While we were at the SIA on snow demo at Copper Mountain, G3 handed us their 2016 Scapegoat Carbon Splitboard and sent us off to have fun.  So, we did.  We toured it at Jones Pass.  We rode it at Vail.  We used and abused (don’t tell G3!) it and put it through the wringer.

After a dozen days on the oh-so-cool looking Scapegoat Carbon, we have some good insight to share.  The Scapegoat is going to be marketed as a specific tool – a powder seeking, ultralight bomber.  It is not, however, a go-to, everyday conditions board.

We were fortunate to have good snow during the 2015 SIA on-snow demo and the board really shined in those conditions.  Heck, everything shined in those conditions!  Fast forward two months of touring in all kinds of variable snow and ice conditions and it’s a bit of a different story.  The board is built with the specific goal of hunting down and slaying powder.  This is evident in the dramatic taper from nose to tail.  The board specs at 313/260/288 (tip/waist/tail), which, by our math, is a 25mm taper from tip to tail.  G3 says it’s 40mm.  We’ve reached out to G3 to see what’s up.  (update– G3 revised the specs to reflect the 25mm drop.)

The idea is that the nose floats on top of the snow effortlessly and the tail sinks, providing a surf like feel to riding.  It uses a directional rocker G3 calls the Powder Rocker profile to help with float.  We did not notice any problems with rocker underfoot, which has happened with other rockered boards.  In fact, the G3 toured up well. That was a nice plus.

But how does it ride??  Ah, that is the question.  This is a directional board with a major set back stance so it does well in open snowfields and is fun in the right conditions.  We encountered less than ideal conditions several times (such is life) and the board was not so happy with that.  We found it hard to manage at times and downright frustrating.  I tried moving the stance up, back, tighter and even tried different bindings.  None of that seemed to change the fact that the board rides…. different.  If you already have a go-to board and are looking at a pow specific board, maybe a swallow tail or other fun shape, this would be worth adding to your quiver.  In the right conditions, it excels.

For everyday riding conditions there are other boards we would recommend over this.  G3 makes a Black Sheep and a Black Sheep Carbon splitboard that we would recommend to anyone getting into splitboarding.  They are easy to ride, fun and can handle all conditions.  The Scapegoat is a specialized tool for specific conditions.  Our favorite conditions. Powder!  If you are not fortunate enough to riding powder, grab your other split and make the most of it.  You’re going to have fun out there.

The G3 Scapegoat Carbon Splitboard will retail for $850 when it’s released in September.