Bataleon Tornado x Beyond Medals
By PTO Team, Based on Bataleon's official 26/27 spec card, product copy and 3BT technology page - PTO has not ridden the 26/27 Tornado · Spec analysis on this board
The take
“Bataleon's 3BT lifts the side edges of the nose and tail, so the Tornado is slow to catch - a stiff, charging twin that still forgives a bad landing.”
The Tornado x Beyond Medals is Tor Lundstrom's signature model, an all-mountain board Bataleon builds stiff and directional-feeling on a symmetrical twin outline. Bataleon's own product copy says it combines design elements from the Goliath and the Whatever - the charging power of the former, the switch-friendly twin shape of the latter - and rates the flex a stiff 8 out of 10. The outline is a true twin: printed tip and tail widths are equal at every length and the inserts sit centered, so the Tornado rides and lands switch as readily as it rides regular.
Where the Tornado separates itself from a plain cambered twin is Bataleon's 3BT base. Under the bindings the center base keeps positive camber running from tip to tail, and that is the source of its pop, drive and edge hold. Out near the board's widest points, the two flanking side bases rise gradually off the snow surface, with SideKick 2.0 kicking the very tips up a touch more. That is the whole trick of 3BT: the cambered middle still bites and springs back, while the lifted outer edges keep the Tornado from catching, so it enters turns cleanly and shrugs off a sketchy landing.
On snow the Tornado asks for a strong, active rider. The stiff flex and Carbon Stringers want weight and muscle behind them; loaded properly the board is damp and holds a line at speed, but a lighter or mellow rider will struggle to bend it and it will feel like a lot of board at slow speeds. Bataleon's terrain bars rank it high for resort and powder and a touch lower in the park, which reads true for a stiff all-mountain charger. The SideKick tips do add float, but the Tornado is a centered twin with no setback Bataleon publishes, so it is no substitute for a directional powder shape once it gets deep.
In Bataleon's twin family the Tornado sits between the two boards it borrows from. The Goliath is the fuller directional all-mountain charger; it goes harder in a straight, directional line, so a rider who just wants to point it and charge may prefer the Goliath. The Whatever is the softer, more versatile freestyle twin; it is friendlier for jibbing and for lighter riders, so someone who wants a playful, bendable board will be happier there. The Tornado is the stiff middle ground - twin shape, charger flex. Do not cross its specs with the Stereo or the Disaster; those are their own builds.
Sizes span six lengths, including two wides for riders whose boots overhang a standard waist - choose a wide off your boot size rather than your body weight. Bataleon does not publish a board weight or a setback figure for the Tornado, so we do not quote either. The Tornado ships as a bare deck with no bindings; Bataleon makes its own bindings, and we mount and size a setup with you in the shop.
Bindings we'd pair with it
Mount point: Centered stance, no published setback - this is a twin outline. Our pick: No factory pairing named - Bataleon makes its own bindings we can match in the shop.
The Tornado ships as a bare deck with no bindings. Bataleon makes its own bindings, and we mount and size a setup with you in the shop.
Common Questions
- What does "Directional Twin" mean on the Tornado?
- It is a twin outline - equal tip and tail widths and a centered stance, so it rides switch the same as regular - paired with a stiff, directional ride character borrowed from the Goliath. Bataleon publishes no setback or taper figure, so the directional part is about how it rides, not a setback powder shape.
- What is 3BT?
- 3BT is Bataleon's Triple Base Technology. The center of the base holds positive camber underfoot, which gives the board pop and grip, while the side bases toward the nose and tail lift off the snow so the edges are slow to catch. SideKick 2.0 adds a little more lift at the tips.
- Is the Tornado a good powder board?
- It can float - the SideKick tips lift the nose and tail to cut through deep snow and crud - but it is a centered twin with no published setback, so it is not a dedicated powder shape. If powder is your priority, a directional board will float better.
- How is it different from the Goliath and the Whatever?
- Bataleon says the Tornado combines design elements of both. The Goliath is the fuller directional charger that goes harder in a straight line; the Whatever is the softer, more playful freestyle twin. The Tornado is the stiff twin in the middle - charge-ready, but switch-friendly.
- Does it come with bindings?
- No. The Tornado ships as a bare deck. Bataleon makes its own bindings, and we mount and size a setup with you in the shop.
