- Price: £370, $430
- Category: All-Mountain
- Ability Level: Beginner, Intermediate
- Size: 151, 154, 157, 159W, 162W
- Flex: 4/10
- Shape: Directional Twin
- Profile: 3BT Camber
- Base: Extruded
- BUY DIRECT FROM BATALEON
The Bataleon Fun.Kink adopts an almost identical construction to the Whatever, save for the carbon stringer in between the inserts and the few extra quid on the price tag. It boasts the same all-mountain versatility as the model up, but with a slightly softer longitudinal flex and a little less snap in the camber, making it a great choice for progressing riders and those looking for a mellow, cruisey snowboard as their daily driver.
As with every Bataleon, the Fun.Kink gets its versatility from their unique Triple Base construction. The mellow tip to tail camber is flanked on each end by a spoon-like profile, where the sidebase sections of the nose and tail bevel upwards – especially around the contact points.
“It’s not a board for going full hoon over the mountain, but it won’t piss itself and freeze at the first signs of a more intimidating slope either”
Bataleon have fine-tuned their 3BT construction to enhance performance in either powder, park or pistes. The Twin 3BT used here is arguably the most adept for riding a bit of everything. There’s an extra injection of energy from the hollowed-out carbon tubes milled along the centre of the sidecut. It’s not a board for going full hoon over the mountain, but it won’t piss itself and freeze at the first signs of a more intimidating slope either.
As for the rest of the construction, the Fun.Kink’s simplicity is exactly what makes it so special. A blend of poplar and paulownia wood stringers are sandwiched between forgiving bi-ax fibreglass layers. There’s still plenty of life and response in the snowboard but the flex pattern is all about providing a smooth, playful, and predictable performance.
That’s all sits on top of the Super Slick extruded base which, so long as you keep it waxed, will keep it’s speed up in most conditions.
Is it the “funnest snowboard on earth”? Well, that’s the claim from Bataleon at least. It’s a bold call to make about any snowboard, let alone one that arguably sits in the shadows of the fan favourites like the Evil Twin or Goliath. There’s just something about it, though. The Fun.Kink feels like a Margherita in a world full of Meat Feasts, BBQ Chickens and – for the wrong’uns – Hawaiians. The simple classics done well are often the best.
