Hello and welcome to my Bataleon Thunder review.
In this review, I will take a look at the Thunder as an all-mountain snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Thunder a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other all-mountain snowboards.
NOTE: The 2023 model was the last model of the Thunder. But there is a new Thunderstorm which has replaced it.
Overall Rating
Board: Bataleon Thunder
Price: $589
Style: All-Mountain
Flex Rating: Medium (6/10)
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium (5.5/10)
Rating Score: 86.6/100
Compared to other Men’s All-Mountain Boards
Out of the 38 men’s all-mountain snowboards that I rated:
Overview of the Thunder’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Thunder’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | All-Mountain |
Price: | $589 |
Ability Level: |  |
Flex: |  |
Feel: |  |
Smooth/Snappy: |  |
Dampness: |  |
Playful/Aggressive: |  |
Edge-hold: |  |
Camber Profile: | Traditional Camber - But with Bataleon's 3BT, so doesn't feel like traditional camber |
Shape: | |
Setback Stance: | Setback 0.4" (10mm) |
Base: | Sintered (Bataleon's Ultra Glide S Base - 7000 grade sintered) |
Weight: | Felt normal |
Camber Height: | 6mm |
Sizing
LENGTH (cm) | Waist Width (mm) | Rec Rider Weight (lb) | Rec Rider Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
154 | 250 | 132-176 | 60-80 |
156 | 252 | 150-194 | 68-88 |
156W | 262 | 150-194 | 68-88 |
158 | 254 | 158-202 | 72-92 |
159W | 265 | 167-211 | 76-96 |
161 | 257 | 176-220 | 80-100 |
162W | 268 | 180-224 | 82-102 |
Who is the Thunder Most Suited To?
The Bataleon Thunder is best suited to someone looking for a one-board quiver that can take them anywhere on the mountain and handle any conditions thrown at it.
Particularly for someone who wants a forgiving board that won't punish them when they're a little off their game. The Thunder can get aggressive and carve up groomers but it can also slash snow with ease and doesn't lack in playfulness or capability on jump.
I wouldn't call it a beginner friendly board but it's not overly demanding either - it's made more for anyone whos a more intermediate to advanced rider.
The Thunder in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Thunder is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: Bataleon Thunder 2023, 158cm (254mm waist width)
Date: March 16, 2022
Conditions
Cloudy and foggy with bad visibility. Brief snow.
Temp -2°C (28°F) and warming up to 0°C (32°F) in the afternoon. Wind was gentle.
24hr snow: 3cm (1")
48hr snow: 31cm (12")
7 day snow: 51cm (20")
On groomer: Soft packed, well groomed. Got a little slushy later in the day.
Off groomer: Not icy or crunchy but a little sticky/lumpy. Soft but not epic or anything.
Setup
Bindings angles: +12/-9
Stance width: 560mm (22″)
Stance Setback: Setback 0.4" (10mm)
Width at Front Insert: 264mm (10.39")
Width at Back Insert: 265mm (10.43")
Rider Height: 6'1"
Rider Weight: 180lbs
Rider Boot Size: US9.5 Adidas Tactical Lexicon ADV
Bindings Used: Fix Yale: M
Weight: 3080grams (6lbs 12oz)
Weight per cm: 19.49 grams/cm
Average Weight per cm: 18.59 grams/cm*
*based on a sample size of around 200 models that I’ve weighed in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2023 models. So the Bataleon Thunder is heavier than average but it feels about normal weight when riding.
Powder
A decent amount of snow had fallen the previous day, so we were able to find some powder pockets here and there. Between that and looking at the specs, we think this board would perform pretty well in powder.
While most full camber boards aren't ideal for deeper snow, the Thunder has Bataleon's 3BT (turned up at the edges) technology which gives it a lot more float than the average camber profile board has. That and it's directional shape and setback (all be it small setback on effective edge) help it to float much better than you'd expect from a full camber board.
