Snowboard Wax

If you are looking to try something new and a little different this season then you certainly couldn’t get anything more radical than the new snowboards built by Bataleon Snowboards. Bataleon have gone and created snowboards with their patented triple base technology. So you may be asking ‘what the heck is triple base technobable then?’… so did I when I first heard about it. But, do not make the mistake of passing this new concept up as a modern gimmick. This new triple base snowboard system is potentially a new cornerstone in the history of snowboarding technology.

Bataleon’s triple base snowboard technology starts off as a single flat base between the bindings area and progressively turns into three separate base surfaces the nearer you get to the snowboards tip and tail. When you look at the basic idea behind the technology it does seem like a logical step forward for snowboards, but as with all thing the proof is in the pudding.. does it really help make a better ride?

I have yet to ride a Bataleon triple base snowboard (but greatly look forward to it when I get the chance!) so I can only refer to comments from their website and other sources at the moment. The Bataleon website states that compared to a conventional flat-based snowboard, triple based snowboards provide the following over their ‘flatter’ counterparts:

• Smoother edge-to-edge transitions
• Faster glide and greater stability
• Greatly reduced chance of catching an edge
• Enhanced edge grip and release
• Greater forgiveness in tricks and landings

That does all sound very impressive and if I was back learning snowboarding again the one attribute ‘greatly reduced chance of catching an edge’ on its own would sell me on them straight away!!

Bataleon’s triple base snowboard technology provides improvement specifically in the following circumstances:

• When passing through a curve/transition a normal flat-based snowboards steel edges at both the front and rear will carve to deeply into the snow, braking and resulting in vibrations due to the edge grip being too strong. Bataleons triple base snowboards provide a smaller angle at the front and rear of the board which reduces this problem. This softer approach gives a higher speed.
• Riding in a straight line with a Bataleon triple base snowboard you have less friction due to less base surface being in contact with the snow. Less friction equals more speed. The front and rear edges are raised which will provide a smoother more relaxed ride as well.
• Landing jumps on a flat-based snowboard always has the risk of catching and edge. Triple base technology allows only the parallel edges between the bindings to be active against the snow and so the risk of catching an edge is greatly reduced.

How the triple base technology is achieved:

1. Front - The triple base is made up of right, centre and left surfaces. From the flat middle section of the board towards the tip, the right and left gliding surfaces gradually take an increasing upward angle. At the transition to the tip the uplift reaches its maximum, usually 3 - 4 degrees.
2. Middle - The base is flat from edge to edge like a conventional board.
3. Rear - The triple base consists of right, centre and left gliding surfaces - a triple base. From the flat middle section of the board towards the rear end, the right and left gliding surfaces gradually take an increasing upward angle.
4. Tail - Usually the same shape as the tip, but sometimes shorter

The above image illustrates the difference in flat base surface area between the Bataleon triple base snowboard on the left and the more traditional flat-base snowboard on the right. The light grey areas are the raised sections and the dark grey areas are the flat sections of the snowboard bases.

Basically I think these boards are extremely revolutionary, very promising and I hope I get to try one this season!!

There are four basic ways to how a snowboard can be constructed, however, each method is in fact a variation of the sandwich snowboard construction technique.

Sandwich Snowboard Construction
This technique is the most expensive method because of the labour involved. Each of the layers in the snowboard is manually placed on top of the other, which is where it gets its name from… sandwich. These can be foam or wood core. The sandwich snowboard construction technique is the most precise method resulting in strong, lightweight snowboards.

Cap Snowboard Construction
This snowboard construction method is used more than any of the others these days. Cap snowboard construction involves the topsheet being wrapped over the sidewalls of the snowboard and joining the metal edges. The Cap construction method is really a bit of a cheat because it is actually cosmetic; the actual snowboard construction will be one of the three other types of snowboard construction. Cap snowboard construction is reported as increasing the torsional stiffness and improving the edge control of a snowboard.

RIM (Reaction Injection Moulding) Snowboard Construction
The RIM snowboard construction method is less expensive than the Cap & Sandwich methods. The core material is placed into a mould along with the base material, edges and topsheet. Resin is then injected into the mould and this bonds the different components. RIM snowboard construction is known to be the most durable construction technique on the market. The flip-side of the durability is that these snowboards tend to lack the springy flex of a laminated snowboard and are usually heavier.

Polyurethane Injection Snowboard Construction
The polyurethane injection snowboard construction technique is usually used in the lowest priced snowboards on the market. This method is similar in construction to the RIM method, however rather than having a separate core component, Polyurethane (PU) foam is injected into the snowboard to form the core. Polyurethane injection snowboards are lighter than their RIM counterpart snowboards but they can often have short lifespans because they can lose flex, snap, camber and overall performance after a single seasons usage.