Summary

The Gnu Mullair is a board that might not float as easy as some of its peers but makes up for that with really dynamic hard turning good times, has great grip and of course likes a lot of air. 2021 Update: After Nico was dropped from Gnu this model is no longer available It is now called the Essential Service and is very close to the Mullair. 

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Riding Style Freeride
Riding Level Advanced - Expert
Fits Boot size (US) 8-10, 10-12
Manufactured in USA by Mervin
Shape Tapered Directional
Camber Profile Directional Camber
Stance Setback over 20mm
Approx. Weight Feels Normal
Split No
Powder Good
Base Glide Good
Carving Great
Speed Great
Uneven Terrain Good
Switch Average
Jumps Good
Jibbing Poor
Pipe Good
On Snow Feel

Semi-Locked In

Turn Initiation

Fast

Skidded Turns

Semi-Hard

Flex

Medium/Stiff

Buttering

Semi-Hard

Edge Hold

Icy Snow

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Gnu Mullair Table and Written Review Review by The Good Ride

Other than a few extra sizes added the design has stayed the same with the 2017-2020 Gnu Mullair. The written review has been updated to reflect what’s happening in 2020.

Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews.  We do make money from the “Where To Buy” links, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average riders’ perspective.

How This Review Happened: Demo’d this for one day thanks to to P3 at Mammoth, One day at the demos and then we liked it so much we spent our precious Good Ride dollars to bring it into the quiver.
Size: 159
Days:  8-10 days
Conditions:  Lot’s of conditions ragnging from pretty hard snow to soft weird spring snow, some wet thick powder and some decent PNW Powder all around 2′ or less with an early morning slackountry time with Drift Boards.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-195lbs), Peter (Size 8, 5’11” 185lbs),Grant (Size 11 6’ 160lbs), Zobel (Size 11.5, 6’ 180lbs), Jimbo (Size 11, 5’11” 160lbs),
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADVBurton Almighty, Adidas Tactical ADV, Burton SLX, Ride Trident, Burton Rover
Bindings: Union Atlas, Union Strata, Union Falcor

Similar Boards (but not the same) That We Compared This To:
Yes Pick Your LineBurton Flight Attendant, Gnu Mullair, Jones Flagship, Never Summer West Bound, Rossignol XV, Lib Tech BRD, Lib Tech Lost Round Nose Fish

Set-Up: 21.75″ to 22.5” Wide. 18-21 front -6 to 0back. Close to Reference and Set all the way back. Set back, approx 23″ 15 front -6 back.  Day 2 approx 23″ 18 front -9 back

Approximate Weight: Feels normal. Not heavy and not light.

Sizing: The 159 feels pretty much size 10 and under and just right for my size 9 boots as well as my 185lbs.  Jimbo and Zobel booted out often with their size 11 and 11.5 boots and they would really prefer the 161w.

Flex/Buttering: Nice medium/stiff flex and it has a very snappy poppy feel to it that loads well for an ollie or carve but isn’t super easy to butter. You really feel the wood interacting with the materials wrapped around the board and it has a somewhat unique feel underfoot compared to the rest of the boards we have tried.

On Snow Feel/Ability Level/Skidded Turns: The Gnu Mullair feels like a more traditional tapered surfy version of the Flight Attendant even though it has less taper.  It’s got a similar feel camber wise but overall it just feels a little better and dynamic underfoot along with better edge hold. It’s a pretty locked in mostly camber ride that isn’t for beginners or intermediates. It feels a touch less catchy than full-on camber but not by much and it’s not for those that want a board that is easy to skid turns.

Edge Hold: Nice bump compared to the Flight Attendant and although it doesn’t feel like Full MTX like you get from the TRS or old Darker Series but it grips really well and it’s on the top end of the spectrum.

Turn Initiation: If you know how to turn its quick edge to edge if you like to roll from edge to edge quickly on short turns and it’s very easy to turn in tight spots. If you like wider turns once you are committed more to the side cut it turns a pretty average circle size and it’s fun. Getting a board like this is all about directional stylish turning and that will be the number one thing you do. The Gnu Mullair does not disappoint and we could turn this all season.

Turning/Carving: So much fun to carve and I didn’t feel like I had to commit too much weight to the back foot to keep it from washing out.  The Flight Attendant feels more between the feet than the Mullair but the Mullair has a more directional surfy feel with the turn.  If you are really into a more traditional surfy turn the Mullair will be the call and if you are more into a more double ender/all-mountain style/more skate like/less surfy turn then the Flight Attendant will be more appealing to carve.

Speed: This isn’t a racing board but it can bomb without excessive chatter.

Uneven Terrain: Yeah this is a stiffer freeride board but man it weaves in and out of bumps well.  The Gnu Mullair is also pretty good at absorbing chatter going over tracked snow and dealing with micro bumps on hard groomers. It’s not the dampest but it’s on the upper end of the spectrum.

Powder: So it seems like there is a slight touch of early rise and a long nose which definitely helps compensate for all that camber but it didn’t float quite as well as I expected. The difference between nose and tail when setting all the way back is is 4.75″ and the true setback on board is 2.375″ vs. 1″ setback on sidecut with at a stance width of approximately 22.75″.  After over 1′ of thick wet snow as well as a little lighter/deeper day at Mt. Bachelor, I felt the float wasn’t quite there with the Flight Attendant that has more setback on board and I needed to work that back leg harder for it to stay afloat. It feels like it would be best in a steep powder run rather than staying afloat in normal terrain you might see at many resorts. The Lib Lost Round Nose Fish Floated a little easier than the Mullair but the BRD and YES Pick Your Line out floated both by a good bit.

