Hello and welcome to my Gnu Billy Goat review.
In this review I will take a look at the Billy Goat as an aggressive all-mountain snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Billy Goat a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other aggressive all-mountain snowboards.
NOTE: The 2021 model was the last model of the Billy Goat.
Overall Rating
Board: GNU Billy Goat C3 BTX
Price: $599 (USD recommended retail)
Style: Aggressive All-Mountain
Flex Rating: Medium-Stiff (7 to 8/10, depending on size)
On Snow Flex Feel: Medium-Stiff 7.5/10
Rating Score: 87.1/100
Compared to other Men’s Aggressive All-Mountain Boards
Out of the 20 men’s aggressive-all-mountain snowboards that I rated:
- The average score was 82.6/100
- The highest score was 91.0/100
- The lowest score was 75.8/100
- The average price was $600
- The Billy Goat ranked 3rd out of 20
Overview of the Billy Goat’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Billy Goat’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
| Style | Aggressive-All-Mountain | Flex | Medium-Stiff (7.5 out of 10) |
| Ability Level | Advanced to Expert | Feel | Locked-In |
| Weight | Normal | Turn Initiation | Medium-Fast |
| Camber Profile | Hybrid Rocker but mostly camber – feels closer to traditional camber than hybrid rocker | Shape | Directional |
| Stance Setback | Setback 20mm | Edge-hold | Hard snow |
| Price | $599 (USD) | Base | Sintered |
Sizing (2020, 2021)
| Size (Length) | 159 | 162 | 164W |
| Waist Width (mm) | 253 | 255 | 265 |
| Weight Range (kgs) | 59-100 | 68 – 113 | 68-127 |
| Weight Range (lbs) | 130-220 | 150 – 250 | 150 – 280 |
The 2021 model is the same as the 2020 model.
For the 2020 model, the 164 has been converted into a 164W. There are some other changes to the other sizes too:
- There is more effective edge vs overall length
- The 159 and 162 are a little wider than they were – both in terms of waist width and tip/tail width
Sizing (2018 & 2019)
| Size (Length) | 159 | 162 | 164 |
| Waist Width (mm) | 250 | 253 | 255 |
| Weight Range (kgs) | 64-104 | 68 – 113 | 68-118 |
| Weight Range (lbs) | 140 – 230 | 150 – 250 | 150 – 260 |
Unfortunately there are now less sizing options than there were in 2017. The 156 and 162W are now gone and the 165 has been replaced with a 164. 2019 sizes are the same as the 2018 sizes.
Sizing (2017)
| Size (Length) | 156 | 159 | 162 | 162W | 165 |
| Waist Width (mm) | 248 | 250 | 253 | 262 | 255 |
| Weight Range (kgs) | 59 – 100 | 64-104 | 68 – 113 | 68 – 113 | 68-118 |
| Weight Range (lbs) | 130 – 220 | 140 – 230 | 150 – 250 | 150 – 250 | 150 – 260 |
Who is the Billy Goat Most Suited to?
The Billy Goat is a board for those that like to charge the mountain at speed and who like to really lay into a good low carve.
You will want to be on your game with this board, so it’s certainly for advanced riders, with good technique who can exploit the extra power that this board can provide. Wield it well and it will give back to you some awesome performance but ride it lazy and it can punish you.
The Billy Goat in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Billy Goat is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: GNU Billy Goat C3 BTX, 156cm (248mm waist)
Date: March 4, 2017
Conditions: Plenty of fresh powder to be found. Had been puking snow for a good few days leading up. Still bumpy and chundery in places (it was a Saturday after all) but mostly good soft packed conditions on the groomers and plenty of powder off.
Bindings angles: +18/-6
Powder
Decent riding powder but not amazing. Certainly something you can ride in powder without too much effort but doesn’t float as effortlessly as something like a freeride board.
It does have a 20mm (3/4”) setback which certainly helps to keep the nose up. But it’s also got a camber profile which is mostly camber and the small amount of rocker in the profile is between the feet (and very subtle) – that little bit of rocker does help somewhat with powder but not nearly as much as something with a large rockered nose or more pronounced rocker.
Carving & Turning
Carving is where this board comes alive!
It’s not particularly forgiving of skidded turns and not that fun to skid turns on – but once you get this bad boy up on an edge, that’s when it feels at home. It wants to ride fast and it wants to lock into a carve.
Pretty fast edge-to-edge too.
Speed
This board was made to ride at speed. It feels stable at speed and it feels like it wants you to go faster on it – but it gives you the confidence to do so.
Not that easy to handle cruising slowly on it and playing around – but when you ride it fast and bomb, this board is super fun.
Let’s Break up this text with a Video
Uneven Terrain
On uneven bumpy chundery type terrain, the Billy Goat could be pretty unforgiving if you were off your game. Not the easiest board to ride uneven terrain on – was more fun in untracked powder and smooth groomers – but it was fine in uneven stuff, so long as you used good technique through it.
Another reason why this is an advanced rider’s board.
Jumps
The Billy Goat has good stability on landings and has no problem with speed for approaches. Has a good bit of pop too.
Great for big jumps or hits that have an easy approach but a little trickier on side hits that require a bit more finesse to hit.
Also, you’ll want to already be on your game with jumps. If you’re just starting out with jumps, then something more forgiving would be a better bet.
Switch
You can definitely do it. Not the easiest though.
If you’re great at riding switch – like similar to your regular direction, then it should be fine – but if you’re switch riding is more at an intermediate level, then it will be harder to handle – it’s just as aggressive and stiff in the other direction!
Also with that 20mm (3/4”) setback it’s not going to feel as natural riding in the other direction. But again, if you’re used to that and you have the switch riding skill, then it’s doable.
Jibbing
Didn’t ride this board on any jibs – and that’s because I chose not too. Not the kind of board that’s made for jibbing, in my opinion. If you’re a real pro on jibs you’ll be fine – but even for those jib-pros, there are better boards for jibbing, if that’s a big part of your repertoire.
Pipe
Based on specs and other opinions of this board (I didn’t take it in a pipe) I think this would make a decent pipe board.
It’s got the speed and drive and it’s got great edge-hold in hard/icy conditions.
The only thing I would prefer for the pipe would be a centered stance, true twin shape. And maybe a medium flex – for me personally, I’d prefer that in the pipe.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Carving: | 4.5 | 22.5/25 |
| Speed: | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Jumps: | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
| Powder: | 3.0 | 9/15 |
| Uneven Terrain: | 3.0 | 6/10 |
| Pipe: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| Switch: | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 87.1/100 |
A very powerful, rewarding board for those with the skill and strength to wield it. If you do, you’ll be rewarded with some awesome performance.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you’re interested in learning more about the Billy Goat, are ready to buy or if you want to research current prices and availability, check out the links below.
If you want to check out some other aggressive all mountain snowboard options or see how the Billy Goat compares to others, check out the next link.
>>My Top 6 Men’s Aggressive All-Mountain Snowboards
