Gnu Billy Goat C2BTX Snowboard - 2011

As those below have stated, this is a no-holds barred-rip the mountain as fast as you want kind of board. I have the 165, and the boards in my current quiver range between 162-181. This season was stingy on powder days, and I wasn't able to take this into any deep pow. Pow days are quiver days when they're unseasonably rare. However, based on how the BillyGoat rode in every other condition (i.e. as fast as you wanted to go and it begged to go faster) and based on how it floated and handled in half a foot of sticky April pow, I'd say this board would handle just as well in the deep stuff. This is by far the most stable board I've ridden in years, and has become my everyday ride.

Current Quiver:
1. 2012 GNU Billy Goat 165 C2BTX
2. 2011 Lib Attach Banana 159 EC2BTX
3. 2011 Lib TRS 162 C2BTX
4. 2010 Lib TRS 159 BTX
5. 2009 Lib TRS 167 BTX (pow only stick)
2012 Demos:
1. 2012 Never Summer Heritage 162 RC2 Vario
2. 2012 T.Rice 161.5 C2BTX
3. 2012 Lib Attack Banana 159
4. 2012 Lib TRS 157
5. 2012 Lib Skunk Ape 161 C2BTX
6. 2012 Never Summer EVO 160 RC2 Vario
Owned or rep’d:
1. Salomon
2. Flow
3. Ride
Stats:
• 5’9”/lean 200-210 lbs w/o gear/10.5 ThirtyTwo’s/Union Force SL’s
• Riding experience-20+ yrs/AASI Instructor 14 yrs with Free Style Accreditation
• Riding: Mostly off piste, back country, CAT/heli, lift accessed powder, park jumps, some rails & boxes

Having ridden a variety of boards, brands, technologies and styles over the past 20+ years I have had ample opportunity to store a lot of data in my simple mind.

Goal: Look for a new powder/off piste board with better turn capability than my 167 TRS Rocker only board but can still float back country powder and get be back to the lift line in a fun, safe, playful manner.

Result: After riding many boards and talking to many different experienced riders I was down to the T.Rice 164.5 and the Billy Goat 165. I have passed on the Billy Goat for the past 3 seasons thinking that it was too narrow in the waist for my size 10.5-11 boots and my style. This season I bought the 165 Billy Goat after much thought and many questions, mounting my Union Force SL’s to it.
• Stiff Board-the stiffest in my quiver
• Quick, light, flickable turning stick
• Turns much easier in tight trees in deep powder than the 167 TRS
• Demands to be ridden very fast and in a very hard charging manner. The board will kick your ass if you baby it instead of charge it. The Goat performs best when ridden to the rider’s limit, always.
• Not for the beginner or intermediate-unless you want to beat yourself up
• Floated over everything when ridden fast. Conditions were from:
o Bottomless to 18 inches untouched, light powder depending on run or hike
o Turning to heavier untouched powder later in the day
o Chopped up powder on day 2
o Groomers back to the lift lines
• Even on the chopped powder conditions, the Goat floated seamlessly above the chop, seemingly to just float over the top, smoothing out the ride and feeling more like untouched powder versus riding the 162 TRS in which I could feel every nuance of the topography.
• When turning the Goat hard and using tilt, it would just slice through the crud (love new edges in some situations). When turning through narrow chutes or trees, a lot of power was needed to initiate twist along the core of the board due to it’s stiffness. It does pivot easily and overall is a very quick turning board for it’s size.
• The Billy Goat’s stiffness does give feedback to the rider if it’s packed powder or firm, choppy off piste conditions. There is still a nominal amount of torsional twist sufficient to initiate quick edge to edge turns on groomers. For a camber-rocker-camber board it turns very well. Much better than rocker only; of course, slightly slower than a camber only board and slightly slower than the Never Summer Heritage 162. The Heritage (soft board, little pop, super quick turning) would fold up in the conditions and style in which the Billy Goat was ridden. The two boards aren’t meant for the same riding.
If you are focused on off piste riding, back-country, narrow chutes, powder lines in the trees, high speeds, charge faster than your friends, need to turn like a Ferrari and have a powerful riding style-ride with lot’s of flexion and extension in your lower body & ankles-this board is a dream come true. If you lollygag around, like groomers and chillin’ at the beach or slow, Sunday afternoon walks, stay in the park,or you’re a beginner/intermediate rider-this board will kick your ass! Temple charges and rides hard 100% of the time and his Billy Goat delivers the goods. You and I probably won’t ride like Temple if on one, but you can appreciate his style evident all throughout this model!

I have the 2011 Billy Goat. Best board I have ever ridden. It only came in a 162, but this years comes in several sizes including a 165 with a narrow waist for the average size foot (not many board makers offer this). I will most definitely be buying the 165 this year and hopefully next year they will make an even bigger board like a 172 and keep the narrow waist.

I was blown away when I took a demo of this board and had to buy one immediately. The Billy Goat is a slayer. Stiff, stable and holds a edge at speed. The Billy Goat will enable you to hit the steepest terrain in less than ideal conditions at a full speed charge. I feel confident when ripping this board at full speed on the groomers and through the "chop" in poor conditions. In good conditions, the Billy Goat has decent float in the powder and will not disappoint either (although I usually take out my powder board on quiver days). Overall I would have to say that the Billy Goat is a true SUV of the mountain and you should really try it out or buy if you are an aggressive all mountain free rider.

The review below pretty much sums up the way i feel about the board. It could not have been said better. This board is for getting after it and charging 100% 165 Billy Goat is Awesome!!!!!