Bataleon's Best All Mountain Snowboards

How to choose an all-mountain quiver killer.

What is an all-mountain snowboard?

In an ideal world, your snowboard would be perfectly tailored to the conditions at hand. If it’s just dumped a foot of fresh snow, you would be surfing through the trees on a fat powder board with a big nose, but if it’s a sunny day in March and they just groomed the park you’d find yourself polishing your rail game on a stubby little twin tip.

In reality, the weather is always changing in the mountains, and most of us don’t get to choose exactly which conditions we’ll be riding. If you’re a holiday maker or a weekend warrior, your priority is just to have fun. Hell, you might not even have the money – or the baggage allowance – to bring a whole quiver of boards.That’s where all mountain snowboards come in.

All-mountain snowboards, as the name implies, are the classic all-rounder. If you’re the kind of rider who likes to blast some turns down the piste in the morning and then hit the park when it softens up in the afternoon – or maybe leave the resort completely on a powder day – then you need an all mountain snowboard like the Goliath or Whatever. These versatile models can handle any terrain and remain the most popular segment in the market.

All-Mountain Freestyle vs All-Mountain Freeride Snowboards

You’ll often hear slightly more specific terms ‘all-mountain freestyle’ or ‘all-mountain freeride’ to describe a snowboard. Back in the day there was a clear line between ‘freestyle’ (doing tricks on man-made jumps) and ‘freeriding’ (drawing lines down the mountain) but the lines have become increasingly blurred. The kind of creative snowboarding pros like Tor Lundstrom and Ethan Morgan do, for instance, is the definition of ‘all-mountain freestyle’.

An all-mountain freestyle snowboard, then, has a slight bias towards doing tricks. Sure, it can handle anything you throw at it, but it’s forte is getting airborne anywhere from the park to a pillow line. By contrast, an all-mountain freeride snowboard is a jack-of-all-trades that really comes into its own when laying down turns, be they on hardpack or in powder.

How are all-mountain snowboards designed?

The best all-mountain snowboards achieve goldilocks levels of performance. This is done by balancing the various design elements, explained below:

Shape
At Bataleon, most of our all-mountain snowboards feature a directional twin shape. This means they have a mirror-image nose and tail outline (ideal for going switch) but the stance is slightly set back to improve carving performance and flotation in powder compared to a pure park board. Classic examples of directional twin snowboards are the Goliath and the Fun.Kink.
To tilt the balance a little further from freestyle and towards all-mountain freeride, we might deploy a fully directional shape. Boards like the ThunderStorm and the Party Wave , for instance, are versatile enough to do tricks on but offer even more fun when you open the throttle.
For a more in-depth explanation, check out our article on Understanding Snowboard Shapes.
Length
Once upon a time it was pretty simple: freeride boards were long, freestyle boards were short and all-mountain boards were somewhere in between. These days, snowboard length can vary dramatically – even amongst the same category – depending on the geometry. The Party Wave, for example, can handle the whole mountain but is one of the new generation of snowboards that’s designed to be ridden short and wide.
A more useful way to think about length when it comes to all-mountain performance is the surface area. Boards that are tilted towards speed and float will have a greater surface area (so longer AND/OR wider) and those that offer a more freestyle bias will have a smaller surface area to minimise weight.
Every model is unique, so if you’re looking for an all-mountain snowboard and want to choose the right length then you should check the product size chart or consult our customer support.

Flex
Snowboards are given a flex rating out of 10. At Bataleon, our stiffest men’s board is currently a 9, and our softest is 2.
A softer flex is easier to press and do tricks on, especially at slower speeds, so will typically be found on park and rail boards; stiffer boards offer more aggressive response and stability, which makes them best suited to freeriding. As you would expect, all-mountain boards usually have a flex rating that falls somewhere in between.
If the flex rating of a snowboard is medium to low (5 or under), it’s likely to favor all-mountain freestyle, whereas medium to stiff flex ratings (6 or over) suggest you’re looking at an all-mountain freeride model.
Whereas true twin snowboards offer exactly the same performance going forwards or backwards, all-mountain snowboards (both the directional ones, and the directional twins) will often feature a directional flex pattern that differs from the nose to the tail. By pairing a softer nose with a stiffer tail you experience better float and more drive out of turns when riding in your normal stance.
To really nerd out on the theory and technology behind flex, take a look at our deep dive on Understanding Snowboard Flex.
Profile & 3BT
Triple Base Technology (3BT) improves the all-mountain performance of any snowboard. It works by looking at the profile in three dimensions, so from edge to edge as well as from front to back.
3BT features uplifted sections towards the nose and tail, which raise the contact points and make it harder to catch an edge. It smooths turns, improves float and even increases pop. Basically, it makes your snowboard work more efficiently across every terrain.
Whereas other manufacturers will use flat or hybrid-rocker bases on some of their all-mountain snowboards, Bataleon combines its Triple Base Technology with tip-to-tail positive camber on every model. This enables us to enjoy the unrivaled performance benefits of classic camber (lively response) while tweaking the way we deploy 3BT across the range according to different styles of riding.
Our Freeride 3BT, for instance, has a narrower centrebase and more substantial sidebase uplift than the Freestyle version. This provides unbelievable edge control and float. You can find it on the Party Wave, Cruiser and ThunderStorm. The wider centrebase and mellower uplift of Freestyle 3BT tips the balance a little more towards stability, which helps you land tricks and lock onto rails. It’s found on the Goliath and the PushUp, among others.
You can read more about snowboard profiles in our article on Camber vs Rocker vs Triple Base Technology.

What is the Best All-Mountain Snowboard?

As with every snowboard, choosing the ‘best’ all-mountain model depends a lot upon your own ability and riding style. Even if you think you enjoy every terrain, the chances are you’re a little more into either turns or tricks. Take the time to research the stats and select one with just the right balance of powder, piste and park performance for your personal taste.

And heck, even if you’re just happy to be on the hill and you honestly don’t care whether you’re sliding rails or slashing trees, there are all-mountain snowboards that sit bang in the middle of the freeride/freestyle scale.

Surfer Men's Snowboard

Surfer Men's Snowboard

Regular price $ 1,099.95

Regular price Sale price $ 1,099.95
Unit price per

149 154 159 162
Evil Twin+ Men's Snowboard

Evil Twin+ Men's Snowboard

Regular price $ 729.95

Regular price Sale price $ 729.95
Unit price per

151 154 157 159 156W 159W
Goliath+ Men's Snowboard

Goliath+ Men's Snowboard

Regular price $ 699.95

Regular price Sale price $ 699.95
Unit price per

153 156 159 158W 161W 164W 167W

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