Hello and welcome to my Bataleon Disaster snowboard review.
In this review, I will take a look at the Disaster as a freestyle snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Disaster a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other freestyle snowboards.
Overall Rating
Board: Bataleon Disaster 2023
Price: $459
Style: Freestyle
Flex Rating: Soft (2/10)
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium-Soft (3/10)
Rating Score: 90.8/100
Compared to other Men’s Freestyle Boards
Out of the 37 men’s freestyle snowboards that I rated:
Overview of the Disaster’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Disaster’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | Freestyle |
Price: | $459 |
Ability Level: |  |
Flex: |  |
Feel: |  |
Smooth/Snappy: |  |
Dampness: |  |
Playful/Aggressive: |  |
Edge-hold: |  |
Camber Profile: | Traditional Camber - technically but doesn't feel like that with Bataleon's 3BT tech |
Shape: | |
Setback Stance: | Centered |
Base: | Sintered |
Weight: | Felt Light |
Sizing
LENGTH (cm) | Waist Width (mm) | Rec Rider Weight (lb) | Rec Rider Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
144 | 244 | 110-154 | 50-70 |
148 | 246 | 119-163 | 54-74 |
151 | 248 | 134-178 | 61-81 |
153W | 266 | 141-185 | 64-84 |
154 | 250 | 145-189 | 66-86 |
156W | 268 | 154-198 | 70-90 |
157 | 252 | 158-202 | 72-92 |
Who is the Disaster Best Suited To?
The Disaster is most suited to anyone looking for a park board that is going to excel on jibs, presses and small to medium jumps. Not as suited to bigger jumps.
But pretty fun in trees too, because of how easily and quickly this board goes edge-to-edge.
Definitely not a speed/carving/powder board - it's a fun, playful, jib-first park board that's also good for buttering around, tree runs (when there's not too much powder) and really fun on sidehits.
Beginner suitable for sure, because of how easy it is to turn and how uncatchy it feels, especially good for those who are just starting out in the park. But also great for advanced park riders who prefer a softer flexing board and tend to be creative, press/ jib dominant and prefer small to medium jumps/tricks.
The Disaster in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Disaster is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: Bataleon Disaster, 2023 154cm (250mm 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: +15/-15
Stance width: 585mm (23″)
Stance Setback: Centered
Width at Inserts: 262mm (10.32")
Rider Height: 6'0"
Rider Weight: 180lbs
Rider Boot Size: US9.5 Adidas Tactical ADV
Bindings Used: Burton Malavita M
Control Board for Control Laps: Lib Tech Terrain Wrecker
Weight: 2880grams (6lbs 6oz)
Weight per cm: 18.70 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 on the scales it was very normal - slightly heavier than normal but on snow it felt really light. Soft playful boards often feel lighter than they are, so it wasn't a big surprise.
Powder
We had a little bit of fresh snow but most if it fell 48 hours before and was pretty tracked by the time we got to it, but did help us get a bit of a feel for it in powder.
It was fine in what we had, but this board just isn't built for powder (for the most part), so it would struggle a bit in anything deep, most likely.
The only thing it has going for it is those upturned edges but as far as Bataleon's upturned edges go, they aren't turned up that much. And being a centered twin board it's only going to float average at best, IMO.
Carving & Turning
Carving: If you keep the speed slow and keep those carves short and sharp, you can pull it off. But for the most part this board doesn't carve that well (as opposed to how it turns which is a different story altogether - see below). When you get some speed under it and try to carve it wants to skid/let go.
Turning: As easy as it gets to turn this board. Just have to think about turning and it does.
Maneuverability at Slow Speeds: Ultra nimble from edge-to-edge. Again, just have to think about turning and before you know you're on your next edge.
Skidded Turns: About as uncatchy as it gets. This board will skid any turn without having to think about or have any concern of catching an edge, in my experience. Great when you're looking to slash around, but not so good when you're looking to dig in for a big carve. But carving not what this board is built for.
Speed
Let's get this out of the way. If you want a board to bomb the hill with this is not the one. This is a playful, creative park board.
But was actually more stable at speed on my speed lap than I was thinking it was going to be. But my expectations were very low! I was expecting to give it a 1 or 1.5, but I think 2/5 is accurate for this board when it comes to speed.
Uneven Terrain
Crud: Gets bucked around super easy and you feel everything. Great when you're hitting jibs, pressing etc, but not so good when you're trying to smash through crud. It does redeem itself in the fact that it's very easy to maneuver so whenever I got thrown around, it was super easy to correct.
Bumps: This thing was lightning edge-to-edge for me and that made weaving through bumps a breeze.
Jumps
Super fun for smaller jumps but too soft for bigger jumps.
Pop: Ultra easy to access! Not much more when you wind up, but what you get effortlessly is plenty. This board will pop with the slightest of efforts.
Approach: A little wobbly on faster approaches as expected. For trickier approaches to side hits or when needing to make adjustments it's good though.
