Hello and welcome to my Bataleon Evil Twin review.
In this review, I will take a look at the Evil Twin as a freestyle snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Evil Twin a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other freestyle snowboards.
Overall Rating
Board: Bataleon Evil Twin 2024
Price: $559
Style: Freestyle
Flex Rating: Medium (5/10)
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium-Soft (4/10)
Rating Score: 85.9/100
Compared to other Men’s Freestyle Boards
Out of the 36 men’s freestyle snowboards that I rated:
OVERVIEW OF THE Evil Twin’S SPECS
Check out the tables for the Evil Twin’s specs and available sizes.
SPECS
STYLE:
FREESTYLE
PRICE:
$559 - BUYING OPTIONS
$559 - BUYING OPTIONS
Ability Level:
flex:
feel:
DAMPNESS:
SMOOTH /SNAPPY:
Playful /aggressive:
Edge-hold:
camber profile:
FULL CAMBER - Bataleon's Medium Camber - but with the 3BT doesn't feel like traditional camber.
SHAPE:
setback stance:
Centered
BASE:
SINTERED | Bataleon's "Hyper Glide S"
weight:
Felt LIGHTER THAN normal
Camber Height:
6.5mm
Sizing
LENGTH (cm) | Waist Width (mm) | Rec Rider Weight (lb) | Rec Rider Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
151 | 247 | 130-174 | 59-79 |
154 | 250 | 141-185 | 64-84 |
156W | 262 | 154-198 | 70-90 |
157 | 253 | 154-198 | 70-90 |
159 | 255 | 163-207 | 74-94 |
159W | 265 | 167-211 | 76-96 |
Who is the Evil Twin Best Suited To?
The Evil Twin is best suited to someone looking for a playful freestyle board to get creative on.
It's a park first board, in my mind, but you can definitely take it over the whole mountain - just don't expect it to be super stable at speed or rip aggressive carves. It's best at getting creative finding side hits, when riding the groomers.
It's doable for beginners. I mean it maybe lacks a little bit of stability that some beginners might prefer to have, which is why I wouldn't call it a fully beginner friendly board, but it is easy to initiate turns on and un-catchy. Definitely good for low-intermediate and up, looking to get playful and creative with freestyle riding.
The Evil Twin in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Evil Twin is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: Bataleon Evil Twin 2024, 157 (253mm waist width)
Date: March 29, 2023
Conditions:
Temperature: 2°C (36°F) with zero wind in the morning. 3°C (37°F) with a 5kph (3mph) westerly in the afternoon.
Overhead: Lots of sunshine. Perfect visibility.
24 hour snow: 0" (0cm)
48 hour snow: 0" (0cm)
7 day snow: 8" (20cm)
On groomer: Pretty icy to start but already with some softer areas. It was warm and got progressively softer throughout the day. But still plenty of hard and icy patches to test on, even at the end.
Off groomer: Real crunchy/icy to start. Not a fun off-groomer day. Got a little better later in the day.
Bindings angles: +15/-15
Stance width: 560mm (22″)
Stance Setback: Centered
Width at Inserts: 264mm (10.4")
Rider Height: 6'0"
Rider Weight: 180lbs
Rider Boot Size: US9.5 Adidas Response ADV
Bindings Used: Burton Malavita M
Control Board for Control Laps: Lib Tech Terrain Wrecker
Weight: 2840grams (6lb 4oz)
Weight per cm: 18.09 grams/cm
Average Weight per cm: 18.71 grams/cm*
*based on a sample size of around 250 models that I’ve weighed in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 & 2024 models. So, the Evil Twin was a a little lighter than average on the scales. And felt lighter than normal on snow.
Powder
Didn't have anything to test in, but from specs and feel, I think it would be OK in shallow powder, but would struggle a little in deeper powder.
It's got the 3BT base in it's favor which will help, but being a traditional camber board and being true twin/centered not going to help much when the powder gets deeper.
Carving & Turning
Carving: You can carve on it at slower speeds, but once you try to open out and do bigger, more aggressive carves and higher speeds, it can get pretty washy. Like with most 3BT boards, you've got to lean a little further to engage that edge on a carve.
Turning: Really easy to slash with this board and really easy to initiate turns.
Maneuverability at Slow Speeds: Real quick edge-to-edge at slower speeds.
