Legendary Whistler pro Kevin Sansalone is a busy man. Since retiring from full-on pro-dom, he’s refused to put his feet up and has instead started his own film company (the highly respected Sandbox Films), launched a helmet brand (also called Sandbox), and this season is putting out a full range of snowboards.

Apparently Kevin had been making his own powder guns and selling them to friends from his garage for a few years – the name coming from the Whitegold area of Whistler where he lives. But last year Bataleon approached him about taking the project to the next level and, enthused by the idea of collaborating on a freeride-orientated line to complement their freestyle sticks, he said yes.

Their first range consists of three boards, all of which feature Bataleon’s signature Triple Base Technology. This means the edges of the board are lifted, making them harder to catch. Of the three, the Flyer is apparently the most freestyle orientated. But make no mistake this is
not a park board. The poplar wood core is reinforced with ultra-light Paulowina wood, and overlaid with carbon beams designed to add torsional stiffness. This helps the board hold an edge better on hardpack and ice. On days when the powder is Whistler backcountry deep, the ‘backseat inserts’ will allow you to drop your bindings all the way to the back without losing any carving ability or control. Sansalone himself told us his boards are “versatile and able to ride all conditions” and we have to say after trying this out we’d agree with him. Yes, this would definitely excel in powder, and if you’re into backcountry freestyle it’d be great. But it was also perfectly at home on icy morning corduroy and the slushy afternoon conditions we tested it in. A worthy inclusion in the Whitelines 100.

Buy this board at: snowboard-asylum.com 

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