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Drake Battle Rusty 2021-2022 Snowboard Review

Tested and selected for our top 100 snowboard products of the year: the Drake Battle Rusty

  • Price: £345 / €400 / $490
  • Category: Park + Jib / Freeride + Powder
  • Sizes: 155, 163
  • Flex: 6/10
  • Shape: Directional Twin
  • Profile: Camber
  • 3D: No
  • Base: Sintered

Why we chose the Drake Battle Rusty Snowboard: Upgraded for 2021/22, the Battle Rusty straddles the line between freestyle and freeride, and has one of our favourite graphics of the year.

With a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde-esque split personality, the Drake Battle Rusty is as comfortable throwing down in the streets as it is floating in the deep snow. A collab with the infamous Rusty Toothbrush crew, this is a snowboard that bridges the gap between freestyle and freeride.

With its versatile, volume shifted shape and middle of the road flex, this is a board that’ll get you from A to B, and wherever the hell else you fancy going in between. Now in its second year and with a new carbon upgrade, it’s shot into our top 100 snowboard products of the year.

“A collab with the infamous Rusty Toothbrush crew, this is a snowboard that bridges the gap between freestyle and freeride”

MORE INFO:
DRAKE.COM

Who Is The Drake Battle Rusty For?

Canadian ‘rappers’. Kidding. Anyone with a penchant for freestyle, be it outside the resort boundaries, in the park, or the streets. Thanks to its unique shape, the Battle Rusty is as confident throwing lofty back 3’s in the backcountry as it is hitting gap to rail in the urban jungle.

Riders who want to blur the lines of what freeride and freestyle really mean and take advantage of every bit of snow they come across will find a rusty playmate here.

Shape, Profile and Sidecut

Pulling out the waist width for a curvaceous outline gives the Battle Rusty its effortless float in powder, it maintains the surface area of a board far longer and this is where it picks up its prowess in the deeper snow. Factor in the taper and it picks up some extra manoeuvrability from the rear and the bonus of keeping the nose lifted up and out of the snowpack.

The width doesn’t just pay dividends when it’s been puking, it also comes into play on the hardpack. Allowing you to get right up and over onto your edges without the fear of scraping toes, so whether its nipples down Eurocarves or nipple deep blower pow, the added girth will have your back.

When it comes to freestyle riding, camber is the undisputed king of pop. Drake use a mellow camber with just a smidge of rocker in the tip and tail to give the Battle Rusty it its freestyle edge, the preloaded tension, powerful transitions and snappy end to end feel and great for boosting off lips and popping onto features. Blunted nose and tail reduce swing weight for added finesse in the air, and allow for a slightly shorter overall running length.

“The width doesn’t just pay dividends when it’s been puking, it also comes into play on the hardpack”

Construction and Materials

Biax and triax fibreglass layers strike a balance between reactive and aggressive for bigger mountain lines, but enough flex for playful freestyle sessions. New for this season, Drake have added a snappy carbon bar between the inserts, this drives response underfoot, and allows for extra pop power without messing with the overall feel of the board. The al-dente flex pattern sits just above middle of the road and aligns with the brands Italian roots, Nonna would be so proud.

An additional set of inserts have been added for increased range of binding setup, allowing you to set your weight further over the tail for easier float when the snow won’t stop falling. Using the fastest sintered base Drake have in the bag and a durable poplar core, the Battle Rusty is a daily driver that’ll perform all season long.

“Blunted nose and tail reduce swing weight for added finesse in the air, and allow for a slightly shorter overall running length”

Roundup

Each season we see more and more brands coming out with boards that supposedly do everything, but we were genuinely impressed with the Battle Rusty’s ability to tackle a range of terrain and conditions.

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