Catchiness: Would be really hard to catch and edge on this board. Really catch-free feeling ride.
Speed
It's OK up to moderate speeds, but gets wobbly/chattery when really opening it out.
Uneven Terrain
Crud/Chunder: Gets bucked around pretty easily when things get messy and can feel all the chatter. But it is easy to make corrections.
Trees/Bumps: Nice and quick edge to edge for weaving between objects.
Jumps
Real fun. Light and easy pop. Not a stomper on landings and not as suited to bigger jumps, IMO.
Pop: Really easy to access the pop in this board. Not much more when wind it up but still decent total pop. Pretty much everything it has you can access pretty effortlessly - and with its lightness feeling, you get full value for pop too.
Approach: Easy to adjust and speed check. Stable to a point, but got wobbly on faster approaches.
Landing: Forgiving of errors buy not super solid. Plenty of tail though. It would prefer landings with some softer snow under it I think, so the snow could fill in the 3BT gaps on the side of the base, to give more surface area for landing.
Side-hits: So much fun on side hits! Easy pop and maneuverability had me hitting everything I could find, and still wanting more.
Small jumps/Big Jumps: Best for small to medium jumps.
Switch
Nice easy transitions and rode switch very easily.
Spins
So good for spins. It's easy to set up for the spin, and has nice easy access pop. I mean if you're ripping massive tricks with a lot of air, then it still suffers some of the stability things as it does with larger jumps, but otherwise it feels great for spins. Setup and landing switch really good too.
Jibbing
It's easy to setup, pop on and pop off and feels nice and un-catchy too.
Butters
Really easy to press the nose and tail no this board - and nice even feeling between both.
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 | 4.0 | 16/20 |
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 | 2.5 | 2.5/5 |
CARVING | 2.5 | 2.5/5 |
TURNS/SLASHING | 4.5 | 4.5/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 85.9/100 |
The Evil Twin is a fun, snappy, playful ride that excels in the park and on side hits. It's easy to butter and slash around and super fun for small to medium jumps, jibs and sidehits.
It's not at it's best in messy snow or at higher speeds or for aggressive carves, though for trees it was good, with it's quickness edge-to-edge and would be better in there with softer snow too. Maybe not deep powder, but just a little softer, or with shallower powder.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the Evil Twin, 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 Evil Twin to other freestyle snowboards, then check out the next link.
Hi Nate! Question that I would love your opinion on! 5′ 10″ & 275lbs. Finished my 2nd season and i’d consider myself a low to proficient intermediate rider.
Because I am on the heavier side, I have been riding the Gnu Gremlin, Ride Twinpig, and Lib-Tech Stump Ape.
I was thinking about picking up a board more playful compared to the more stable rides that I have. I would like to start hitting small/medium park features & jumps. I was looking at the Bataleon Evil Twin, Capita Indoor Survival, and Salomon Assassin.
I would like to start learning some jumps, some spins, some easy butters… And would like something with “pop” that can help me get more height in my ollies (as I am a bit heavier).
Would love your input! And thank you and the team for all that you do! Mahalo!
Hey David, thanks for your message.
In terms of playfulness, the Evil Twin is the most playful of the 3 you’ve mentioned, followed by the Assassin and then Indoor Survival. All are likely more playful than the other 3 you’ve been riding, but the Evil Twin would give you the most playful feel. It has good pop too.
Size-wise, I would put your “typical all-mountain length” at around 165, but given how you want to ride the board – in a more playful way, you could size down from there a bit. For the Evil Twin you’d be best on either the 159 or 159W, depending on boot size (if you could let me know your boot size that would be great).
If you go Assassin, I would look at 160/161W, with the 158W being a possibility as well.
If you go Indoor Survival, I would be looking at the 162 or 163W, depending on boot size. Given you’re looking to go playful, the 158W/159 possibilities too.
Hope this helps with your decision
Hi Nate,
Tks for all your helpful reviews, helped me a lot recently.
After using rental bords for many years (6-10 days a year) I’d like to purchase a bord and tried a few recently. I’m a low intermediate riding groomers and some offpiste, no freestyle / switch at all. Tried the Goliath and didn’t feel comfortable switching from heel to toes, same with Ride War Pig. I guess in need more flexibility. I do feel very comfortable with Bataleon Evil Twin, but it lacks stability in speeds and make me work hard in powder. Which bord would you recommend? I was thinking Process fv or similar, but will be happy to hear about more options.