Landing: Not a stomper. Really good on smaller landings though. But for bigger landings doesn't have the stiffness to take them that well.
Side-hits: Just so much fun! Approaches are easy and you can hit those last minute hits you see out of the corner of your eye with ease (of course first checking that your coast is clear!) - and that nice easy pop makes even the smallest sidehits heaps of fun.
Small jumps/Big Jumps: Best on small jumps. Fine on medium. Much less suited to big jumps.
Switch
About as good as it gets. It's a centered twin and completely catch free, so transitions are super easy. For all intents and purposes you can call this a 5/5, but I do really like asym twins for switch. And also, if you're looking to actually carve and go relatively fast switch, it does have it's limitations then, but generally close to perfect for switch. You could just rotate constantly down the mountain without care (until you got dizzy!)
Spins
Light, good easy access pop (for those spins where you're not approaching them with much speed or not much or nothing to jump off), easy to setup and land switch. Pretty much everything going for it, except not well suited to big tricks, just as it's not as well suited to bigger jumps.
Jibbing
As good as it gets for me. I'm not a confident jibber but this thing made me confident to try things I don't usually. There's not hint of catching anything, there's easy pop to pop on - the maneuverability is awesome for the approach to get perfectly lined up. Pops off the end with ease. Easy to spin and really just no fear of digging in at any point.
Butters
Super easy to initiate a press. You barely have to lean into the nose or tail and it will go into a press. Some might like a little more resistance, but I liked that I could be really lazy and still lay into a good press/butter. And goes without saying that the nose and tail feel the same in a press, being a true twin.
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 | 5.0 | 20/20 |
SPINS | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
SWITCH | 4.5 | 9/10 |
BUTTERING | 5.0 | 10/10 |
UNEVEN TERRAIN | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
POWDER | 2.5 | 2.5/5 |
SPEED | 2.0 | 2/5 |
CARVING | 2.0 | 2/5 |
TURNS/SLASHING | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 90.8/100 |
The Disaster is fun, snappy, whippy, soft and ultra playful.
Not a speed demon as you'd expect and not something you're going to be laying down big high speed carves on - or take into the backcountry.
This board knows where it's good - and that's in the park. And in the park, it loves to press anything, hit any kind of jib and take on small to medium jumps. Bigger jumps are not its forte.
It turns on a dime and is also really fun for sidehits and butter for when you're out on the groomers. One of those boards that's super fun to take out when you're stuck on the greens with a beginner - and you can just have heaps of fun on it dashing in and out of trees, buttering, hitting sidehits and then lapping the park, which is it's true home.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the Disaster, 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 Disaster to other freestyle snowboards, then check out the next link.
If I’m looking for a board with similar qualities but I want a more stable/locked in feel, what would you recommend?
I currently have the yes greats which I love but I wish it were a little bit softer to get into butters.
Thanks!
Hi ivwshane
I would look at something like the GNU Headspace, Arbor Relapse, Rome Agent, Niche Wraith or YES Basic.
Hi Nate,
I normally ride Orca/Blossom/Ultra Flagship and I want a soft and playful board. Have you tried the Disaster+ board? I am worried that the flex of the regular Disaster is too soft for me so I went for the plus version and downsized ~3cm. The board has not arrived yet but I already start to worry about it being too stiff to be really playful.
Hi Boyi
Thanks for your message.
I haven’t ridden the Disaster+ but I wouldn’t worry about it being too stiff or not playful enough. It’s not supposed to be much stiffer than the regular Disaster – and compared to your other boards, it’s still going feel very soft and playful.
Thanks Nate.
I got the board and yes — it is very very soft. It takes almost no effort to do butters. Now the problem becomes that I need a soft binding. Went for Malavita based on your reviews. Cheers!
You’re very welcome Boyi. Happy riding!
Hi Nate
I am currently riding an Libtech travis rice pro 161,5W and loving it. I am becoming more and more interested at doing jibbing, pressing, riding switch and 180’s on the run and feel like the libtech is to hard to press for me. I don’t think i will ever be at the park allday but i think i would like to have a second softer board for 1 or 2 days in a week. I am looking in to the disaster or disaster plus. Do you think that it will work and what size would you suggest. Me being 160 lbs, 6”3 and boot size us12.
Thanks!
Hi Koen
Thanks for your message.
If you want the biggest contrast to your T Rice Pro and want things super soft and buttery, then the Disaster is that for sure. If you wanted a little more stiffness (but still nice and soft and still should be super easy to press vs the T Rice Pro) then Disaster + – I haven’t ridden Disaster + but it’s supposed to be a little stiffer than the regular Disaster model.
