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Bataleon Fun.Kink 2019-2020 Snowboard Review

UPDATE: Check out our review of the Bataleon Fun.Kink Snowboard for 2020/2021 by clicking here.

  • Sizes: 149, 151, 154, 157, 159W, 162W
  • Flex: 4
  • Profile: Camber
  • Shape: Directional Twin
  • Price: £379 / €430
  • BUY ONLINE

If ever there was a board to put a smile on any rider’s face – first-time rookies and seasoned riders alike – it may well be the Bataleon Fun.Kink. This is one of the easiest going rides on the market but still packed with enough tech to keep you pushing yourself across the whole mountain.

Mellow seems to be the buzz word here. There’s a mellow camber which provides enough pop and rebound without feeling like you’re strapping into a coiled spring. There’s also a mellow flex, that comes in just below the halfway mark on Bataleon’s scale. Lastly, there’s the mellow uplift in the side-base sections of the Triple Base profile.

Anyone looking for their way into snowboarding probably won’t find an easier path to enlightenment than they will on the Fun.Kink.  Because it’s a 99% twin shape, the board feels incredibly balanced and versatile in almost every condition. That other 1% comes in the form of a little extra length beyond the contact points in the nose, providing a helping stable hand in variable snow.

“Anyone looking for their way into snowboarding probably won’t find an easier path to enlightenment than they will on the Fun.Kink”

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For more experienced riders, you have all that forgiveness and buttery flex for building confidence to dabble in the park or start spinning in and out of every feature. That being said, the Dual Super Tubes inject a little more life into the Fun.Kink for those times when you just want to charge. Bataleon have milled hollow carbon tubes down either side of the board, between the inserts, to up the overall pop and snap of the camber.

For first-time buyers, this might be the only board you ever need. For the old-timers who’ve been punishing themselves on oversized, under-flexing monoliths, this is snowboard that’ll hold you tight, tuck you in, and tell you everything’s going to be okay now.  Whoever you are, snowboarding will never feel so Fun.Kink good again.

Tester’s Verdict

Rob McCreathWhitelines

“If the Fun.Kink can’t put a smile on your face, then it’s probably time to reflect upon why it is that you and your cold, dead heart have lost the capacity to experience the most basic levels of joy.

Put the whole love/hate 3BT debate aside for a moment and look at what else is on offer. A board with a more-or-less true twin shape, a medium, playful flex, with carbon additives for a little more snap through the centre and a mellow camber to keep the ride responsive and powerful. All the while coming in at a pretty appealing price point, too.

“It eggs you on to try things that you probably wouldn’t have the confidence to on other full-length camber snowboards. Sidehits, jibs, and spins feel so much more achievable”

To be honest, the 3BT isn’t overly noticeable here. The centre-base is one of the widest in the line, and the uplift on the sides is pretty minimal. It’s probably partly why the Fun.Kink feels like it can do just about anything.

It eggs you on to try things that you probably wouldn’t have the confidence to on other full-length camber snowboards. Sidehits, jibs, and spins feel so much more achievable. It feels silky smooth on transitions from one edge to the other, but is still very much “locked-in” once you’re on the metal.

For beginner and progressive riders in the market for a first snowboard, it would make a great choice. That being said, any strong intermediates looking for an easy-going all-rounder, or wanting to ease their way into the park, really can’t go wrong with the Fun.Kink either.”

Tester’s Verdict 2018/19

Darren Williamsthesnowboardshop.com

“The Bataleon Fun.Kink is super fun to ride across the whole mountain. It’s one of my go-to snowboards on any test day when I wake up with a beastly hangover, as it’s super mellow and easy to ride. The Fun.Kink won’t buck you off when you get things wrong; the truly ‘catch-free’ 3BT base lets you get away with ungraceful, sloppy riding (and I have that on lock-down).

““The truly ‘catch-free’ 3BT base lets you get away with ungraceful, sloppy riding”

Soft enough to press and butter but with regular camber, it holds an edge at speed pretty well too. The hollow carbon rods that have been added to the upgraded core this winter have made this board noticeably lighter and poppier than before. Perfect for mellow cruising, laps through the park, side hits and newbies who want an easy-to-ride, predictable shred-stick at a decent price.”

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