Carving
In general I found most carves pretty decent. I did however prefer it on shorter carves. It surprised me a bit, as I was expecting it to carve a bit better than it did, because of it's full camber profile. I think the 3BT takes some of that camber feel away when carving, especially when I was attempting longer, more aggressive carves.
Turning
Ease of Turning/Slashing: I really found the 3BT helped here as it was effortless to initiate turns and slash. Slashes consistently felt smooth as well, which isn't usually the case for a full camber profile.
Maneuverability at slow speeds: Nice and quick edge-to-edge at slow speeds.
Skidded Turns: Handled them with ease. Again most likely due, at least in part, to the 3BT. Never felt catchy whatsoever.
Speed
To me it had an average amount of speed, which I expected for a mid-flex board but it did have the ultra glide sintered base, which I felt gave it a good amount of glide. This gave it the ability to get through some flat/uphill sections without having to unstrap, where some less glidey boards may not have been capable of it.
And perhaps most importantly, it took a lot of speed before it started to feel at all wobbly or chattery.
Uneven Terrain
Crud: I found it smashed through it pretty decently most of the time. In part thanks to the 3BT base again, which helped to prevent getting bucked around as easily, with the lifted sidebase.
Bumps: Nice and quick edge to-edge-when needed. For bumps hugged over them nicely as well, when in up and down tree terrain.
Jumps
Overall the Thunder felt really good on jumps
Pop: It does have Bataleon's dual super tubes in the core which help give it some more pop. While these do help a bit, I still found it had a average amount of overall pop. However, it was easy to access the pop.
Approach: A overall good balance between staying stable on the approach, while also being capable of making last minute adjustments when needed.
Landing: Much like approaches the Thunder struck a nice balance for landings as it felt solid but also forgiving, if you didn't land exactly as planned or in a rough landing spot.
Side-hits: Everything you want in a board for side hits - good maneuverability, forgiveness and solid speed. Only complaint would be maybe lacking a bit of pop at times.
Small jumps/Big jumps: Medium would be the ideal sweet spot but more than capable on all jumps.
Switch
With it's directional shape, it's never going to feel perfect riding switch, but it was still decent. And it transitioned really well with no catchiness or anything.
Spins
Spun nicely in the air and the 3BT edges made setting up or landing 180s/540s really easy. I again wish it had just a bit more pop to really initiate spins a little easier, when you are popping off of the lip.
Jibbing
Not the ideal profile for most jibbers but those raised edges really help on boxes/rails, giving you extra confidence. The flex was also really nice as you can press it with minimal effort, but it won't overflex on you. Overall any capable jibber should enjoy it fine in the park but might be challenging for novice jibbers.
Butters
Nice and easy to press both the nose and tail.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
POWDER | 4.0 | 12/15 |
CARVING | 3.0 | 6/10 |
TURNS/SLASHING | 4.0 | 8/10 |
SPEED | 3.5 | 7/10 |
CRUD/CHUNDER | 3.5 | 7/10 |
TREES/BUMPS | 4.0 | 8/10 |
SWITCH | 3.0 | 6/10 |
JUMPS | 3.5 | 7/10 |
SPINS | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
BUTTERS | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
JIBBING | 3.0 | 3/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 86.6/100 |
Overall, the Thunder is a versatile board capable of being taken anywhere on the mountain and handling whatever you decide to throw at it.
Its really fun for jumps, spins and slashing around but also fast enough that you can lay down some carves on it when desired. It really doesn't have any major weaknesses and was fun to ride.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the Thunder, or if you are ready to buy, or if you just want to research prices and availability, check out the links below.
If you want to check out some other all-mountain snowboard options, or if you want to compare how the Thunder compares to other all-mountain snowboards, then check out the next link.
Hi Nate, first of all congratulations on the site and the many reviews. I wanted to ask you for advice if I may, I am an intermediate level rider, I go mostly in groomers, some tricks on the edge of the slopes and I am looking for a single board that will allow me to progress and explore the whole mountain. I have a limited budget and among the used boards I found this Bateleon Thunder and a 2020 Burton Process Camber. Which of the two would you recommend for the use I would like to make of them? or if neither of the two are good, which other board do you recommend I look for? I hope Google translate did its job well 😅 thank you very much
Hi Carlo, thanks for your message. Google translate did a good job!
