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PTO Review
We know them. Here's how they stack up.
These snowboards span 2 categories (All-Mountain, Park). Scores reflect each snowboard's intended use — direct comparison across all dimensions may be misleading.
Party Wave — powder-and-resort riders who want one short, wide, surfy daily driver that floats soft snow nose-up without leaning back, slashes trees and side hits, and still holds a groomer - and who are happy to size down and ride it short. Kink — riders whose day is mostly jibs, boxes and handrails, and who want a deck engineered for repeated metal contact. Check the radar chart below to see where each one wins.
Each row compares all boards on one dimension. 🏆 marks the highest score.
| Dimension | Party Wave | Kink |
|---|---|---|
| Carving | 5🏆 | 5🏆 |
| Park | 2 | 9🏆 |
| Playfulness | 8🏆 | 8🏆 |
| Forgiveness | 8🏆 | 8🏆 |
| Stability | 4🏆 | 3 |
| Powder | 8🏆 | 2 |
Powder-and-resort riders who want one short, wide, surfy daily driver that floats soft snow nose-up without leaning back, slashes trees and side hits, and still holds a groomer - and who are happy to size down and ride it short.
Park, jib and pipe riders, and anyone who rides a lot of switch: this is a directional, tapered board, and Bataleon puts park use at the bottom - the twin Stereo or Evil Twin is the freestyle answer instead. Riders who want a stiff, damp, high-speed hardpack charger: the soft-medium 4 / 10 flex gives that up by design. Riders who never see soft snow and want full twin symmetry for a groomer-and-park life. And anyone chasing bottomless, dedicated deep-day float - a longer, more setback swallowtail pow board floats deeper than a short deck that is sized down.
Riders whose day is mostly jibs, boxes and handrails, and who want a deck engineered for repeated metal contact. It suits riders who press and butter, since a Mellow-rated twin with camber under the feet bends into a press and springs back out. It suits switch riding as a default, because insert setback is published as zero and tip and tail measure identically at every length. And it suits bigger-footed riders who want this specific board: 154W and 157W are published wide options.
Anyone shopping for a powder board should skip it outright. Ride's own Specialty field says Park on the product page and Park/Groomers in the dealer feed — neither lists pow — while the Warpig and Superpig in the same line both carry Park/Groomers/Pow, and this deck is a true twin with zero setback, which is the opposite of what floats. Riders who want a stiff, damp, high-speed charger should also look elsewhere: Ride rates the response Mellow, and publishes no number to argue with. Riders who prioritize straight-line glide are buying the wrong base — extruded is slower than sintered by material class, and Ride's own description sells repairability rather than speed. And anyone who needs a published boot-size match before committing will not get one: Ride prints waist width and rider weight for every length, but no boot-size range at all, including for the two W sizes. That fit call has to happen in person on your actual boot.
The Party Wave is best for powder-and-resort riders who want one short, wide, surfy daily driver that floats soft snow nose-up without leaning. The Kink is best for riders whose day is mostly jibs, boxes and handrails, and who want a deck engineered for repeated metal contact. The right choice depends on your primary terrain, ability level, and riding style.
The Bataleon Party Wave scores highest in Stability at 4/10, making it the strongest all-mountain option. It handles groomers, chop, and variable conditions without losing composure, so it's the best single-snowboard choice for riders who want one board for the whole mountain.
The Bataleon Party Wave leads in Carving with a PTO score of 5/10. Its edge grip on hard snow and groomed runs is the strongest in this comparison.
The Bataleon Party Wave is the most forgiving option with a Forgiveness score of 8/10. It doesn't punish imperfect technique, making it the easiest snowboard to progress on among these.
Not sure? Ask us.