Board: Bataleon Camel 2
Size: 157
Camber Option: Medium Camber with Pow 3BT. A non aggressive traditional camber with a 3d profiling in the tips.
Bindings: Rome Black Label
Stance: 21.5 Wide 15 Negative 12 Goofy
Boots: K2 Thraxis Size 10
My Weight: 200lbs
Resort: Copper Mountain
Conditions: Day one 30 plus inches of fresh snow, overcast skies, mild wind, and flat light. Day two the aftermath of 40 plus inches of snow, mid level visibility, mild wind, and some snow falling.
Flex: This board comes in at a middle of the road flex for a freeride board. Yes it’s directional but there’s a few subtleties in the flex pattern. The mid section is actually the most flexible part of it and the nose is only a hair stiffer than the tail which makes plow through anything in its path. There’s some torsional flex but not an over abundance and the Pow 3BT definitely helps compensate for the lack of it.
Stability: This board plows through everything in its path. There’s next to no chatter in this board and it just wants to blast through everything in front of it. You can push off the tail and feel it decimate anything under it.
Ollies/Pop: This is one of those boards that you have to be a bit calculated on to engage it and can’t be laid back, but it’s not the snappiest deck out there, it’s just right. This lets you pop off powder pillows, rollers, and cat tracks with ease.
Butterability: The scooped out tips are actually really easy to engage into a butter with the nose obviously being better than the tail. But is this a board you’re going to be buttering all the time on? No, but you find a nice deep pow pocket to do it go for it.
Carving: This board is really at home with mid level carves which means you’re not railing a hard turn but you’re also not being very laid back. It holds an edge well in soft snow (I have no clue how it did on ice or firm snow we got 4 plus feet) and you feel it lock in. The edge to edge transmission is smooth and flawless.
Rider in Mind: Pow focused freerider.
Personal Thoughts: I love the Camel Toe in its original form, all this one is to me is ever so slightly stiffer and you only notice that on groomed runs, but it is damper. It absorbs chatter better and plows through everything in its path with ease. The 3BT profiling gives it a hull like effect and when you’re riding nipple deep pow it didn’t disappoint.
Comparable Boards: Jones Hovercraft, Libtech MC Wayfinder,
7 Comments
How did you feel about the 157 size? I’m about the same size as you same boot as well. Any reason to upsize to the 161?
You’re riding steep and deep pow only.
Was it still stable on groomers?
Well there was 4 plus feet of snow and no groomers so… SURE!
Sorry. You mentioned that it’s only noticeably stiffer on groomers. Thought you might have had it on groomers.
Just moved to Colorado from the east coast and this board has caught my eye. How do you think it would handle in the tight trees?
I’m about 160 lbs, size 9 boots. Is the 149 too small? Want something playful, but it’s also going to be the board I chase powder with.
Might be a little too small or it might be fine for you.