BATALEON 2020/2021 SNOWBOARD PREVIEW
Take a look around when you are standing in a lift queue, aprés bar or snowpark, you are very likely to see the recognisable shape of a Bataleon snowboard. Every season they become more popular and have a developed an army of devoted fans that swear by the Triple Base Technology (3BT) innovated by the brand.
So what do Bataleon riders love about Bataleon Snowboards?
For a start, the shape of the base gives you lots of float in powder, especially when you compare it to boards with a traditional camber profile. Also, freestylers like that there is less chance of catching an edge on a rail or when buttering, and it is more forgiving on landings. But, the majority of riders love the fact that you can straight line with a flat base anywhere without experiencing the dreaded twitch before ending up on your face. You find that this is the case whether you are riding icy pistes or simply cruising at slow speeds on gentle green runs.
The 3BT sees Bataleon snowboards shaped with a flat base in the centre of the board and uplifted sections near the bindings and the widest parts. Parts of the base resemble the hull of a boat giving you a progressive edge when turning.
This innovative shape gives Bataleon snowboards snappy and responsive while being fast, playful and forgiving on flat surfaces. The three-dimensional construction makes for smooth, effortless and fast turn initiation. There are different levels of this 3D shape depending on what the board is designed for.
For the 2020/2021 winter season, Bataleon has updated the 3BT on a few of their boards.
Bataleon have integrated a flexible composite material into the wood core along the 3BT crease points. The idea is to dampen the vibrations you experience at high speed; this also makes the snowboards smoother in all conditions. An excellent way to think about it is that it is an integrated shock absorbing system in the core of your snowboard.
Let’s look at some of the updated 2020/201 Bataleon snowboards.
The Bataleon Goliath is a directional twin freestyle board, but riders will feel like they can dominate the whole mountain with it. Its flex and carbon fibre spars, give the Goliath a light and poppy feeling when riding hard-pack, but it equally shines when you are searching for side hits, threading through the trees or slush bashing in spring.
For riders that don’t want to compromise but like to vary their riding style between the park, jibbing around, smashing the groomers or hunting the deep stuff, the 2020/2021 Goliath promises to deliver.
The Bataleon Boss is a versatile mid-flex snowboard, featuring the powerful but forgiving Twin 3BT camber profile. In essence, the Boss is an upgraded version of the Bataleon Evil Twin, with its carbon stringers to give you, even more, pop and stability.
The added carbon reinforcement and technology on the 2021 version increases its responsiveness, making it all-round higher-performing snowboard than the Evil Twin, which is no slouch.
To add to the Boss’s premium feel, it is equipped with Bataleon’s Ultra Glide S sintered base that is super fast and retains wax exceptionally well. The flex pattern is stiff enough to respond to your input when turning, but it is soft enough for jibbing and freestyle sessions too.
The Boss is an ideal board for competent riders that want to push on to the next level anywhere on the mountain.
As the name suggests the Bataleon Whatever will shrug off anything you throw at it anywhere on the mountain. Its twin shape and medium flex, and its ability to save you from catching an edge, the Whatever allows you to ride anything from pow to park, exceptionally well. This is one of those snowboards that will render the rest of the boards in your collection redundant.
The 2020/2021 Bataleon Disaster is a soft-flexing snowboard for park rats. It has a subtle positive camber and uses the Jib 3BT, which is optimised for Park riding, which is wider for extra stability when jibbing and pressing. It also gives you maximum pop, safer rail sliding, and a mega-fun. This board turns beautifully and holds its edge perfectly for precise approaches to jumps and landings.
The Evil Twin is Bataleon’s flagship snowboard and is the board that brought the triple base technology to the world. It is an extremely easy board to ride, which is rare for such a high-end snowboard. Its moderate flex and new carbon reinforcement and medium camber make the 2021 Bataleon Evil Twin an even more competent board. It also makes the rider more capable wherever they are on the mountain.
The Bataleon Evil Twin is a true twin snowboard with a wide centre base to give lots of stability. It features the Sidekick 3BT, which increases the sidebase uplift at the wide parts of the nose and tail. The idea behind this is to give you more float in powder, better control on choppy terrain and smoother turn initiation.
