Cardiff CRANE Enduro

I rode the 2024/2025 Cardiff Crane Enduro on an icy, windy day in Utah. Right out the gate, I was impressed with the edge hold of the Crane. The sidecut just locked into the snow and set me on a smooth, consistent arching turn. To the point where it was almost a bit of work to disengage the edge, but I think that was more so the snow conditions that day than the board.

I cranked up the speed to try and find the limits where the edge would wash out, and honestly, I just felt locked in on all my turns on the groomers. I had to go off-piste to uneven snow for the edge to start to wash out, which was only when the terrain caused the sidecut not to be fully engaged. So props to Cardiff for a super dialed sidecut, Speedbumps edge tech, and a wider width that all contributed to great hold.

The next biggest thing I noticed was the flex. This is not an overly aggressive ride; it felt just a bit past the middle of the road. So definitely a playful board that you can press with, be nimble, and easily engage ollies. The spring off jumps was solid but nothing mind-blowing. You could see and feel the nose start to flap a little bit at higher speeds, but this wasn’t an issue. This goes for the torsional flex as well; easy to foot steer but still decently stable. It felt to me that the camrock profile, combined with the wider width were the key factors that kept this board mostly stable at higher speeds.

Riding switch was no problem at all, the slightly directional shape will help in deeper snow, but doesn’t really have an impact when landing, riding, or taking off switch. You can also slide your bindings back an insert or two if you want to optimize that directional performance in pow. I didn’t get to ride the Crane in deep snow, unfortunately, but I’d imagine you’d get good float that’s better than your average directional twin snowboard due to the shape, profile, and width.

I would mainly recommend this board for intermediate riders, but I would also recommend it for strong beginners all the way up to advanced riders who want something more playful. A new rider who already knows how to turn & jump and wants to stay closer to the freeride side of things, but still have freestyle capabilities, would love the Crane. Conversely, an advanced rider who wants a playful, all-mountain snowboard that can still smash pow on an impromptu powder day would also have a great time.

I would not recommend this board, however, to anyone who wants to focus more heavily on all-mountain freestyle, as there are better boards out there for that, such as the Cardiff Trickshaw. The other side of that coin would be anyone looking for a more aggressive freeride deck would be better off with something else, such as the Cardiff Goat.

- Cody (check out my stats in my rider profile)