Hello and welcome to my Bataleon Whatever review.
In this review, I will take a look at the Whatever as an all-mountain-freestyle snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Whatever a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other all-mountain-freestyle snowboards.
Overall Rating
Board: Bataleon Whatever
Price: $499
Style: All-Mountain-Freestyle
Flex Rating: Medium-Soft (4/10)
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium (4.5/10)
Rating Score: 86.5/100
Compared to other Men’s All-Mountain-Freestyle Boards
Out of the 27 men’s all-mountain-freestyle snowboards that I rated:
Overview of the Whatever's Specs
Check out the tables for the Whatever's specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | All-Mountain-Freestyle |
Price: | $499 |
Ability Level: |  |
Flex: |  |
Feel: |  |
Chattery/Damp: |  |
Smooth/Snappy: |  |
Playful/Aggressive: |  |
Edge-hold: |  |
Camber Profile: | Traditional Camber - Except not really at all with Bataleon's 3BT making it not feel like trad camber at all. Bataleon's "medium camber" |
Shape: | |
Setback Stance: | Centered |
Base: | Extruded (Bataleon's Super Slick X) |
Weight: | Felt light |
Sizing
LENGTH (cm) | Waist Width (mm) | Rec Rider Weight (lb) | Rec Rider Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
148 | 250 | 123-156 | 56-71 |
151 | 254 | 130-174 | 59-79 |
154 | 257 | 141-185 | 64-84 |
157 | 259 | 154-198 | 70-90 |
156W | 268 | 154-198 | 70-90 |
159W | 271 | 167-211 | 76-96 |
162W | 274 | 180-224 | 82-102 |
* the 148 and 156W are new sizes for 2023
Who is the Whatever Best Suited To?
The Whatever is a great board for someone looking for an all camber board, but without any catchiness and want something on the softer, more playful side and have a style that's all-mountain, but leaning more towards the freestyle side of things.
Whilst not quite complete beginner friendly, it's a pretty easy going ride that higher end beginners should be OK with.
The Whatever in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Whatever is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: Bataleon Whatever 2022, 157cm (259mm waist width)
Date: January 13, 2022
Conditions
Visibility not 100% but not that bad either. Got a little worse for a while and then cleared up again.
Overcast and then raining then overcast again.
Temp was 39°F (4°C) - no wind chill, so rather warm - but dressed right for it and with no sun and that rain, it never felt too warm.
24 hour snow: 0" (0cm)
48 hour snow: 0" (0cm)
7 day snow: 11" (28cm)
On groomer: Pretty good, well groomed, soft packed to start and got slushier throughout the day. Lots of rain last couple of days, and a little more today.
Off groomer: A little sketchy after all that rain. Some exposed things in places and a little crusty in places - and a little slushy in other places.
Set up
Bindings angles: +15/-15
Stance width: 22" (560mm)
Stance Setback: Centered
Width at Inserts: 270mm (10.63")
Rider Height: 6'0"
Rider Weight: 180lbs
Rider Boot Size: US9.5 Adidas Tactical ADV
Bindings Used: Burton Malavita M
Weight: 6lbs 8oz (2940 grams)
Weight per cm: 18.73 grams/cm
Average Weight per cm: 18.43 grams/cm*
*based on a sample size of around 100 models that I’ve weighed in 2019, 2020, 2021 *& 2022 models. The Whatever was really close to average on the scales, just above the average but on snow felt nice and light - might have been something to do with the 3BT?
Powder
Nothing to test on, but based on specs and overall feel, I think it would be OK in powder without being amazing.
The all camber profile, centered stance and almost twin shape don't make for a great board in powder, but the 3BT base should help with float and with the nose being a little longer than the tail, that would help a little too.
Carving & Turning
Carving: Decent on a carve in good conditions. Felt like it wouldn't hold an edge that well when things got harder/icy though.
Ease of Turning: Really fun, nice easy board to turn and slash on. Effortless but also not without oomph.
Maneuverability at slow speeds: Nice and nimble at slow speeds, effortless to change edges.
Skids: Skidded turns are nice and easy on this board. This, I assume is all down to the 3BT base. With the all camber profile, I imagine it would be more catchy without the 3BT.
Speed
It's average at high speeds. Can handle and remain stable up to a certain speed, but after that gets a bit wobbly.
Uneven Terrain
Crud: Gets bucked around a bit in crud, but nice and easy to make corrections and for the most part is pretty good.
Bumps: Nice and nimble for weaving between bumps and hugs well when going over bumps.
Jumps
Really fun for jumps, especially smaller jumps and sidehits.
Pop: Pop was really easy to access but not much extra when winding up. Overall pop decent though and a large majority easy to access.
Approach: Easy to make speed checks and course corrections for trickier approaches and last second side-hit spottings, and stable to a point, but can get squirrelly for faster approaches.
Landing: Not a stomper for big landings, but nice and forgiving of bad landings.
Side-hits: So much fun on side hits. Has great maneuverability and easy access pop - and nice and forgiving for when those landings are rough.
Small jumps/Big jumps: Most suited to small to medium jumps.
Switch
Nice and easy to ride switch. Not perfect but really good.
Spins
Felt nice and light, good for setting up and landing switch and good, easy access pop made this board feel really good for spins.
Jibbing
Nice and easy to setup, good easy access pop and felt pretty good on the jib too - felt confident jibbing on the Whatever.
Butters
Nice and easy to press tip and tail.
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 |
CARVING | 3.5 | 7/10 |
TURNS/SLASHING | 4.5 | 9/10 |
SWITCH | 4.0 | 8/10 |
SPEED | 3.0 | 6/10 |
SPINS | 4.0 | 8/10 |
BUTTERS | 4.5 | 9/10 |
JIBBING | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
CRUD/CHUNDER | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
TREES/BUMPS | 4.0 | 4/5 |
POWDER | 3.0 | 3/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 86.5/100 |
The Whatever is a playful board that's effortless in it's turn, offers a catch-free feel, is snappy and a lot of fun in good conditions, whilst still being able to put in a decent carve.
It's not amazing at speed, but a good all-round board for a lighter rider or someone looking for something playful and catch-free for all-mountain riding with more focus towards freestyle elements.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the Whatever, 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 all-mountain-freestyle snowboard options, or if you want to compare how the Whatever compares to other all-mountain-freestyle snowboards, then check out the next link.
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