- Price: £480 / $560
- Category: All-Mountain
- Ability Level: Intermediate, Advanced
- Size: 153, 158, 158W, 159, 161W, 164W
- Flex: 6/10
- Shape: Directional Twin
- Profile: 3BT Camber
- Base: Sintered
- BUY DIRECT FROM BATALEON
No need to gild the lily, Bataleon have kept this season’s Goliath unchanged. That’s no bad thing, though. It was last year’s 100 winner and remains one of the truly genuine all-mountain snowboards. Every rider in the market for a one-board solution would be wise to keep this near the top of their shortlist.
The Goliath is to all intents and purposes a true twin. Its flex, sidecut and contact area are equally balanced, so riding switch poses no problems and makes it primed for park as the most dedicated of freestyle decks. The directional element comes from a slight increase of volume in the nose to help manage deeper, choppier or more variable snow conditions.
“When it comes to a Bataleon snowboard that performs across the entire riding spectrum, you won’t find better”
Really, though, the Goliath owes its ease of handling and versatility to the Freestyle 3BT. Both the nose and tail have a three-steep, spoon-like shape that’s most pronounced at the contact points – known as Sidekicks. This drastically reduces the chance of hanging up on a rail or catching your edge. It’s also what makes Bataleon snowboards renowned for their stability when rolling into turns or straightening flat based.
That same profile helps to displace snow and push the nose up in powder, but most of the Goliath’s performance is reserved for back on the piste. Tri-ax laminates and a lively poplar and paulownia core give the snowboard a responsive, longitudinal and torsional flex pattern. It has a sintered base which, so long as you keep it waxed, will remain rapid for days on end.
“By keeping the nose and tail free of carbon additives you’ll find plenty potential for flatland creativity”
By keeping the nose and tail free of carbon additives you’ll find plenty potential for flatland creativity. The power is, instead, focussed between the inserts with a combination of carbon stringers and pre-curved hollow carbon tubes running parallel to the sidewall. These supercharge the Goliath’s pop and the power transmission when you’re gunning it without compromising it’s playfulness when you want to ease off the gas.
The Goliath sits slap-bang in the middle of Bataleon’s 22 strong line of men’s snowboards. It won’t have the same powder prowess as the Surfer, nor will it be as rail-ready as the Disaster but, when it comes to a Bataleon snowboard that performs across the entire riding spectrum, you won’t find better.