2021 Bataleon Surfer & Surfer LTD
The 2020/2021 Surfer is the perfect board for riding deep powder, thanks to its incredibly deep swallow tail, setback stance and Pow 3BT. The Pow 3BT give the long nose a convex shape to increase float, so you can effortlessly glide through the deepest powder.
New for the 2020/2021 winter season, Bataleon has added its AirRide tech to the core. This technology dampens vibrations and creates an even smoother ride to give you that floating on air feeling in powder. However, the Surfer is also great for riding hard-pack snow with its responsiveness and a powerful feeling when turning.
In addition to the Surfer, Bataleon also brings you the Surfer LTD. This board has the same deep swallowtail and oversized 3D nose of the regular Surfer. But this limited edition features a Super Ultra Light core and a Nano Speed base for ultimate float in power. If you fancy one of these, you better be quick, as Bataleon is only releasing 150 of these very special snowboards.
Not all of Bataleon’s 2020/2021 snowboards are for hardcore shredders and powder-hounds. Bataleon realises that you have to start somewhere, so when you are developing your skills, you need a board that will help you progress. Therefore their range includes the Bataleon Sprit. This board is for women that are developing their snowboarding skills, and it makes those formative moments as easy as possible. The 3BT means that you won’t catch edges and its soft flex pattern makes turning super easy.
Over the past few winters, we have seen a trend of manufacturers releasing shorter and fatter boards, but Bataleon has been doing this from the beginning.
The Party Wave is a super fun and versatile little board that makes sure you are enjoying yourself whether you are blasting the early morning corduroy or launching yourself off side hits. Its setback stance and 3BT base, also means you can use it on powder days too. But where the Party Wave really excels is when you are surfing the slush on spring days.
For 2020/2021, the Party Wave has gone through some updates, but keep on reading to learn about the “extra” version released by Bataleon for this coming winter.
New Bataleon Snowboards For Winter 2020/2021
Possibly more exciting than the latest innovations on their current lineup is that Bataleon is launching three new snowboards for the 2020/2021 winter season.
The Party Wave + uses the crazy and fun shape of last year’s board, but Bataleon has updated it with some modern tech.
It features a light wood core that is a blend of Swiss paulownia and poplar, to give it tremendous strength to weight properties. But this core has two carbon tubes set into the bottom of it. These tubes give the camber much more of a snappy feel without adding any noticeable weight. The construction of the Party Wave + uses a three-way fibreglass weave, which is light and strong, improving the board’s responsiveness.
The base of the Party Wave + is Bataleon’s Ultra Glide S version. This is a hardened sintered base, that is super fast and works exceptionally well with the 3BT shape.
Older versions of the Camel 2 absolutely shred and are super fun to ride. For 2020/2021, it features a new directional shape that allows you to charge even harder. Its tapered nose, 3D profile and the fact that it is full of Bataleon’s top-end materials with a lightweight core makes it an awesome board for when it is steep and deep. If you are looking for a versatile, directional freeride snowboard, you can’t go wrong with the Camel Two.
Bataleon has based the Thunder on the Storm, which is their popular hard-charging women’s freeride board. The Thunder has an aggressive directional shape with a triaxial fibreglass construction. Its camber profile is dynamic. Therefore it has loads of energy while still being stable at speed, making it excel when you are carving up the hardpack.� The lightweight wood core, 3D technology, and a set of backseat inserts make this directional freeride board perform like a dream in powder. If you’re looking for a super-fast charger to shred the mountain hard, this board will not disappoint.
Are You Going To Be Riding A 2021 Bataleon Snowboard This Winter?
We love Bataleon snowboards and can’t wait to ride them more this winter. We are especially excited about the Party Wave + for its fast base, and poppy feel that creates fun all over the mountain. But, we are also big fans of the new Evil Twin, due to its increased stability and excellent performance in both park and powder.
Thanks for reading we hope this give you the heads up on our Bataleon Snowboard range this season at S2AS�
Please also check out our video review of Bataleon Snowboards and others on Youtube
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