• Price: £485 / €570
• Lengths: 158
• Flex: 6
• Profile: Camber
• Shape: Directional
• bataleon.com

Not only have Bataleon created a board specifically designed for the purest of shred pursuits, they’ve also given it a Ronseal-esque name to help even the most jelly-brained amongst us identify its strengths.

“As you’d expect to find on a deck of its nature, the new Bataleon Carver has a directional, tapered shape”

As you’d expect to find on a deck of its nature, the new Bataleon Carver has a directional, tapered shape. It’s also got a camber profile, albeit one with Triple Base Technology. The central channel of base is much narrower than what you find on freestyle boards like the Bataleon Boss. Meanwhile the side sections lift up more at the nose than at the tail, giving you more stability at the back and smooth-as-silk turn initiation.

Everything about the Bataleon Carver is designed to keep the weight down. It uses especially light triax fibreglass, and paulownia wood in the core. There’s also bamboo running along the sidewalls, which not only keeps things light but also improves the board’s performance when you’re railing a turn.

Two carbon stringers run the full length of the board, but it’s still not intimidatingly stiff. Open it up by all means, but if you prefer to just cruise then the Bataleon Carver is down for either.