Both would definitely work, assuming they’re in a good size for you. If you want something with decent powder performance, then I would go Thunder. If you didn’t need powder performance, then I would go Process.
Hope this helps with your decision
first of all thanks for the reply Nate, anyway I would have found the Thunder 158 and the Process 159. I am 185 tall, weigh 82 and I have a 10.5 US boot. anyway since I don’t live too close to the mountains I don’t often get the chance to go in fresh snow.
Hi Carlo
Both of those are in good sizes for you, IMO – so I’d probably go Process, but the Thunder would be a good choice as well.
Nate, thank you so much for the advice. I chose and bought the Process. 😉💪 now we wait for the snow and go
You’re very welcome Carlo. Hope it treats you well. Yes, I’m starting to get that itch more and more and can’t wait for the season to start!
Hey Nate,
I saw that the Thunderstorm 2024 is one of the best allmountain boards for 24 on your top10, just wondering if the Thunder 2023 is virtually the same board or is there a difference in them? I can save a few bucks on the last year model, which is why I am asking.
Also, are the Nitro Team or the Rome Katana a good pair of bindings for these boards?
Cheers
Hi Bogomil
Thanks for your message.
They are quite similar on paper, yes. You can check out the technical differences and similarities summed up on our 2024 Bataleon snowboards overview here.
Comparing their feel, the Thunderstorm is similar in some ways, but it’s overall lighter (both on the scales and feels lighter on snow) and snappier. This gives it more spring for more exciting carves, better pop and easier/quicker for slow speed turn initiation and slashing. While it has “low camber” vs the Thunder’s “Medium Camber” the Thunderstorm felt poppier.
I haven’t ridden the Nitro Team bindings, but on paper they word work well – they’re a good flex match. On paper they have a similar flex rating to the Katana. The Katana should work well on it. Being 7/10 flex, they’ll be on the stiffer end of the range for the Thunderstorm/Thunder, IMO, but still within range, so should work well.
Hope this helps
Hi,
Seems like a perfect board for a progressing intermediate looking to get more serious freeride experience down black and double black runs.
Just wanted to ask about the “high” 3BT on this board.
Do you recommend a slightly stiffer binding so edge engagement is quicker?
Or do you recommend just general flex-matching bindings with the board?
Never tried 3BT, so am a little concerned about slow edge to edge.
Thanks! Love seeing you guys cover more brands (Rome, Bataleon etc)
Hi Jerry
Thanks for your message.
Yeah has been awesome to get on some Rome/Bataleon boards and hope to get on more this winter.
I haven’t found 3BT to be slow edge-to-edge at all. To really engage the edge in a big carve, you’ve got to lean a little further into it, but I didn’t find it slow to get there. You could go a little stiffer in the bindings, but I would still try to get fairly close in terms of flex match. But you could certainly go up to something like a 7/10 flex binding. But I wouldn’t go as stiff as 8/10 for this board.
Hope this helps with your decision
Hi Jerry,
You probably got it by now, just wanted to say, I demoed it last Saturday, among other Bataleon boards and eventually ordered this one in 159 W (188cm height, 91 kg weight, boot 46 EUR). Super quick and nimble edge to edge. I never snowboarded like on this board. I know that for most 3bt is a love and hate relationship, for me it’s the love. If you can demo it, do it, try some other bataleons. I was considering Goliath 161W and Evil Twin+ in 159W as well but I got the best deal on thunder, and really it was the best ride of them all I guess. It feels stable and nimble at the same time, it makes you do things and really these boards are forgiving and performing at the same time. you can ride carelessly without ANY fear of catching , this, plus the power to initiate turns super easy. Just great if you ask me. Maybe some other Bataleon will suit you more , but I found 3bt works for me best with slightly stiffer flex. You should definitely try the Bataleons. Best regards, AJ