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Location: Winter Park, CO
Snow Conditions: Hardpacked to softpacked groomers.
Setup: I rode the GNU Ladies Choice with GNU B-Free bindings and Vans Ferra boots size 8.
Size: 151.5cm.
First Impression: Offering up the whole mountain on a platter and giving you a deck that can handle whatever you give it.
Weight: Average.
Flex: The Ladies Choice is a good medium flex range snowboard for women. It’s a stiffer flex underfoot to help with stability on landings with a softer torsional flex between the bindings. Overall it’s a mid range for flex, it’s not a soft board by any means and it’s not a stiff board. It’s right in the middle which is perfect for handling everything from park to mountain freeriding. The Ladies Choice features a C2 BTX technology which is banana rocker between the bindings and camber from the inserts to the contact points.
Turning: Easy to initiate into turns, making it a bit more forgiving of a ride than I expected. But once into turns, you had total control of the aggressiveness of the handling into each turn. The board was quick and responsive for shorter quicker turns and could still ride out the longer radius turns. The MTX helped gripped the snow so I didn’t feel the slip out on icy spots. The best part was feeling the asymmetrical heel sidecut and knowing my heelside turns were better than usual because of it. It’s good to really dig in that heel edge without cranking down my forward lean to get it.
Stable: The conditions at Winter Park were definitely hardpacked in spots and by the end of the day a bit more chopped up on the runs. The Ladies Choice did really good on absorbing the rougher terrain and still handled for stability with speed. I was bummed I waited till the end of the day to take it out instead of riding it a whole lot longer.
Pop: I played around with it a little bit on the rollers and it was lively but didn’t take it into park off any jumps to get a really good idea.
Switch: The Ladies Choice is a twin asymmetrical snowboard, the heelside of the board has a tighter sidecut radius so it’s easier to turn. Of course that doesn’t change whether you ride it regular or switch. The board rode the same either direction.
Overall Impression: The Ladies Choice is an all mountain destroyer, it’s Jamie Anderson’s pro model and totally capable of whatever you throw its way. It’s a good all around medium flex, totally capable of riding the park with playfulness or handling any cruising. I liked that at the end of the day, the MTX gripped the snow and the asymmetrical was awesome for heelside turns.
Shay’s Honesty Box: This was one of the highly anticipated women’s boards I wanted to try. Mostly because Jamie Anderson rips and because any board underneath her better be as playful and as charging as she rides. It’s the best of both worlds and a great choice for GNU women to have a board that is meant for the entire mountain.
Ready to buy? Head over to evo to shop the full line of 2011-12 GNU snowboards until the 2013 snowboards come out.
On Snow Photo
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GNU Ladies Choice Description
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Review Disclosure: I demoed this board at the SIA On-Snow Demo at Winter Park, CO.
Rhetty
May 28, 2012 at 5:22 pmHey! and Help!
Getting a new board for the wife, and I have my choices down to the Ladies Choice or a B-street … my wife is 154 lbs and 5.7 (boot size 8.5) and an intermediate to advanced rider (i.e. she rides fast but likes a playful board, adn soem small jibs and jumps etc). I was thinking the 148.5 or the 151.5?
Which do you reckon is the better option board wise? (she has come of a large traditional camber and also loved riding my ultrafear, loved the playfulness). I was all set on the bstreet but just worried it might be a bit loose for her? i.e. that the ladies choice will be more like my ultrafear.
Was also going to team it with the new 2013 Union Trilogy’s (unless there is a beter choice?).
Keen to buy this ASAP so if you can let me know woudl be awesome.
Cheers R
Shay
May 28, 2012 at 10:40 pmrhetty, glad to help out! For size probably the 151 would suit her the best, the 148 is on the smaller size but depends on her preferences. Between the two boards, the B-street is definitely softer and much more playful while the ladies choice is more mountain/park/all mountain ride everything. In terms of comparing to the ultrafear, I think the ladies choice might be the most similar. The B-street would be in between that and the horrorscope. But hard to say how she’ll interpret the ladies choice. I think personally it’s the better board for her, more all around riding and still very playful. The Bstreet would be a lot softer so depends if she wants to go softer more playful everywhere. Trilogies are a good choice for 2013.
Rhetty
May 30, 2012 at 2:15 amAWESOME!, thanks alot … shayboarder delivers again!, Legend.
Hey 1 more question if thats cool (then ill leave you alone), turns out I can get a saaaaweet deal on the 2012 Ladies Choice, and 2012 Trilogy bindings. Question is has much changed from 2012 Trilogy to 2013, i.e. are the 2012 Trilogies still decent?, or should I maybe looke at Forces or another brand even?
Ta.
Purchases tomorrow!
Cheers R
Shay
May 30, 2012 at 10:11 pmRhetty, no problem at all 🙂 For the trilogies, some upgrades in the straps but honestly I think you’d be fine with the 2012 version they are still decent and you’ll get a better deal unless she really needs the 2013 models. Forces are the men’s version so you don’t need those unless she has bigger feet.
Liz
May 31, 2012 at 12:17 pmWould you say this board is comparable to the Roxy Ollie Pop? Or would you say the ollie pop is a softer, more park oriented board?
Shay
July 7, 2012 at 12:35 amLiz, the Ladies Choice is a tad stiffer than the Ollie Pop. The Flex scale is the same for GNU/Lib/Roxy. Ollie Pop is a bit softer, freestyle while the Ladies Choice is more power/pop/stiffer freestyle
Kirsten
December 29, 2012 at 3:51 pmCan you (or anyone) tell me the difference between this board and the limited edition one that GNU ran in the fall or 2011? The graphic is of a tree on top. I just want to know if any of the technology is different.