Bataleon Cruiser Review

The Bataleon Cruiser has powder in the front of its brain and can get a bit sleepy and bored when there is none. 

But when the powder comes, this board will come alive and come into its own. 

In this review, I will take a look at the Cruiser as a mellow freeride snowboard.

As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Cruiser a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other mellow freeride snowboards.

Overall Rating

Board: Bataleon Cruiser

Price: $549

Style: Mellow Freeride

Flex Rating: Medium (6/10)

Flex Feel on Snow: Medium (bordering on mid-stiff) (6.5/10)

Rating Score: 83.3/100

Compared to other Men’s Mellow Freeride Boards

Overview of the Cruiser’S Specs

Check out the tables for the Cruiser’s specs and available sizes.

Who is the Cruiser Most Suited To?

The Cruiser is best suited to anyone who wants a board predominantly for powder riding. 

It's not a one-trick powder pony, but that's where it's most suited. So, not going to be a one-board-quiver for most - unless you're lucky enough to see powder often and choose to go only when there's powder. 

For most this board would work best as the powder compliment to a quiver. That quiver might have a daily driver and/or park board in it, for example. 

Not for beginners, but solid intermediate riders shouldn't have any trouble with it. 

TEST/REVIEW DetailS FOR THE Cruiser

O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Cruiser is capable of.

Demo Info

Board: Bataleon Cruiser 2025, cm (mm waist width)

Date: March 13, 2024 (and March 20, 2024)

Powder

Had some weird conditions, as described above, so didn't get a real feel for it - not on either day. The first day should have felt like a powder day, but didn't. The second day was pretty slushy. 

But this board has all the hallmarks of being good in powder. It's got that 3BT base, with Bataleon's "high uplift" in the nose and "low uplift" in the tail, plus a very directional shape, with 17mm of taper. 

Carving

Could put in a decent carve on it, once adapting to that deeper engagement point (that I find with Bataleon's 3BT boards). Best for longer radius, higher speed carves, but that was partly down to size - the 159 was longer than what I would typically have gone with. 

Turning

Ease of Turning/Slashing: Wasn't the easiest to initiate turns on. Required some energy. Again that was partly down to size. 

Maneuverability at slow speeds: First day (with the weird conditions, see above) it took a lot of effort to get this thing going edge-to-edge and still couldn't get it moving edge-to-edge that quickly. This was partly down to the size (I'd usually ride shorter than a 159 in a board this wide). 

The second day it felt more nimble. Still not super nimble, but much better. 

Catchiness: On Day 1, this was the most catchy experience I have had with a Bataleon board, which tend to be pretty catch-free, such is the nature of the 3BT base. But this felt quite catchy in the tail on day 1. 

On day 2, it felt more like a Bataleon board, without that catchy feeling. Could still detect it, but it wasn't nearly as prominent as on day 1. 

Speed

It felt really stable at speed and decently chatter free, on both days. But again size taken into account, it wouldn't feel quite as good on a the 156, which is likely what I'd have ridden this board in, if it was available. 

Uneven Terrain

Crud/Chunder: Was really good. Size helped here. And particularly on day 2 I quite enjoyed in the larger size.

Trees/Bumps: On day 1, it was quite fatiguing to ride in the trees. A bit of a chore to be fair, and that size didn't help in this case. It was certainly more nimble feeling on day 2 and went better in trees for sure. With powder in trees, it should feel really good, particularly in a smaller size (less float, but better weaving in the smaller size). 

Jumps

Not the greatest aspect of this board. It's more of a stay on the snow board, in my opinion. But you can certainly use it to get air on occasion. I just wouldn't use it, if I was planning on taking to the air a lot on the day. 

Pop: I found it relatively difficult to extract its pop. Not super hard, but compared to other Bataleon's there was more effort involved here. Total pop was fairly lacking too, which was puzzling when I measured the board afterwards and found that it had 11.5mm of camber!

Approach: Nice and stable, but more difficult to make adjustments. Part of that was size (being bigger than optimal for me).  

Landing: Solid on landings, but not super forgiving on tail heavy landings of if you don't land straight. 

Side-hits: Wasn't my kind of board for side-hits.

Switch

It was ok but a little strange. And while transitions were ok, they weren't ideal.

Spins

It felt big and heavy and cumbersome to spin and not great for setups and landings. Switch setups and landings also not great. Slightly catchy in tail. 

Jibbing

Definitely not what this board is made for and not its forte.

Butters

It buttered pretty well given its overall feel. It was good for locking in, when you got to that lock in point. Tail wasn't as pressable as nose bit still decently so. But nose was longer and a little bit awkward but still doable. 

Score Breakdown and Final Verdict

Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.

The Cruiser is first and foremost a powder board, but it's not bad on a carve on the groomer and handles messy snow well. But it's still the kind of board I wouldn't see as a one-board-quiver for a large majority of riders. But could make a nice compliment to a quiver as its powder specialist.