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Bataleon Whatever 2021-2022 Snowboard Review

Tested and selected for our top 100 snowboard products of the year: the Bataleon Whatever

  • Price: £430 / €500 / $500
  • Category:All-Mountain
  • Sizes: 151, 154, 157, 159w, 152w
  • Flex: 4.5/10
  • Shape: Directional Twin
  • Profile: Camber
  • 3D: Yes
  • Base: Extruded

Why we chose the Bataleon Whatever Snowboard: It’s always been an excellent workhorse, but an ultra cool shape and stunning new graphic for 21/22 just gave the Whatever some serious sex appeal.

All-mountain boards by their nature tend to look a bit… meh. After all, they need to sit firmly in the middle of the performance spectrum – not too pow-specific, not too jib-orientated. With the updated Whatever, Bataleon have succeeded in blending everyday versatility with an exciting 3D profile and gorgeous silhouette to create a quiver of one which truly sets your pulse racing.

“The Whatever is just as comfortable diving into the sidecountry as it is taking a lap through the park”

MORE INFO:
BATALEON.COM

Who Is The Bataleon Whatever For?

Who is it NOT for? The Whatever is just as comfortable diving into the sidecountry as it is taking a lap through the park. Wanna cruise the resort? Build a powder kicker? Yeah cool, whatever. Anyone who doesn’t have the budget or luggage allowance to take more than one deck will appreciate this board’s ability to tear up just about any terrain. Sure, it’s not the stiffest thing out there, but for the average shredder the friendly flex just makes it more fun.

Shape, Profile and Sidecut

Although the new squared-off tail lends the Whatever the look of a proper directional board, it’s really a directional twin in disguise. The sidecut and flex are twin, with the inserts set back just a centimetre or so to help the nose smash through crud and float more easily over the deep stuff.

Twin 3BT tilts the performance slightly towards freestyle, with a wider centrebase and less uplift at the edges compared to other Triple Base flavours. This keeps the Whatever feeling nice and stable when you’re setting up for rail tricks, landing jumps or just pointing it down the fall line. Edge transitions still carry that trademark Triple Base roll and feel even smoother with the addition of Sidekicks (in layman’s terms: steeper bevel) at either end.

From tip to tail the board benefits from traditional camber, delivering a lively ride with plenty of natural ollie power on tap. Bataleon call it ‘medium camber’; it’s not super aggressive, and it’s not so subtle as to be basically flat. Goldilocks would approve.

“Twin 3BT tilts the performance slightly towards freestyle, with a wider centrebase and less uplift at the edges compared to other Triple Base flavours”

Construction and Materials

The Whatever strikes a great balance between premium and standard materials. At the heart of the construction is a Light Core, consisting of 50/50 Swiss paulownia and poplar for excellent strength to weight and all-round energy. This is twinned with a biax-weave topsheet that’s responsive from nose to tail but torsionally mellow, so the board feels easy to manipulate underfoot even at low speeds.

Edge hold is beefed up a little with the addition of carbon ‘Super Tubes’ that are milled into the core either side of the waist, while urethane sidewalls (aka ‘Shock Walls’) help to eliminate chatter. Wrapping things up, the Super Slick X base certainly sounds fast (Bataleon claim it’s denser than anything else on the market) but ultimately it’s made from extruded P-tex. In an ideal world we’d have liked to see an upgrade to full sintered but hey, you can’t have everything – especially at such a competitive price.

“From tip to tail the board benefits from traditional camber, delivering a lively ride with plenty of natural ollie power on tap”

Roundup

When a brand has really nailed the design of a snowboard, it can be tricky to give it a meaningful update year after year. The Whatever already enjoys a solid reputation as a quiver killer. Its winning formula sees an accessible flex and versatile shape packed into Bataleon’s trusted 3D platform. There’s a length for every rider and really nothing it can’t handle. The latest version, though, has a little more je ne sais bang. With a modern, more freeride-inspired silhouette to complement its freestyle-friendly construction, the Whatever just cemented its place near the top of the all-mountain tree.

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