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Bataleon Goliath and Goliath Wide Snowboard Review

$469
Intermediate to Expert All Mountain to All Mountain Freestyle
Triple Base Camber Twin Shape
From the Editor- I was on a gondola with this outspoken older woman who claimed to be a snowboard instructor at a small mountain east of LA. She was so opinionated and pushy that when she talked highly of Bataleon she made me want to hate em. She set up next to me outside the gondola and then rode off like a serious gaper. I hope no one takes lessons from her. It's tough to say it after that horrible gondola ride but Bataleon is a great company and she's lucky she spent most of her time on their boards. Triple base tech is interesting and as of late you see other companies like Burton and Forum using similar tech on some of their freestyle boards. The Goliath is a good do anything freestyle snowboard board in the sub $500 price range. The only issue with all Tripple base is it doesn't ride as well as rocker in powder. So if you are up for the spring that camber offers when hitting the park and still prefer more pop in powder over ease of float the Goliath will do a good job for you. It will also be more catch free than a traditional camber board of the same shape which is nice. For 2012 the sizing was changed up but the ride is pretty similar to 2011.

How It Rides
Groomers	Good	Speed	Good	Flex	Med/Soft	Rails/ Jibbing	Good
Powder	Rough	Weight	Light	Carving	Average	Pipe	Average
Turn Initiation	Moderate	Edge Hold	Good	Switch	Excellent	Jumps	Good

Compare Prices & Buyer Reviews

Dogfunk.com Bataleon Goliath Snowboard...	$314.97	Check Availability
Backcountry.com Bataleon Goliath Snowboard...	$314.97	Check Availability
evo Bataleon Goliath Snowboard 2012...	$314.96	Check Availability
evo Bataleon Goliath Wide Snowboard 2012...	$314.96	Check Availability

The Good Ride Take

Company Information

Bataleon Goliath 2012

ABOUT THE GOLIATH

Take this baby to the slopes, park or some nice tree lines because this board is all good all over the mountain! It's a real one board quiver that will amaze you time and again. The TBT tip and tail concave comes with lots of preloaded pop that will explode likeTNT. The FREESTYLE TBT is like always having a get-out-of-jail-free-card up your sleeve for all those sketchy landings. The pre-shaped base is so smooth on edge it feels like skating with brand new wheels every day

INGREDIENTS

FREESTYLE.TBT

FREESTYLE TBT*: Centre base has a medium width and the TBT increases with a constant angle.

CORE CORE

Poplar core with hardwood enforcements along the insterts rows. This increases the core strenght of your board and channels all energy into more pop.

SINTERED BASE

Fast as Fuck. Great wax absorption and tough as nails. These bases come with wax infused. Keep'em waxed to get the most out of them.

PRECISE PATTERN

The 4X2/20 insert pack enables you to put your bindings on with scientific precision.

TRI AX LAMINATE

Tri-ax laminates over and under the core delivers precision in your riding.

LIGHTNING EDGE

Thinner Lightning Edges enable you to carve with more feeling and precision.

Bataleon Goliath 2011

Snowboarding can mean different strokes for different folks, but all agree that this board is a true do-it-all shred machine. Whether you are just hitting some jibs, lapping the park, dropping into your favorite backcountry line or laying down the meanest carves on your way to the lift, it's all good ...very good actually. This isn't one of those boards that will take you for a ride. She will treat you well and be submissive and obedient to your demands.

