Bataleon Thunder Review

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.

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.

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.