Originally put this in the wrong spot

A couple years back, I had the opportunity to ride an Bataleon Enemy 161 and put together this review. This season I have been lucky enough to get some extended days on the Bataleon Locust 163.

The Bataleon Site describes it as follows:
"We were bored, there was no powder, the park was shit and street rails are for old women*. That, and it rained for 63 days in a row in Portland last winter. So with nothing to do we started to play around with variations on the Triple Base Technology. We wanted a board that hard charging all mountain freeriders could really get their teeth into."

In the past few weeks, I put this deck through the ringer including serious chowder at Jackson, powder in NH, and hard pack at Sugarbush, riding everything from the steeps to the trees to the park.

Honestly at first I wasn't really feeling the deck. It took me the better part of my first day on it to nail down the binding position. I have a theory that high end boards have a sweet spot and if you find it the boards will ride infinitely better. At least for me, this was without a doubt true for the Locust.

This board has a shape unlike any board out there. It is built from the ground up for the true freerider. The tip is wider and has more uplift (that triple base stuff) than the tail. The whole kit is setback a good clip, making it one hell of a pow pow destroyer, I kept thinking of it as a powder canoe. She really did float along in the deep effortlessly, keeping my back leg from turning into mush and keeping it rested for kicking ass later at the bar.

Once I dialed the bindings in, the Locust came alive. Bluntly, this is the best freeride board I have ever ridden. The triple base took some getting used to, rolling from edge to edge is different than a traditional board, not worse just different. There is a pretty aggressive sidecut and once I got used to it I could really lay into turns. One day on hard pack, I started really popping out of turns doing flatground BS180s and switch 3's, two things typically not in my bag. The triple base makes any snow "hero snow" as many landings that would usually result in edge catch to face screwing the snow are easily nailed and the board tracks out quickly. Another advantage of the triple base is traversing, because of the massive upturn in the tip and tail you ride it base flat. This results in minimal metal digging in and maximum speed. Most people probably figure this is of marginal benefit, but when you are fighting a clan of chowder ferrets for the limited bounty of freshness, a speedy traverse can make a big difference. I ended up making it to a few stashes at Bretton Woods ahead of the posse as a direct result of the base. That's right Bataleon will make you ride more powder, much like how Brawndo makes you want to kick everyone's ass all the time.

While in college for mechanical engineering, I had a concentration in composite materials. As a result, I take a particular interest in the materials put into a board and the overall construction. When I last rode a Bataleon, I was very impressed with the Austrian made quality. This first impression remained unchanged when I pulled the plastic off the Locust. The topsheet shows the outline of an aggressive glass weave. While this may not be everyone's fancy, I personally like to be able to see the fibers.

This shot is of the tail showing the carbon stringers just below the topsheet. The board is plenty stiff, with a slightly softer nose which is nice for butters the muffins, while the tail has heaps of pop.

If you enjoy true freeriding, really working the terrain, you really should take a run on the Locust if you get a chance. Obviously everyone's preferences are a bit different but for me it is easily one of the best boards I have ridden. If you have a heap of Christmas coin burning a hole in your pocket, send it to me cause I am a broke son of a bitch. If you opt to not send your choochings my way, get your ass a Bataleon.

I finally brought myself to lace up the Enemy 161 today, review in the next week or so.