Hello and welcome to my Bataleon Distortia snowboard review.
In this review, I will take a look at the Distortia as a freestyle snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Distortia a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other women's freestyle snowboards.
Overall Rating
Board: Bataleon Distortia
Price: $499
Style: Freestyle
Flex Rating: Medium-Soft (4/10)
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium-Soft (3.5/10)
Rating Score: 89.1/100
Compared to other Women’s Freestyle Boards
Of the 18 current model women's all-mountain snowboards that we tested:
❄️ The Distortia ranked 2nd out of 18
OVERVIEW OF THE Distortia’S SPECS
Check out the tables for the Distortia’s specs and available sizes.
SPECS
STYLE:
FREESTYLE
PRICE:
$499 - BUYING OPTIONS
Ability Level:
flex:
feel:
DAMPNESS:
SMOOTH /SNAPPY:
Playful /aggressive:
Edge-hold:
camber profile:
Traditional Camber
TRADITIONAL CAMBER - but with a 3D shaped base (Bataleon's "3BT") - so doesn't feel like trad camber.
SHAPE:
setback stance:
Centered
BASE:
SINTERED | Bataleon's "Hyper Glide S"
weight:
Felt ULTRA LIGHT!
Camber Height:
7mm
Sizing
LENGTH (cm) | Waist Width (mm) | Rec Rider Weight (lb) | Rec Rider Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
140 | 232 | 84-128 | 38-58 |
143 | 235 | 90-134 | 41-61 |
146 | 238 | 97-141 | 44-64 |
149 | 241 | 108-152 | 49-69 |
152 | 244 | 119-163 | 54-74 |
Who is the Distortia Best Suited To?
The Distortia is best suited to someone looking for a park board and want it to be as light as possible. While it did surprise in terms of its speed and carving capabilities, it's still not as good in those areas and excels when it comes to creative ground tricks, rails, jumps, spins and side-hits.
It is a super easy board to turn and is really catch-free, so in that sense, it's really good for beginners. But it is quite loose feeling. So one-footing off the lift can be more challenging and that looser feeling can be a little bit to tame at first.
So, I would say a great board for someone who's learnt the basics of snowboarding but is a beginner in the park. Or for someone who is more advanced, but want a board in their quiver that's really playful and fun for creative freestyle/park riding.
The Distortia in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Distortia is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: Bataleon Distortia 2024, 146 (238mm waist width)
Date: March 30, 2023
Conditions
Perfect sunshine!
Temp: 1°C (34°F) and 0°C (32°F) with wind chill in the morning, though felt colder than that. 1°C (34°F) and -3°C (27°F) with wind chill in the afternoon. Wind was 10kph (6mph) SSE morning and 15kph (9mph) afternoon.
24hr snow: 0cm (0")
48hr snow: 0cm (0")
7 day snow: 20cm (8")
On groomer: Fairly icy to start in a lot of patches. Other spots hard but a few softer patches. As the day wore on things got progressively softer. And then got a icier again in the evening.
Off groomer: Crunchy/icy for the most part. Not a great day for getting off groomer. Evening got a bit icy.
Setup
Bindings angles: +12/-9
Stance width: 520mm (20.5″)
Stance Setback: Centered
Width at Front Insert: 248.5mm (9.8")
Width at Back Insert: 248.5mm (9.8")
Weight: 2160g (4lbs, 12oz)
Weight per cm: 14.79g/cm
Average Weight per cm: 17.38 grams/cm*
* based on just over 40 women's boards that I've weighed in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 & 2024 models. Yes, you read that right! This board is seriously light. The lightest we've ever weighed and by some margin. Felt super light on snow too.
Tester: Meira
Rider Height: 5'4 (163cm)
Rider Weight: 130lbs (58kg)
Rider Boot Size: US Women's 8 (Burton Limelite)
Bindings Used: Union Milan
Powder
Nothing to to test in on day but based on specs and feel, it's not going to be great in deeper powder. It's a centered true twin with a camber profile. That said, the 3D shaping will help with float a little bit - but other than that, it doesn't have much in its favor for powder float.