Switch: Doable and we liked the Flight Attendant better here.  However, you aren’t really buying this board to ride switch a lot.  It’s mainly for riding one direction.

Jibbing: Nah…..

Pipe:  The Gnu Mullair could be a great directional pipe rider thanks to the springy drive it could have from wall to wall as well as the pretty strong edge hold.  We wouldn’t know though as we didn’t ride the pipe.

Jumps: Great pop and it’s got an easy directional spring off the tail for an ollie or off a drop or even a kicker. It isn’t terrible landing switch either.

So we knew this was a fun board when we tried it last year but now that we got to compare it to a favorite and Nico’s past model we found out how much more we like it. If you are ok with a little than lower than average powder performance than some of it’s peers in exchange for strong edge hold and powerful fun turning you have a great board. I would suggest the Lib Tech BRD if you want more a more powder friendly ride and are willing to compromise a little turning power.

 
Gnu Mullair Past Reviews

 

 

 
Gnu Mullair Specs

 
Gnu Mullair Images

We try to get as many images of the Gnu Mullair, but forgive us if they're not all there.

2020

2019

2018

2017

Gnu Mullair User Reviews

Gnu Mullair 2017-2020 Snowboard Review SKU UPC Model

Great quiver board for all conditions

Mar 04, 2020 by Juraj
Ability Level: Advanced/expert • 
Riding Style: Freeride/backcountry • 
Days You Ride A Year: 25+ • 
Height, Weight And Boot Size (for Boards, Boots & Bindings): 180cm, 43eu 

GNU Mullair is great quiver board, in case you want one stick to do the trick, it's this one. I rode it on icy slopes and in 30-40cm of pow and mullair delivered - quick edge-to-edge, floaty, no leg burn in pow, you name it. Of course, these are the things I expected given that the board was designed by Nico, however one thing, which surprised me a lot was how nimble the boards is. You will appreciate it especially when riding fast through trees, or hitting bumps and jumps along the way. I definitely had a great time riding it. Also I want to mention that previously I had the 18/19 model, however after it delaminated, I received within a few weeks a new 19/20 replacement from Blue Tomato, where I have purchased board originally. So despite the quality issue, the replacement was hassle free. Have a great season all!


Great ride, questionable durability

Jan 06, 2020 by Gary
Ability Level: Advanced/expert • 
Riding Style: Freeride, back country (though the older I get, the more I appreciate chairlifts) • 
Days You Ride A Year: 30+ • 
Height, Weight And Boot Size (for Boards, Boots & Bindings): 6'3", 190lbs, US12 boot 

2019 model, 159W.

I loved every turn for the 12 days the board held up, and I would have given it 5 stars, but after less than two weeks on snow the "U" in the die cut GNU logo on the base popped. I'm told I'll get a full refund under warranty but it'll take two weeks to process, which means I'll be on an old stick for a week-long stay in the Austrian Alps this month - very frustrating.

That said, pretty sure I'll be replacing it with the 2020 Mullair. I can't remember the last time I had that much fun on groomers or in chop. It really encourages you to get edge to edge and to put some force through your back heel/toe as you burn through a turn. In fresh, dryish pow it was a lot of fun - a bit of a back leg workout on mellow slopes but awesome fun surfing the steeps. In heavy damp pow it wasn't quite in its element.

No chatter at 80km/h+, and took the chop of a busy mid-afternoon groomer with relative ease.

Highly recommended for experienced freeriders looking to amp up on piste or in light/dry/steep pow. Not recommended for beginners or for anyone looking to effortlessly breeze through mellow/heavy pow lines. Some reservations about build quality - hopefully the 2020 model doesn't have the same issues.


Unreal turning experience

Mar 19, 2019 by Gabriel
Ability Level: Int-Advanced • 
Riding Style: Freeride, groomers, touch of freestyle • 
Days You Ride A Year: 4-5+ • 
Height, Weight And Boot Size (for Boards, Boots & Bindings): 5'10", 175lbs, 11 US Boot, 

Another review nailed by The Goodride. Carvy, surfy, poppy, playful feeling freeride board. Lively and dynamic on snow feel.

Great spring out of turns, quick turn initiation, very very good edge hold, and no chatter or stability issues riding 50-60mph+ (Burton Flight Attendant does feel more stable when bombing). Felt great on jumps with loads of pop of the tail.

I was very impressed with the C3 camber profile. Feels like camber when carving and riding fast but that mild rocker between the feet loosens up the board quite a bit at slow speeds and doesn't make it feel catchy at all. Much easier to ride switch, skid turns, and ride the park than I was expecting. Overall very user friendly I would say.

It is worth mentioning that the board feels quite surfy when carving. It likes weight on the rear foot to really complete a turn and launch you out of it. I liked that surfy feel but I can see how others might not like it as much.

Didn't get a chance to ride the board in powder but I get the feeling it will be good enough especially if set all the way back.

All in all feeling very happy with this purchase. Got a 159W which just barely fits my size 11 boots. Paired it up with Union Atlas bindings and the setup is feeling tasty.


3.6 5.0 11 11 GNU Mullair is great quiver board, in case you want one stick to do the trick, it's this one. I rode it on icy slopes and in 30-40cm of pow and mullair delivered - quick edge-to-ed Gnu Mullair 2017-2020 Snowboard Review

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