2020-2021 G3 Scapegoat Carbon Splitboard

Skinning

The excellent part about testing boards in Valdez, Alaska, is the endless time on the skin track to assess how well a board skins. For 4500-5000 vertical feet, even the smallest imperfection can become quite an annoyance. That being said, I have very few gripes with the Scapegoat on the ascent.

It is quite light, and torsionally rigid, allowing for good edging on both hardpack and powder. It was typical to encounter a frozen melt/freeze surface during early morning alpine starts, in which there is literally no edge penetration on the ice. However, the dramatic 40 mm taper did not significantly inhibit the board from gripping well. It would be nice to see a mellow magnatraction to help with grip on the outer edge (when in ski mode), similar to that of the Jones Carbon Solution. Although most splitboards feature a straight cut down the middle of the board, I feel the magnatraction helps keep the board together well, in addition to providing better edge-ability when skinning.

Although not a direct complaint with the board, I would advise against using the G3 skins they recommend with the Scapegoat. G3 recommended using the “short” splitboard skins, advertised for 147-163 cm boards on the 162 cm Scapegoat, as opposed to their “long” which accommodates 163-178 cm boards. The short skins leave approximately 1.5-2 feet of the tail of the board exposed — far too much for my preference. The exposed tail of the base was really noticeable on steep skin tracks with sketchy switchbacks. I was so unimpressed, I used my Kohla-Tirol skins, cut for my Amplid Milligram. Although they were a bit long, they worked far better than the G3’s. If the G3 “long” skins do in fact fit well with the 162 Scapegoat, I would recommend trying those instead of the “short”.

Descending

The shape, camber, construction and stance set-back make the Scapegoat an exceptionally fun board in soft to powder conditions. The lightweight construction and carbon build makes for a very responsive, snappy and agile descent, similar to that of the Amplid Milligram, and far more playful than the Jones Carbon Solution.

Powder

The G3 Scapegoat is built for one primary purpose: to shred deep powder and stay afloat. After a half-day getting use to the shape, which felt quite different from a normal powder board (specifically the Milligram and Carbon Solution I’d been on recently) given its dramatic taper and huge nose, the Scapegoat became my go-to deep powder board in Valdez. Besides a storm day spent in the trees riding pillows, the first big line I was able to take the Scapegoat down was a narrow 1600ft couloir to spine run high above a pocket glacier. Although a bit timid at the top, it only took 2 big, fast turns to become comfortable with the amazing float and stability, which translated to one epic run. And then another.

After a couple more weeks of using the Scapegoat in Valdez, I was very impressed with how playful, yet responsive the board remained. It was so much fun, that I would even opt to use to Scapegoat on snowmachine laps instead of my solid boards. It seemed impossible to sink the nose, which dramatically relieved leg burn, resulting in more runs per day.

Variable Crust

Although variable crust is never sought after, it is a painful reality when splitboarding. As with powder, the nose successfully stays afloat when punching through crust, at high and low speeds. I prefer the shape of the Amplid Milligram for variable riding, but when deep powder transitions to a crust, do not fear — the Scapegoat can still handle it. The flex is stiff enough to keep the board from feeling squirrelly and overall feels very stable despite the snow conditions.

Firm Snow

Many powder specific boards can be downright scary on firm snow and hardpack. The Scapegoat is no different. Although it is manageable at lower speeds, I would not recommend this board for hardpack, specifically frozen isothermic snow, which I often encountered on early spring mornings and late evenings in Valdez. The wide nose and tapered tail prevent proper edge contact when the board is not penetrating 1-2” of snow, particularly the heel edge turn. While the traditional camber underfoot bites into hard snow while going slow, the shape of the board keeps the edge from contacting and driving the board at higher speeds.

Who’s it for?

The Scapegoat splitboard is designed for the avid storm chaser: for those who ride only powder, or those fortunate enough to have a “multiple splitboard quiver” to choose from. Either way, if you consistently find yourself in deep, wet or dry powder, you will not be disappointed with the Scapegoat.

As a medium weight rider, the board’s flex feels perfect; The Scapegoat allows me to be playful and butter, while having enough of a spine for hard charging bigger lines.

Bottom Line

Although it is not necessarily a good one-board-quiver choice due to its powder specific shape, the G3 Scapegoat is hard to beat for deep powder performance. The lightweight, snappy yet stable attributes of this board make it excel in both big mountain lines and tight tree runs. For the deepest of powder days, the Scapegoat is my first choice due to its exceptional float, shape and responsiveness.