Bataleon Evil Twin Test Drive

First things first - I haven't used this board enough for this to qualify as a "review". This is simply my brief experience of a "test drive" - four or five runs on the 150m, indoor slope at Castleford.

In fact, there is only one comment that I'm confident in making - so you're welcome to stop reading after the next sentence. If you're thinking of buying Bataleon's Evil Twin - try it out before you buy, because it feels different to other snowboards.

Courtesy of Simon, a rider from Castleford, I got to strap into a 151 Evil Twin. The base design that Bataleon are using is certainly unique, but we'll come to that in a moment. The first thing that I noticed was that the board seemed a little heavier than the Kink (152). Nothing major - but heavier still.

This was followed closely by the flex pattern - which is different to the Kink. Relative to the Kink the Evil Twin is stiff in the nose and tail, being softer in the middle. I believe that Bataleon's intention here is to make the board really good for locking onto rails whilst still maintaining some rigidity for good pop and stability. Conversly the Kink's tips are much softer - designed to be easier to press and smooth to butter.

How did I come to this conclusion in 5 runs? Well, you know what it's like when you strap into a new board. You start popping off the tail here and pressing on the nose there... I also tried a few butters on the flat, nose press, tail press and popping out of the butter. It is stiffer than the Kink in the nose and tail, but it's still a jib board that you can do all the usual stuff on.

Which is better? Well that comes down to personal preference. How do you want your jib stick to flex?

So, triple base technology? You feel the difference straight away! I hear/read that it's better for edge initiation, better for riding straight/flat and better for not catching an edge when jibbing (check it out - yeah for it!)

I experienced some of this. Riding straight felt kinda weird, but I can see how with time, the base would lend itself well to this. The base design also seemed to help with sketchy landings, providing a small window before an edge makes contact.

However, my only substantial comment regarding the triple base is that my first impression was "this feels like a board that's gonna take a little getting used to". And like I said at the top, I haven't ridden it enough to be used to it.

So what the board really rides like I can't say. Nor can I say how long it takes to get familiar with it: maybe it's an hour, or a day, perhaps longer. It has however had good reviews, and nothing about the board made me think it wouldn't be really sweet. It was just different.

To anyone thinking of getting one, my advice is this: try it out, use it for longer than I did. Maybe when it comes down to it, it's not that different - but find out. Either that, or speak to someone who's opinion you trust and who has ridden the board on the terrain that you intend to ride.

Personally I'm not sure that I want to "get used" to a different base design, but maybe that means I'm missing out. The Evil Twin has a good following, it "feels" like a quality snowboard in the hand, I've heard nothing but good things about it and the graphics are sick...