Location: Keystone, Colorado
Snow Conditions: Bluebird with hardpacked snow.
Setup: I rode the GNU Park Pickle with Union Forces and my Rome Vamps size 8.
First Impression: The heelside edge is an improvement, I was skeptical as this behind marketing hype but it does make your heelside carves less effort.
Size: 156cm
Weight: average
Flex: I was expecting a softer flexing board like the skate banana but it’s definitely a tad stiffer. The toeside of the board has a stiffer flex and the heelside is softer going with the asym sidecut to make it easier to carve on your heelside which is more difficult for people. Overall flex, it was stiff but it wasn’t soft either…mid range and still pressable with the banana tech.
Turning: It was an easy ride, no adjustment to how it turned with the exception of the first time I did a heelside turn and found myself doing a carved turn without much effort. On heelside turns, the park pickle has a deeper sidecut making it a lot easier to turn and hold on edge. My heelside turns aren’t as strong as my toeside turns and with the pickle I was able to really carve it over on edge, it was definitely noticeable in the difference. On toeside turns it was more gradual, spread out. Even with a different sidecut it didn’t feel off like I had expected where having two sidecuts would throw me off when riding.
Stable: When I was filming the mini video from the demo day, the first minute to two minute mark I’m riding the Park Pickle while filming Dan. To me, a board I can ride and film someone while riding means it’s a stable board and I’m not worrying about catching an edge or not being able to control it. It handled very well for a more park specific board, could still charge the mountain with it. It’s a little lighter than average and through some bumpy chop it didn’t feel as stable as with the groomed runs did.
Pop: I played with the pop in the halfpipe and just getting used to it. It’s still pressable it’s got banana which gives it the ease of pressing/butters with it.
Switch: True twin asym, perfectly the same board whether I was riding regular or switch on it…no change in how it rode, flexed or handled on edge.
Overall Impression: I can see why people will buy this board, easy ride and easy to ride heelside edge, just to lay it over and get a better carve than without it. Fun ride overall and a handle the groomers to park board. A lot of people are comparing this board to the skate banana and it was a different ride to me, more stable, less loose feeling and a tad stiffer.
Shay’s Honesty Box: I thought that maybe this board was hyped up but I was proved wrong. I felt a lot better on my heelside turns which aren’t as strong as my toeside turns, the park pickle helped that. Yes I know GNU is not the first to do this but it’s cool to see it brought back and I like it. I am curious to see if this second round of asym will stick around and people will take to it.
*This Review was done in February 2009, please be aware that products may change.
Ready to buy? Head over to evo for the 2011 version of the GNU Park Pickle or shop their full line of GNU snowboards
Craig
March 21, 2009 at 8:31 pmHey Shay. Do you by chance know the WW on the pickle? I havent ever seen it listed.
shredcoloRADo
March 23, 2009 at 2:25 pmIm riding the pickle currently, and I love this board. Its definitely a bit stiffer than the banana, but not aggro-stiff. I have found this board can easily handle anything I ride it in. I have about 12 days or so on the pickle, and it is a board that just gets better the more times you get on it. The asym sidecut is noticable, and in fact it turns on a dime. It has good pop too. Anywho…good review shay..again, you nailed it. And Craig…Im pretty sure the ww on the 156 is near 25.5 or so. I wear 11’s and have zero drag..
Anonymous
March 23, 2009 at 3:36 pmWides!!! He’ll yeah!!! I was thinking about the skate banana next year since they finally have wides, but I’d probably prefer a little more stiffess anyway and I really feel the deep heelside will help even things out for me.
Can anyone compare the level of reverse camber compared to other bananas? I have the Riders Choice btx this year which has much less than the skate bananas and street series. I’m wondering where in the spectrum the Puckle sits.
