The Bataleon Fun.kink is the second Bataleon board in our review set. Where the Goliath is a bit stronger and stiffer, the Bataleon has more flex to it and is aimed at friendly fun on the mountain. It has a flex rating of 3 which is really towards the softer side of the spectrum.
It also features (of course) Bataleon’s signature Trip Base Shape, which means that from the outside of the insets for your bindings, towards the tip and the tail, the sidebase has an uplift to it.
With is this Bataleon aims to provide a super agile, catch-free ride. This catch-free ride means that you are much less likely to catch the board on the wrong side of the edge in the snow, which can lead to hard falls. The board has mellow camber to it between the bindings which helps with grip in your turns.
The Review
According to Seb
It is always interesting to see what happens when you have somebody ride a board that is not the perfect match to the riding style of the person. Seb is a powerful aggressive rider, who likes tough stiff boards to charge with. This is not what the Fun.kink is about. And while the match wasn’t perfect, Seb managed to get a lot from the board, doing some nice jumps off of side features, and dancing between moguls off-piste. That last element was something he really liked, it’s easy to navigate the board between the humps and bumps you get in tracked snow or at the end of the day on the piste. He also enjoyed the easy float the board provided in the sections where we could score a little powder.
According to Mark
I have a bit the same riding style as Seb, but am heavier, longer and not as good a snowboarder as Seb. I had some difficulty with the board, which was 157 and too short for me and my technique. There were a number of moments that I wanted to send it down the piste, and the edge did not hold my carves. To be honest, that is a combination of my technique that I need to improve and the fact that the side uplift, the soft flex and the mellowness of the camber which are not the perfect characteristics to provide limitless edge grip which you need at higher speeds. I do think that with a longer board, the 162W, this limited edge hold would have been less.
Having said that, the maneuverability of the board is amazing, transitioning from edge to edge, initiating turns, it’s all so easy and feels really safe. That’s why I think that a less experienced snowboarder would really profit from this board and be able to progress on it really well. And if you are experienced and you like to play around on the mountain, doing butters and stuff, this thing is great.
In conclusion
Fun, playful, agile, catch-free not to-aggressive riding is what the Fun.kink excels at. This all-mountain all-rounder will forgive you your mistake and be that friend you can have a great time with on the mountain. Last but not least: the board is quite favorably priced.
Bataleon Fun.kink
All-mountain Snowboard
€ 429,95