• Price: £490 / $580
• Category: All-Mountain, Freeride/Powder
• Ability Level: Intermediate, Advanced
• Size: 152, 156, 156W, 158, 159W, 161, 162W
• Flex: 6/10
• Shape: Directional
• Profile: 3BT Camber
• Base: Sintered
• New for 2020/21 season
• BUY DIRECT FROM BATALEON

Why we chose the Bataleon Thunder Snowboard: Few freeride snowboards balance power and performance with such a forgiving nature.

First came the Storm, then came the Thunder. Bataleon have three new men’s snowboards in the 2021 lineup but, unlike the Party Wave + and Camel 2, the Thunder’s origins come from the women’s side of things. Confident riders on the hunt for a versatile, all-mountain snowboard with a heavy leaning towards freeriding can stop the search.

At a glance, the Thunder looks positively normal. There’s no taper to speak of in its outline, nor is there any of the volume shifting or eye-catching nose and tail designs we’re familiar with seeing in some of Bataleon’s other directional models.

“For those craving a snowboard that really brings the full force of nature and charges in all conditions, the Thunder makes a banging choice”

Rest assured, though, this one can still float like the best of them. The stance is already set back, with the option of dialling it right back on the deepest days through the additional Backseat Inserts. Despite being such a simple fix and a two-minute job, it’s one that dramatically increases the volume in the nose and transforms the Thunder’s float in powder.

Then there’s the Freeride 3BT + Sidekick variant of Bataleon’s base profiling. It has a directional element to it, like the Camel 2 or Party Wave, with a high uplift in the nose sidebases. Where it differs from these is in the tail. Instead of flattening off, the Thunder retains a medium uplift, making switch landings or freestyle creativity quite doable.