Size-wise, I think the 156W is your best bet. You’ll need to go wide with your boot size and you’ll want to size down for the kind of things you’re doing on it and for this board in general. There’s even a case for the 153W, if you wanted it super easy to throw around and press and do 180s etc. If you were to size down that much though, just be prepared that it won’t handle speed well at all and not really something you could take on bigger jumps or anything. Won’t be a lot of stability there. I would put your “standard all-mountain length” at around 160, so going 156 you’d be sizing down 4cm and 153W you’d be sizing down 7cm. I think it depends on how much you want it to be super easy to throw around and whether or not you still want some kind of stability on it.
Hope this helps with your decision
Thanks! Will definitly help with my discision!
You’re very welcome Koen. Hope you have an awesome season!
Hi Nate,
I am looking for a snowboard for buttering and all-mountain. I can handle riding switch pretty well, but am a beginner to freestyle. My boot size is US 7 and I am 168cm, 62kg. Not sure if Disaster 148 or 144 is better to me. Comparing to Yes. Great Uninc, 149 which one do you think is a better choice?
Hi Daniel
Thanks for your message.
For all-mountain riding the Greats is the better choice, IMO. The Disaster is very much a park/freestyle board and doesn’t do speed, powder or carving well. For buttering it’s super easy to press and butter and will certainly be the easier choice for that – and for starting out with freestyle, it’s a really good choice. But as a do-it-all board, it’s not there for me. It’s more specialized for park – and for playful, creative park, jibbing, buttering, small jumps, sidehits, that kind of thing – not for more extreme park – like really large jumps or anything. If you never really like to ride fast, dig in big carves or anything like that, it could work, but this is more the board you get as your dedicated park/freestyle board and have another board for other things.
The Greats is more of an all-rounder – still not great in powder but good for everything else. And it’s better for buttering than you’d think for its flex. But still harder to butter and harder in general for learning freestyle than something like the Disaster.
Size-wise, I would put your “standard all-mountain” length at around 150. So if you were going to be using the Disaster as an all-mountain board (though not recommended) then I’d look at 148.
The Greats in the 149 is going to feel bigger than the 148 Disaster – not just because it’s 1cm longer but also because it’s a little wider overall (the waists are similar but the Greats is wider a the inserts and at the tip/tail) and has more effective edge versus overall length. Doable for your specs, but it’s on the bigger side when you take into account the extra width – which will make it a little more difficult to learn freestyle on. But as a do-it-all board in your quiver, it’s still the better choice, IMO.
If you had another board and you wanted this board as your park/freestyle dedicated board, then I would go Disaster and I would probably even size it to 144.
Hope this helps with your decision
Thanks for your guide. This is very helpful
You’re very welcome Daniel. Hope you have an awesome season!
Hi Nate,
Thank you in advance! Hope you can help me to choose size for this board.
Disaster caught my eye after seeing you Top10 freestyle review. I bought a Yes Basic (152) based on your suggestion last year. I thought I would never be interested in park, but park gradually becomes my weekly activity in an indoor snowcenter near me. I know Yes Basic is not a stiff board, but still it is too hard for me to butter or ollie higher. It could be me too weak to press it, but I blame the board. xD
Anyway I am thinking to buy a real park board to help me progress faster, so I come to Diaster. I am 5″10, 145.5lbs, shoe size 9.5. I am not sure for Disaster 151 or 154 to choose. Kindly please help! Thanks!
Hi Yongchao
Thanks for your message.
The Disaster is certainly softer than the Basic, so you should notice that. I found the Basic pretty easy to press, but I’m 180lbs, so that makes a difference. The Disaster should be easier for you to press and it’s a really easy going ride and great for the park. I would go with the 151 for your specs and given that you want it to be easy to press and play in the park with.
Hope this helps with your decision
Hi Nate,
I couldn’t reply any more on the top 10 list, too many nested replies I guess. But thanks for the suggestions and advice about sizes, and for this great review too!
You mentioned Union Strata being too stiff for this board. I haven’t ridden enough different setups back to back to really understand the effect. What happens when running too stiff bindings?
Hi Joakim
Yeah, I would ideally go with something softer than the Strata on this board. You might get away with it, but something softer would be more optimal, IMO. When a binding is too stiff for the board it can make the board feel a bit twitchy and can feel like they over power the board, particularly when riding with a bit of speed, in my experience.
I’ve gone for a Disaster 156W, thanks for the size recommendation. I’ve never ridden any 3BT board so I’m hoping I can adjust to it 🙂
Regarding bindings I can get a hold of a pair of Union Ultra for a good price. Would you say those fit the board OK wrt flex?
Thanks!
Hi Joakim
Yes, the Ultra (assuming it’s the new ’23 model and not the old Ultra (which was discontinued after the 2020 model) should work. It’s still probably the stiffest binding I would put on the Disaster, but it’s in a good range still and I think would make a good match.
Hi Nate,
It’s the -23 version, so I’ll go for that. Thanks for the help!
Previous board and bindings you helped me pick out have worked like a charm, great fit for my purposes and great match. Thanks for a very good site too.
You’re very welcome Joakim. Hope you have an awesome season!