Carving & Turning
Carving: Given how soft and playful this board is and how easy it is to slash it around and get loose on it, it surprised with how it carved. I mean when you're trying to rip a short sharp carve at higher speeds it washes out, not surprisingly, given the style of board.
But for straighter carves at moderate speeds it did much better than expected. But still don't expect a high speed carving machine or anything.
Turning: Super easy to initiate turns on and super easy to slash with, unsurprisingly.
Maneuverability at Slow Speeds: Super nimble at slow speeds. You can get edge-to-edge in an instant.
Catchiness: Zero catch at slow to moderate speeds. I couldn't catch the edge even when trying! Gets an ever so slightly catchier feeling at higher speeds, but even then it's still predominantly un-catchy (note that some boards are the other way around - they can feel more catchy at slower speeds and less so at higher speeds).
Speed
Another surprise with this board was how it went at speed. Again, don't expect it to be a bomber, but for the way it rides at slow speeds, it wasn't completely hopeless at higher speeds. It actually felt quite fast for a twin, park/freestyle board.
And while it wasn't super stable at speed - got quite wobbly at certain speeds - it could handle higher speeds than you'd expect. But still overall a board that does its best work at slower speeds.
Uneven Terrain
Crud/Chunder: It gets thrown around like a rag doll! A very easy board to throw spins on, whip quick turns on - but that same lightness and agility that makes it easy to do that also makes it very susceptible to being bounced in uneven snow conditions. And feels the chatter too, when in harder stuff.
For our freestyle scores we don't separate Crud/Chunder and Bumps/Trees. This averaged out to 3.5/5 but it would be like 4/5 for bumps/trees and 2.5 for crud/chunder.
Bumps/Trees: Really good! So easy to weave between bumps. Really quick edge-to-edge and effortless. Wouldn't be as good in trees with powder, but otherwise really good. That lightness probably also helps with how easy it is to whip this thing around.
Jumps
Overall really good for small to medium jumps and tricks but not as good as going big.
Pop: Super easy to extract the pop. Pops with very little effort. Total pop pretty good too.
Approach: Stable for up to certain speeds and really easy to make any necessary adjustments or speed checks. But can get wobbly for faster approaches.
Landing: You can stomp smaller jumps, but gets a little "bouncy" from bigger air. Super easy to speed check after landing, if you need to.
Side-hits: Epic for side hits. Super easy to approach and super easy to pop without effort. Easy to get good style and look like you're making no effort!
Small jumps/Big Jumps: Best for small to medium jumps.
Switch
Super easy and catch-free transitioning and then nice and easy to ride switch. Of course it maintains that looser feel in your switch direction, so you've got to be able to control that, and it does limit the speed you can ride switch at.
Spins
Probably the easiest board to spin I've ever ridden. Super easy to setup and super easy to spin, that lightness again really helping there. And no issues finishing spins on the snow when necessary.
It can over spin a bit (want to keep spinning after landing) especially on bigger rotations.
Jibbing
Super easy and confidence inspiring on boxes/rails. It's nice and nimble on approach and pops onto and off features super easy. Feels good sliding on the feature too, but that looseness can be a little trickier to control if you're not used to it.
Butters
Butters super easily. And while it's really flexy tip and tail, you can still lock it in.
If you throw too much into it, you can over flex it though and end up on your back! But for most this won't be an issue and is something you can adjust for. Really fun to press and butter on.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | Contribution to Final Score | |
|---|---|---|
JUMPS | 4.0 | 16/20 |
JIBBING | 4.5 | 18/20 |
SPINS | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
SWITCH | 4.5 | 9/10 |
BUTTERING | 4.5 | 9/10 |
UNEVEN TERRAIN | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
POWDER | 2.5 | 2.5/5 |
SPEED | 3.0 | 3/5 |
CARVING | 3.0 | 3/5 |
TURNS/SLASHING | 4.5 | 4.5/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 89.1/100 |
The Distortia is a super light, snappy, easy turning, catch-free, buttery board that's super easy to throw around and get creative with. Did I mention that it's light? And when I say light, I mean, this thing is the lightest we've ever weighed/tested.