Pierce
March 23, 2009 at 6:28 pmIv’e been riding the pickle for awhile now and I love it, it’s a great board for riding park, but also a great all around board, how ever i do ride park more and love it in there.There is one problem though, i recieved my first pickle somewhere in early january, i rode it and loved it such a sick board on day we got some east coast gold”pow” and it was crazy how well it floated, the next day we had a photo shoot at a super secret stump jump i had taken my board off to go talk to some friends, as i returned to it I noticed that the sidewall was delmaing from the edge and upon closer inspection i noticed that the top sheet was cracked and depressed behind the bindings, i took such great care of this board never let it out of my sight never slammed hard on it and there were no impact sites…wtf…i talked to chris at mervin and they were super helpful i sent it in and got a new one within a week and a half, so i’ve been riding this one since but about a week ago i was gettin my shit ready to go to mt.snow and picked up my deck and almost cryed its cracked behind the bindings again and im afraid its gonna delam again…great board questionable quality.Maybe i got 2 lemons idk im just disappointed.
Anonymous
March 23, 2009 at 8:25 pm^^^ Pierce if the board is cracking behind the bindings you need to work on your landings: stomp them on the bolts or crack your boards. simple as that.
justin
March 23, 2009 at 9:39 pmWhat’s new is old again. Cool to see old ideas that weren’t terrible being reworked with new technology and ideas.
How was the base? I’ve ridden a few Gnu boards that felt like they had the world’s slowest bases. I’m not talking unwaxed slow, I’m talking anchor out/velcroed to the snow slow.
Shayboarder
March 24, 2009 at 3:34 pmPark Pickle Waist Width
147cm: 24.6
150cm: 24.9
153cm: 25.2
156cm: 25.5
156Wide: 26.5
159cm: 25.5
159Wide: 26.5
Doesn’t say the level of camber on the spec sheet.
Pierce
March 26, 2009 at 2:15 pmAnonymous comment to mine…
No offense but thats a horrible comment,and it really isnt as simple as that, because I highly doubt everyone stomps there landings perfect every time…you must be pretty gnarcore.
Anonymous
March 29, 2009 at 8:26 amPierce:
It is as simple as that and I’m not gnarcore I just know how to land my jumps because I worked at it for years. And until I did I used to break boards exactly how you described it: “cracked and depressed behind the binding.”
Anonymous
March 30, 2009 at 10:12 amThis one is for Pierce…I have a pickle too and I have the same problem. I was super careful with it and my top sheet cracked on my heel edge behind the binding. I’m sending it in…
Anonymous
April 1, 2009 at 7:49 amI’ve been riding mine since mid-season and no problems so far. Luvin it. Nice review, Shay.
JDS
May 7, 2009 at 7:49 amThanks Shayborder for giving the WW info!! Looks awesome with the wides.
You got any idea how the graphics will be like for 2010?
Shayboarder
May 8, 2009 at 10:21 pmThat description shows the 09-10 graphics…nothing changed.
Kev
February 16, 2010 at 11:44 amHi guys i got a question, is the asymmetric only designed to work well on duck stance, or does it work well when you do +15 and -7 too, or even +15 0, thanks.
Shay
February 17, 2010 at 7:13 amKev, it doesn’t matter whether you are duck or rock a non-duck stance…the gnu park pickle’s heelside edge has a deeper sidecut so it’s easier to do heelside turns.
John
February 18, 2010 at 12:20 amShould i get the park pickle or the skate banana?
Shay
February 18, 2010 at 10:02 pmJohn, depends on what style of riding you are looking for. Do you want a deeper sidecut on your heel edge or just a park board?
Kev
February 22, 2010 at 12:26 pmThanks for answering my question shay, my pickle just arrived today, can’t wait to take it to the mountain!! Btw awesome review!
Maygan
May 28, 2010 at 6:49 amOk I really need some advice, I ride a 147 park board and am looking for a wider stance and same size board.At the moment and I am super happy about this size but I am thinking of trying a skate banana in a 148(n) with burton infidels bindings in medium it going to be a tight fit while the park pickle is wider and has a bigger stance with and is said to better than the skate banana in all ways possible is this true¿¿
Ricketts
December 8, 2011 at 11:58 pmMan I’m having the same problem with the delaming and the topsheet cracking right behind the back binding…I haven’t been riding this board more than 10 times or so.. Sounds like a manufacturers defect if it’s happening to this many people.
Shay
December 9, 2011 at 8:36 pmRicketts, get in touch with Mervin Manufacturing about your snowboard issues. They want to know.