Bataleon is a brand that may not be known to a wider audience, while the boards they make should appeal to exactly that audience. Because one of the most annoying things about snowboarding, especially when you’re learning, is that you will fall a lot. A lot. And then some more. At least that was the case for me. And the hardest bangers were always when my board would catch the snow, and threw me in the direction that I did not expect. Just a little mistake in your weight distribution, the edge catches ad you smash the back of your head to the snow or execute a painful face plant. And not only novice boarders, but also if you have more experience, there are those nasty catchy moments that often lead to really hard falls.
Enter Trip Base Technology. That is the core of what Bataleon does. The idea is that the base of your board can not only be shaped in two dimensions (from front to back and towards camber or rocker), but also across the width of the base. With this you can influence the agility of the board and how easy the edge will catch, in other words, how forgiving the board is.
Towards the tip and the tail, the sides of your base slowly bend more and more upwards, so that in these parts only the middle of your base is lying flat on the snow, the side bases will start working when you turn.
And because, as a boarder, you are mainly going from edge to edge, and doing that almost all the time, the uplift makes that much easier. So that is a big deal! If you really put the board on its edge, the edge engages like a regular board and you should be able to carve.
The Goliath is a board that has that 3BT to a large extent and is available in lengths from 153 to 164W. The board has a medium camber profile (not very pronounced) and a flex of around 6 (on scale of 10). Bataleon positions the Goliath as an all-mountain freestyle board with “power, precision, and agility”.
The Review
Dees and I both road the board. Dees is a lady, a technical rider of many years experience and 170 cm long and 66 kilos. I am 188 cm long and 92 kilos, have less experience under my belt and love to charge. So two very different riders with different riding style and experience levels.
According to Dees
Dees noticed the effect of the 3D very clearly, the board was super agile and playful. Although it was not a women’s board, Dees still found it was an easy board to ride on. Suitable for park and kickers, but also a board where you could go fast on the slopes. It is a very forgiving board and with that, it is a board that can be an option for beginning riders with which you really can progress quite far.
According to Mark
For me, the board might have been a bit short (ours was 159 centimeters) but I had little trouble with that. I had to get used to the board at first, the edge really picks up somewhere else than you’re used to, so the first turns I made I was really looking for the edge. But once used to it, the board is super easy to throw edge to edge. At a higher speed I would liked to have a bit more sense of edge grip, and if you really point it and go flat-out (so no more turns) you notice that you have to keep the board in line. Off-piste was very nice, with a lot of float and a board that also did not catch in tracked snow.
Conclusion
The Bataleon is a friendly and still strong board. You can really relax while riding it and steadily improve your turns, practice flatland tricks, or enter the park. Nice cruising on the slopes but also great if you want a bit of powder. Very wide application in riding experience and terrain. Cool board!
Bataleon Goliath
All-mountain snowboard
Retail price € 549,95