Specs

Bataleon Goliath 2012 Specs

Bataleon Goliath 2011 Specs

	153	157	157w	161	161w	164
CONTACT LENGTH (cm)	113	116	119	121	121	124
TIP/TAIL WIDTH (mm)	292	299	308	303	315	311
WAIST WIDTH (mm)	245	250	260	252	265	260
SETBACK (mm)	10	10	10	10	10	10
SIDECUT RADIUS (m)	7.7	7.8	7.9	8.0	8.0	8.1
STIFFNESS (1-10)	5	5	5	5	5	5
INSERTS	20	20	20	20	20	20
STANCE WIDTH (cm)	51-59	52-60	53-61	54-62	54-62	55-63
TBT SPECS
MAX UPLIFT (mm)	5.4	5.4	5.6	5.9	5.9	6.6
MAX UPLIFT (deg.)	3.1	3.2	3.2	3.3	3.3	3.3
CENTRE BASE (mm)	90	100	105	100	105	100
MAX WIDTH SIDEBASE	101	98	101	101	105	105

Bataleon Goliath 2010 specs

	153	157	157w	161	161w	164
CONTACT LENGTH (cm)	116	119	121	121	121	124
TIP/TAIL WIDTH (mm)	292	299	308	303	315	311
WAIST WIDTH (mm)	245	250	260	252	265	260
SETBACK (mm)	10	10	10	10	10	10
SIDECUT RADIUS (m)	7.7	7.8	7.9	8.0	8.0	8.1
STIFFNESS (1-10)	5	5	5	5	5	5
INSERTS	20	20	20	20	20	20
STANCE WIDTH (cm)	51-59	52-60	53-61	54-62	54-62	55-63
TBT SPECS
MAX UPLIFT (mm)	5.4	5.4	5.6	5.9	5.9	6.6
MAX UPLIFT (deg.)	3.1	3.2	3.2	3.3	3.3	3.3
CENTRE BASE (mm)	90	100	105	100	105	100
MAX WIDTH SIDEBASE	102	98	101	101	105	105

Pictures

Bataleon Goliath 2012

Bataleon Goliath 2011

Bataleon Goliath 2010

Other Reviews

Crazysnowboarder

User reviews

Average user rating from: 1 user(s)

Overall Rating:

4.0

Bataleon Goliath

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

Okay, I've ridden this board multiple times and am familiar with TBT, so here's my take from a demo this weekend.

Rider H/W: 5'10" 186
Board Size: 157
Bindings: 2009 Rossi Cuda
Snow Conditions: Waist deep pow, groomers and some wind blown hard pack.

The Goliath is an AWESOME free ride board. Its flex is mid-range all the way through compared to other Bataleons, but probably a bit on the stiffer side for most other boards. It is a directional twin board only in that the inserts are set back. The TBT and flex are both symmetrical.

A quick note on TBT for those unfamiliar with it. It basically shapes the ends of your board like a boat hull, eliminating edge contact while your board is flat based but increasing edge bite tip to tip while carving. (A much better explanation can be found at www.bataleon.com/tbt) The result of this can be kinda weird until you get used to it (and you WILL get used to it), ESPECIALLY bombing icy or hard packed runs. However, the forgiveness this provides is almost unimaginable. For example, how many boards can you ride flat based and sideways down groomers?

As far as the Goliath specifically, I rode it with a true twin stance and it felt equally comfortable riding regular and switch. I found it extremely stable at high speed with good pop and shock absorption for launching off rollers. Edge to edge response was quick but I felt like I was getting tossed around a lot bombing through some chop. I was demoing new, slightly stiffer bindings as well and can't be certain how much that was effecting it, but I don't remember this being an issue when I demoed the board previously.

Now the powder is where this board really stood out. I had it in 2' to waist deep freshies and it was glory. While it didn't have the loft associated with rocker, at that size and stance it floored any cambered board I've ever ridden. Once in the deep stuff I do wish I'd gone with the set back stance however some minor rear leg burn was only a small price to pay for being able to switch it up.

I did hit some park laps and found the board to handle it well, but I'm really a novice in that arena so you'll have to demo and see what you think yourself.

To sum it up, if you're an intermediate to advance rider who wants once stick to ride everything the mountain has to offer, but with an emphasize on steep and deep then this is your board.

Overall Rating:

4.0

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Reviewed by DeadPuppySociety
December 12, 2010