- Price: £400
- Category: All-Mountain
- Ability Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
- Size: 151, 154, 157, 159W, 162W
- Flex: 4.5/10
- Shape: Directional Twin
- Profile: 3BT Camber
- Base: Extruded
- BUY DIRECT FROM BATALEON
Bataleon’s big hitters, such as the Goliath and Evil Twin, clearly deserve their place in snowboarding’s hall of fame. Don’t let them take all the attention away from their other all-mountain freestyle decks, though. The Whatever just might be the best snowboard you never knew you wanted.
The Whatever manages to cut costs without cutting especially sharp corners. The wood core blends poplar and paulownia for optimal strength to weight properties without obsessively counting grams. An extruded base – albeit one of the best – makes things more affordable. Keep it waxed and you shouldn’t have issues keeping up with those on sintered decks.
“You have all the advantages of a cambered snowboard – stability, grip, response and pop – without the trade-offs like submarining in powder or having mistakes punished in the form of brutal edge catches”
The Twin 3BT + Sidekick profile is what makes the Whatever a directional-volume-twin that will happily ride switch and lap the park with the most freestyle specific of decks. The equal sidebase uplift around all four contact points are ideal for progressing on rails and boxes without the fear of hooking up.
It’s also the reason Bataleon snowboards are considered so versatile. You have all the advantages of a cambered snowboard – stability, grip, response and pop – without the trade-offs like submarining in powder or having mistakes punished in the form of brutal edge catches.
“Even with the Whatever’s more mellow camber, getting airborne won’t be a problem”
That’s aided by the Whatever’s more mellow flexing bi-ax fibreglass layers. They keep the snowboard’s longitudinal flex quite lively without the same torsional rigidity of a tri-ax layup. It’s easy to press, twist and butter but it won’t ever feel lifeless.
When you want to charge, there’s a single carbon stringer through the centre of the board between the inserts, so even with the Whatever’s more mellow camber, getting airborne won’t be a problem. There’s also two hollow carbon rods that run alongside the central portion of the snowboards’ sidecuts to dial up the response when you’re back on terra firma putting a carve down.
The Bataleon Whatever isn’t a snowboard that’s made waves for its standout performance in any specific area or for any particular style of rider. Flip that argument, though, and you have an excellent all-mountain option for rookies and experienced snowboarders alike that will never feel too far out its depth.
