Bataleon Feelbetter 2023 Women's Snowboard Review
Bell | 25 November 24
The Bataleon Feelbetter is advertised as “engineered for progression” and often coined as impossible to make mistakes on, yet does it really live up to the hype? Here is my review after riding it for one season.
I grew up skiing, switched to snowboarding at 15, and never looked back. At the time though, we lived in the UK so I only got to snowboard for one week every year, meaning we opted to rent a board above buying one.
Two years ago, I did my first ski season in Canada and I was fully unprepared. I ended up being able to take one of the rental boards for the season and in the final weeks, I bought my first board. Except it wasn’t a new one but second-hand, the only criterium being that it was my size.
I was honestly quite happy with that board, for doing no research and knowing quite little about different snowboard brands, it was a great board. I left it in Canada though, so the next year when it was time for my second ski season, this time in Switzerland, I once again bought a second-hand board.
This one was a Burton Troop, and I did a little bit of research into it before buying. It wasn’t ideal, but where I live there isn’t much second-hand choice so this was the best I would get. Little did I know at the time that Switzerland lives and breathes brands. And anyone who doesn’t know them, gets left behind.
In that season I learned everything there is to know about snowboard brands and started to build my own opinions on which ones I liked and which weren’t my style. My opinion was often different to that of the Swiss, but they are very set when it comes to “accepted” brands so I didn’t mind.
In the end, I realised that my snowboard was actively stopping me from improving and it was time to buy my first new board. I weighed the price against features and skill-level and ended up with a 2023 Bataleon Feelbetter.
Here is my honest opinion and experience with the board (and Bataleon customer service):
Why the Bataleon Feelbetter?
The Feelbetter 2023 version is now two years old. I still love the design, though the upcoming 2025 design with the orange looks awesome too. It is a directional Twin shape so great for all-mountain and freeriding. The directional shape means it is better in powder than a true twin. It is a snowboard designed for women, which is great.
As I was looking to improve both my park and freeriding, especially powder, I wanted a board that could do it all while also making things a little easier for me. That meant more flex to be able to master tricks. The Feelbetter has a flex rating of 3 meaning it is soft and easy to bend, which is great for learning in the park.
Bataleon snowboards also all have the famous 3BT meaning they are 3D shaped. The edges are slightly lifted so it’s almost impossible to catch an edge on their boards. This is great for learning boxes, tubes, spinning, riding switch and most other tricks.
Bataleon Feelbetter 2023 key metrics
- Twin-directional shape
- Flex is 3 meaning soft
- It is an all-mountain board
- 3BT™ and Sidekick shaping
- Medium Camber
First experience with the Bataleon Feelbetter
For reference, I am an intermediate to advanced rider on and off-piste, who only learned park recently.
Getting on this board was a dream come true. It was such a smooth ride, super “poppy” due to the soft flex and fun as I could try lots of things without consequences due to the lifted edges. The board is also super light, meaning it isn’t a pain to carry around.
On the day I first tried it, we had some fresh snow and lots of sun so conditions were perfect. The board performed excellently on all pistes and the small park features I took it on. Icy areas were a little tricky as you have to push in the edge more than usual, but was fine once I got a feel for it.
Some people hate 3BT, the 3D shape of Bataleon, I love it. It takes a few rides to get used to as you need to use your edges slightly differently, but makes for such a cool ride experience. So initially, a really solid board and exactly what I was looking for.
That was until after 3ish hours of riding the Feelbetter on groomers, I noticed that the front top layer started to lift. It’s hard to see in photos, but it was almost flaking off at the top, a clear layer lifting. On none of the rental or secondhand boards had I ever seen that before. It looked almost like it was delaminating, but only the very top layer.
I immediately took photos and contacted Bataleon as I thought it could only be a faulty board, to be told by their customer service that this was normal and must be due to my riding. Which in my opinion is ridiculous, considering it had been three hours of soft riding. I tried to explain this to them and asked for an exchange, to no avail.
I found their customer service team quite condescending with this matter, which was disappointing. Even if this is “normal” (which I don’t think it should be for a good-quality board), it certainly had nothing to do with my riding and everything with how the board is built. We went back and forth for quite a few E-mails but the end result was that they couldn’t (or didn’t want to) help me.
It was honestly sorely disappointing. Not only did the brand-new board have a visible mark right at the tip after less than one day of riding, but I was also worried about snow getting in between layers and leading to some more serious delamination. Bataleon claimed this would not be an issue, but I got it glued in my local shop anyway as I didn’t trust it.
It also made me concerned to take this board on more hard-hitting freestyle runs and even more worried about the park. If the top layer starts lifting after a day of riding groomers, what would happen to this board if I jumped on a rail? Sadly a massive damper to my first day of riding the Feelbetter.
First thoughts
- The board is so fun to ride and it’s impossible to catch an edge.
- The top layer should not start lifting after 1 day of relaxed riding.
- I like it in the park.
- Powder is amazing with this board.
- The flex is great, you can tell the board was made for women.
Final verdict after a season of riding the Bataleon Feelbetter
Riding the Bataleon Feelbetter after only having rental boards or a stiff second-hand board was like night and day. Skills I previously could not get a hang of were suddenly easy. Most of all, the board is super fun to ride and made for a great season.
The Feelbetter is meant to be for more intermediate-advanced riders, though I have also heard of beginner riders who loved it for improving. I’d say it’s such a forgiving board, even beginners would have fun with it.
I personally enjoyed the board in the park as I felt less likely to catch an edge, though you do have to hit your edges pretty hard after jumps to stay in control. I have heard from others though who find the 3D technology annoying in the park, so it just comes down to preference. As for my worries if the board’s quality could take the park, I have not had any more issues since the top layer lifting. However, I am not a hard-core park rider so I can’t speak on more extreme tricks.
One thing that the board lacks is performance on ice. The lifted edges that I love so much are a definite disadvantage there, so if your mountain is quite icy, you may prefer a different board. For powder and softer snow, it is a dream though.
Despite all this, I find it difficult to recommend this board. I love riding it, but the quality of the board and Bataleon customer support have frankly been disappointing. No board should have their top layer lifting after less than a day of riding, and for Bataleon to say this is due to my riding (on a day where I stayed on groomers and we had fresh snow) is a little offensive. If you look at their reviews, there are a few others who have had the exact same issue of the top sheet lifting on their new board – so this is certainly down to Bataleon’s overall quality.
I was able to ask my local repair shop to glue the lifting areas back on and it hasn’t lifted any more, so it isn’t necessarily an issue. The fault is visible though and it annoys me a little every time I have to look at it (snowboarders get attached to their boards haha).
I think if you get an older version for a good deal, this board is great to improve on, for beginner to advanced riders. It’s a true all-rounder with a super smooth ride, fun in the park and great for powder. Durability isn’t the best, hence why I wouldn’t recommend it at full price.
I hope you found this helpful. Put any further questions you may have in the comments and I’ll answer them, or get in touch via social media!
Happy shredding!