top notch base that glides super easy. This is in that same realm as Jones and Gentemstick when it comes to base tech. It is also very damp on a straight line. The sidecut likes a straight line but also something is going on inside that allows the Cardiff Goat to be very damp and stable at high speeds despite its mellower flex for a freeride board.
Edge Hold
There is great grip happening here that is very hard snow friendly.
Turning Experience/Carving
So this has well over a 10 meter sidecut radius. That is seriously shallow but somehow it can pivot well in a tight spot or initiate a turn quicker than you would think. When I had the sidecut fully engaged I thought it wouldn’t be as balanced as it felt. Don’t get me wrong. This is not a circle carver but it did better than I thought it would for this straight-line oriented sidecut.
Powder
So I forgot to measure the setback on board before I sent it back. Sorry! I will say that it is less than the Powgoda but more than the Crane by a good bit. The little 154 Cardiff Goat floated really well when set all the way back though in up to knee high powder. I was really impressed with how well it planed above the snow. It isn’t a full on low angle pow specialist but can for sure do well. That is hard to do. It excels in steeper angles though and it is a great big mountain kind of pow ride.
Switch/Pipe/Jumps
Very doable switch and the Cardiff Goat loves to track into a big air. There is more than enough tail to land easy too with how it is pretty centered on board.
Conclusion
So even though I felt in between sizes with the Cardiff Goat I could see why so many of my friends with bigger boots but my specs love this ride. It is a very forgiving big mountain bomber.
Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews and this 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 riders’ perspective.
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Cardiff Goat Specs
Cardiff Goat Images
Cardiff Goat User Reviews
Where To Buy
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evo
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Snowboards.com
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