Hi Erez, thanks for your message.
I don’t think you’d get much more stability at speed from the Process FV, but a touch more I’d say. The Process FV is better for powder, so if you think you’ll be riding powder in the future or already do, then I think the powder plus slight speed stability would make it worth it. You could also look at the Evil Twin Plus. It’s a little stiffer and more stable at speed vs the Evil Twin but still an easy board to turn. I found it a similar flex to the Goliath, so you wouldn’t be going softer, but it’s got less camber, so should be technically easier to ride. Though they are both listed as medium camber, I measured the Goliath with 9mm of camber at it’s higher point and the Evil Twin Plus with a more mellow 6.5mm. And it also has Bataleon’s “medium lift” on the 3BT base, where the Goliath has their “low lift” this should also make it easier to switch edges.
If you’re not worried about powder, I would go with the Evil Twin Plus over the Process Flying V, but if you want powder performance as well, you could look at the Process FV. Or you could also look at the Bataleon Whatever.
Some other options that comes to mind include the Slash Brainstorm, Yes Typo and basically anything from this list here. Not sure what you have available, so wanted to give you some other options as well.
Hope this helps
TKS Nate for your reply.
I’m a bit confused about the 3BT behavior- shouldn’t the mid. Lift of the Evil Twin make it harder to change edges compared to the Goliath low lift?
You’ve mentioned the slow edge engagement of the Evil Twin Plus, that bothered me too with the Evil Twin, do you think it will feel different with the Whatever? How it compares with the Evil Twin’s? Even though I didn’t like the slow engagement, I do appreciate the forgiveness of the 3BT.
The available brands if you can suggest a better option is: Jones, Rome, Burton, Lib Tech, Yes, Bataleon, Capita, Nitro.
Hi Erez
I find it makes it easier to change edges because it does it more gradually and there’s nothing to catch. It can make it a little slower to fully get on edge for a carve, but even though it can be a bit slower in that sense, it makes it easier and less likely to catch an edge. Whatever feels similar in terms of turns.
Not necessarily a better option, but some other options that I think would work for you include:
– Jones Frontier
– Jones Mind Expander
– Jones Tweaker (given your not riding any freestyle, I’d probably er towards something like the Frontier or Mind Expander, if you went Jones, but the Tweaker would also be a good choice, IMO, especially if you weren’t going to be riding powder)
– Rome Warden
– Burton Process Flying V (as mentioned earlier)
– Lib Tech Terrain Wrecker
– YES Typo
– YES Basic
– Bataleon Whatever
– Bataleon Evil Twin Plus (because you’re not doing freestyle I would be leaning Whatever)
– Capita Outerspace Living
– Capita Pathfinder Rev
We haven’t tested any Nitro boards that would fit in that category, so couldn’t say for sure with what would be the better Nitro options for you. We have reviews for all of the above (apart from the Pathfinder Rev, which we’ve ridden but the review isn’t published yet), if you want more details on any of them.
Hi Nate,
TKS for the detailed answer and list of options…
I’ve checked these options and I’m trying to narrow down this list. So based on Flex (I think 4-5 will be best because of ease of turning) and powder performance I’m left with Capita OSL, Burton Process FV, Bataleon Whatever and maybe Rome Warden (couldn’t find a review here, will appreciate a link) – what do you think? Which one will be best for Powder performance and stability in speed?
I forgot to mention I’m using Nidecker Supermatic binds and Burton Concord boots… As I understood from you bind’s stiffness might effect the behavior of the complete package…
Hi Erez
I only recently tested the Warden and don’t yet have a review published for it. But I would say the OSL and Warden are probably your best bet of those, as they have better stability at speed vs the Process FV and Whatever. They are also a better match for your binding and boot setup. And yes, binding and boot stiffness will affect the whole setup. But the Supermatic should match fine with the OSL and Warden. They could be a little stiff for the Process FV and Whatever. They might be OK, but the OSL and Warden are safer bets in that respect. The Concord should be a good match for any of those boards, IMO.
Hi Nate,
Thanks for doing all these reviews, they are great. I’m an intermediate rider and my main board is currently a Capita Assymulator 154cm (probably too short for me as an all mountain ride). I am 5’10” size 11 boots and weigh 195 lbs.
