Bataleon Fun.Kink Snowboard Review

REVIEW Over-View

• Type: All-Mountain/Freestyle – “99% twin”
• Size: 154cm
• Camber Option: Regular Camber
• Rider Weight/Height: 150 LBS/5’10” 
• Resort: High Cascade Snowboard Camp, Mt. Hood, Oregon
• Conditions: Firm in the morning quickly changing to soft slush throughout the day
• Stance: 22” wide with +15°, -15° binding angles

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Highlights: The Bataleon Fun.Kink is a playful snowboard that rides and feels like a true twin. I really like Bataleon’s philosophy of combing a regular camber profile with their proprietary 3BT tech. This gives you the forgiving and catch free feeling that rocker can provide while still being a true regular camber snowboard. Featuring an extruded base for easy repair and fairly wide center-base for stability, the Fun Kink is as versatile as it is playful. The Fun Kink also features a slightly longer nose outside the contact points, giving it its 99% twin and all-mountain/freestyle design.

Carving & Edge Hold: The sidecut on this guy finds a nice balance of low-speed maneuverability and control at speed; this thing can take off on a tight turn if you want it to. The 3BT creates a quick edge-to-edge transition and gives off a rolling feeling when transitioning from heel to toe. The great thing about 3BT is that its forgiving riding flat based, and locked in, just like you would expect out of camber, when on edge. The limiting factor for carving is going to be the softer flex Bataleon threw on this one.

Flex: Coming in hot with a fairly soft, twin flex, I would say the Fun Kink falls more on the freestyle side of the spectrum versus all-mountain. This board is easy to control and is also soft torsionally. A soft torsional flex provides quick turn initiation and also helps with spinning off of rails. Very capable of presses and butters, I would rate the Fun Kink right around a 3.5 out of 10.

Stability: Bataleon gave this snowboard a combination of their Twin and Freestyle 3BT offering a wide center-base without going full on Jib 3BT. This will give you a blend of being very forgiving and catch free and still provide a sturdy platform for cruising and hitting rails. The soft flex provides nice dampening on choppy terrain and the camber helps minimize chatter. There is definitely a limit to the stability, for carving and in the park, due to the softer flex. The level of stability this board provides is better suited for a playful rider or beginner that isn’t going to be consistently charging at high speeds or trying to push the limits of their riding.

Butters: The biggest standout on the Fun.Kink. Super fun for butters, not catchy at all even in this deep slush we have here on Mt. Hood. Very maneuverable and capable of any butter you can think of. This thing won’t catch. You’ll have access to tall good-looking presses when trying butter tricks.

Park: The Fun.Kink leans more towards the jib side of the spectrum versus jumps when it comes to park riding. You will still have a lot of fun on jumps, but your stability will be limited as you start to hit large gaps. On jibs though, this board feels right at home. I found that it comfortably locked into features and had fairly easy access to presses. A soft torsional flex also helps give you leverage for spinning out of rail features.

Pop/Snap: You can expect a solid but pretty average pop out of this guy. It is definitely capable of providing some extra boost off jumps, rollers, and knuckles; or wherever you may need it. You’re not going to be disappointed.

Recommendations: This is the snowboard for the rider looking for a playful and maneuverable all-mountain/freestyle snowboard that doesn’t suck in powder. A board that you can press and butter, but still have fun carving and dipping through trees with. I would also recommend this snowboard to a beginner rider looking for something that is versatile, easy to learn with, and capable of progressing on for a few seasons. Leave your questions below