So if you're looking for a quality park deck and lightweight is important to you, then this is definitely worth looking at.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the Distortia, 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 freestyle snowboard options, or if you want to compare the Distortia to other women's freestyle snowboards, then check out the next link.
hi, thanks for the review, im 156cm and 58 -60kg, intermediate to advance rider, mostly park but i do a lot of all mountain too, this board is pretty affordable atm here in new zealand and i wonder if could be good choice for me , i focus mostly on rails and boxes but do small jumps and bit of everything too, would you recomend this board for all mountain too? i have been ridding an old 2018 salomon and i have outgrown it as it is a begginers board.
thanks
Hi Patricia, thanks for your message.
For your park stuff, I think you’d love it, but not as good for all-mountain stuff, particularly in terms of carving, speed and powder. It’s not the worst for speed and carving, for a park board, but if you do get it, just don’t expect that it will feel super stable when riding fast – and it will wash out if you push it too hard into carves, particularly higher speed carves. If your all-mountain stuff is pretty playful and not that much speed or carving, then it could work for sure. Otherwise, this would be a great board as your dedicated park/freestyle board but you’d likely want something else if you plan to bomb, carve hard or need good float in powder.
Hope this helps with your decision
Hi Nate, i appretiate your response, im def not a big carver or too speedy and we do not get much powder in New Zealand so i think it’d work, i spend most of my time at the park and for the price i think is worth it as is 40% off ATM(perhaps the design is too ugly haha)
now when it comes to size, they have recomended a146cm due to my weight 59KG but TBH i have been riding a 142 begginers salomon board for the past 4 years and tried a 146 salomon no drama last year and it felt way to big and heavy for me , im 156CM so quiet short gal as well. i think a 143CM could work?
Pat
Hey Patricia
Size-wise, I would put your typical all-mountain length at around 145, which is technically closer to the 146, but given you’ll be riding mostly park and the style of board, I think it makes sense to size down, so I’d say 143 as well. 146 wouldn’t be wrong – and the Distortia is super light. Salomon boards do tend to be light as well, but the Distortia is the lightest board we’ve ever weighed – so it’s another level of light!
So, yeah 146 wouldn’t be wrong, but I’d be leaning 143. Also, it might be that 143 is the better size, even as an all-mountain size, depending on your foot size. Most only tend to think of width in terms of a board being too narrow, but a board can be too wide as well – and if it’s just a little wider than optimal, sizing down the length is a good idea, to get an overall more optimal size. If you let me know your boot size, I can take that into account as well, but I’d say the 143 would be your best bet in this case, unless your feet are significantly above or below the typical range for your height.
hi Nate
thnak you so much for all your help with this, im size 6.5us so i reckon 143 is my best option,
regards
pat
Hi Particia. I agree. And you’re very welcome. Hope you have a great New Zealand season!
I am an intermediate snowboarder…..but new to park riding. My daily driver is a Yes Hel YEs in 146, with small union trilogy bindings, and size 6.5 thirtytwo lashed double boa boots. I am 5’3 and a half and 120ish pounds. I ride mostly in Quebec, where conditions are variable and often icy. I have always had stiffer boards…never been able to press or butter.
I would now like to learn more park and freestyle riding and am looking for a board just for that to add to my quiver. I want to learn switch, small to med jumps, and small features (rails and boxes). I want a true twin with a med to soft flex. I am concidering the Bstaleon Distoria.
I’m not sure if I should go with a 146 ( the size I have always rode), or go down to the 143. Also what type of union bindings would you recommend for this board?
Hi Sherry, thanks for your message.
Generally, I would put your “typical all-mountain” length at around 144. Given this will be your freestyle specific board, I would go down rather than up from that, so I would go 143. I mean, this board is going to be easier to butter and learn tricks on, even if you didn’t size down from your usual 146, but I would still size it down a bit.
In terms of Union Bindings, the Women’s Ultra would be my pick for this board, for sure.
Hope this helps with your decision