I would like to purchase a freestyle board and am comfortable hitting small to medium size jumps with no issues (unless I through in a 180 and then I don’t always nail them). I’ve started hitting jibs and am working my way up to rails and sometimes don’t stick the landing and eat it on the Assymulator. Not much of a buttering person but wouldn’t mind trying.
So I would consider myself a beginner-to-upper-beginner in the park and would like something forgiving. I’ve been looking at the Yes Dicey, Never Summer Proto Slinger, Bataleon Evil Twin but am totally open minded. I should add that I’m in the Midwest and do some trips both to the east coast and west coast so would appreciate a board that could handle hard snow or icy snow (that’s one concern I have with the Evil Twin).
Also recommendations on size for a free style board would be welcome. Thanks very much for your advice.
Hi Jason
Thanks for your message. I think the Evil Twin would work well for you, if it was better in icy conditions. It’s not terrible, but it’s also not as good as the other two you have listed.
The Dicey, IMO, is the best option of those in icy conditions, but the Proto Slinger isn’t too far behind. You could also consider the GNU Headspace, which would also tick all your boxes and is, IMO, a little better again in icy conditions.
Size-wise, I would put your “typical all-mountain length” at around 159/160. But given it sounds like you’ll be using it predominantly for freestyle, I would take off minimum 2cm from that and up to 6cm down from that, depending on how playful and easy going (shorter more playful and easy) you want it to be and whether or not you still wanted some stability at speed (longer will give you more stability at speed). For the boards we’ve discussed (which I’ve put in order of what I would go with), I would go:
– Head Space: 155W
– Proto Slinger: 154X
– Dicey: 154 (this is wider than the 252mm waist width suggests – but could still be a little narrow. If you ride with a narrower stance or flatter binding angles, this could be pushing it. But with a stance width of like 23″ and angles like +15/-15 you should be OK, so long as your boots aren’t too bulky).
– Evil Twin: 156W
Hope this helps with your decision
Hi, I am looking for a new board this year. I am really keen to disaster, the very soft flex seems very fun, also I enjoy buttering but looking to get better with it. But I am also looking to ride on the mountain, I know that evil twin would be better for normal riding throughout the day.
What do you think, should I go with the Disaster and hope it will be ok, or should I go with Evil Twin, but sacrifice the very soft flex.
Hi Michal
Thanks for your message. If you’re looking to ride on the mountain with it as well and want it to be able to handle moderate speeds (the Evil Twin still not good at high speeds, but takes a bit more speed before it gets wobbly than the Disaster). I found the Evil Twin really easy to butter and still pretty soft. I think it depends on how much speed you want to have when you ride the mountain.
Hope this helps with your decision
Hi
I thought the 24/ET was 6 in stiffness, they bumped it up one from 22?
I got the 21/22 in it was stated as a 5.
Hi Thomas
Thanks for your message. The Evil Twin is still rated a 5/10 stiffness (which I felt more like a 4/10 flex personally). But they now have the Evil Twin Plus, which is rated 6/10 flex (which I felt more like a 5/10).
Hope this explains it.
Hi,
What should I choose between evil twin and huck knife for park use ? I am interested by 3BT so I am more confident to do stuff whitout catching an edge.
Hi Wani
Thanks for your message.
If you’re only hitting jumps in the park and tend to hit bigger jumps, then I would go Huck Knife. But if you’re hitting boxes/rails and jumps, then I would go Evil Twin personally.
Hope this helps with your decision
Hey, thanks for these great insights! They help a lot. In many shops and even on the bateleon website this board is labeled also as all mountain freestyle. I was wondering how it would perform in your all mountain freestyle category 🙂 So what do you think about it’s all mountain capabilities? Also do you think Union Force bindings would be too stiff in an all mountain setting? Thanks for this great website!
Hi Valentin
Thanks for your message. For lower speed stuff on all-mountain. Technical trees for example, or non-steep slopes or just if you’re cruising, then it’s fine for the rest of the mountain. But it’s more suited to being playful over the rest of the mountain and gets a bit wobbly at higher speeds and a bit washy on higher speed carves. The Evil Twin Plus would be a better bet for all-mountain-freestyle, IMO.
Hope this helps