Snowboard Review: 09-10 GNU Street Series

Location: Loveland, CO

Snow Conditions: Hardpacked to icy conditions on the mountain.

Setup: I rode the GNU Street Series with my Force SL bindings and Bonfire Geo boots.

Size: 154cm.

First Impression: Definitely a jib stick that I’d keep in the park, I wasn’t sure it there was magne traction on the board either.

Weight: average

Flex: The Street Series is a softer flexing snowboard, softer between the bindings and a tad stiffer nose and tail which makes up for the board in pop.  I was a bit surprised by the flex since I thought it’d be more of a noodle but it wasn’t and the flex made it a lot of fun in the park and more playful.

Turning: It was really quick edge to edge on sharper short radius turns which was fun and easy to ride and maneuever down the mountain but when I took it into a full carve uphill to see how it held on edge, it kicked out of the carve midway up. The long radius turns just weren’t as stable on edge but I didn’t mind the shorter turns on the Street Series.

Stable: I honestly was surprised this board had magne traction because it didn’t grip the snow and felt like the board had no edges (which could have been true) but it really didn’t feel stable on the icy hardpacked conditions.  Over groomers it felt fine with some speed but if there were any bumps, I definitely felt the board move around more than I’d have liked.

Pop: The pop was a bit more than I was expecting but in a good way, it was easy and didn’t feel like I was riding a BTX board with how it handled.

Switch: The Street is a true twin and rides like a true twin, nothing different in how it handled and felt easy to maneuver into switch riding.

Overall Impression: The Street Series definitely suits the name of the board, meant for park and urban jibbing where it excels and with the softer flex it’s a fun playful board in that arena.  Outside of park it was easy to turn but wasn’t as grippy as some other magne traction boards I’ve ridden.

Shay’s Honesty Box: If I spent all my time in the park I’d probably be more interested in the Street Series but riding outside of park I wasn’t that impressed with how it handled and especially that first carve where I layed it over on edge in a spot I’ve done with the same other boards, it kicked out once I got it on edge and crashed.   In the park it was ideal, didn’t catch on the box and super poppy off rollers but as someone who likes a board to handle the entire mountain, I just wasn’t impressed with it.

Ready to buy? Head over to evo for the 2011 version of the GNU Street Series or shop their full line of GNU snowboards

On Snow Photo

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GNU Street Series description

Review Disclosure: I rode this board at a demo day.