P-Tex Types Explained
What is P-Tex anyway?
Sintruded vs Sintered Snowboard Bases
Sintruded Bases
Sintruded Bases blend the easy maintenance of an extruded base with the improved speed and durability of a sintered one. It’s created by fusing polyethylene under pressure, resulting in a smooth, consistent surface that’s tougher than standard extruded bases and absorbs more wax for better glide.
Sintruded Base Pros – Durable; low maintenance; faster than standard extruded bases; easy to repair.
Sintruded Base Cons – Slower; less wax absorbent than full sintered bases.
Sintered Bases
Sintered bases are made by grinding down the Polyethylene into fine granules which are then heated, pressed and sliced into shape. It’s an expensive process, but the result is a harder and more porous structure that absorbs way more wax. You can usually recognize a sintered base by the way it feels – it’s more textured, thanks to all those tiny holes.
Sintered Base Pros – Faster; more durable; can include other materials in the mix for even more speed e.g. graphite
Sintered Base Cons – Expensive; harder to repair
What are the different grades of base?
What types of base do Bataleon offer?
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Ultra Glide S
Ultra Glide S – is a premium, 7000-grade sintered base reserved for high-end models like the Goliath and ThunderStorm. Packing more molecules into the P-tex means it’s super tough and drinks wax like a barfly necks shots – with the same eye-watering results.
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Nano Speed S
Nano Speed S – is currently found only on the Surfer and our +Series collection boards. It’s a race-grade ISO-Sport 7000 sintered base of the kind usually deployed in downhill skis. Think full spandex Hahnenkamm shit. You know that bit in Star Wars when the Millenium Falcon makes the jump to lightspeed? That’s what the mountain looks like when you're riding on top of this base. Oh, and it’s only available in Darth Vader black.
How are the graphics added?
Sublimated
The artwork is printed on a sheet underneath a clear P-tex base. The advantage is you can use any design and colors you like, including gradients and fades. The downside is they tend to be a little opaque, especially if the base hasn’t been waxed and is looking a bit ‘furry’.
Die Cut
A machine cuts out precise P-tex shapes in different colors, which are then fitted together like a jigsaw puzzle to form the base graphic. You’re limited to fewer colours but those you use will really pop.
The obvious downside to the die-cut process is that it creates waste, in the form of off-cuts from the shapes you’re making. At Bataleon, we’ve therefore developed an environmentally-friendly technique we call Flip Flop.
FlipFlop
Flip Flop bases alternate colour schemes from one board to the next as it leaves the production line. So for instance, the first board might feature a yellow letter ‘B’ on a black background, and the next one switches this around, with a black ‘B’ on a yellow background (using the off-cuts from the first). This keeps waste to a minimum and introduces a little more variety into the final boards. And variety is the spice of life, right?
Bottom Line: What’s the fastest snowboard base?
All Snowboards
Buyers Guide
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Bataleon's Best All Mountain Snowboards
In an ideal world, your snowboard would be perfectly tailored to the conditions at hand. In reality, the weather is always changing in the mountains, and most of us don’t...
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In an ideal world, your snowboard would be perfectly tailored to the conditions at hand. In reality, the weather is always changing in the mountains, and most of us don’t...
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3BT Snowboard Maintenance
Sooner or later, you’re going to need to perform some running repairs on your snowboard. Maybe it came off second best in a fight with a rock, maybe the edges...
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Sooner or later, you’re going to need to perform some running repairs on your snowboard. Maybe it came off second best in a fight with a rock, maybe the edges...
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