Gentemstick Rocket Fish HP 2015-2020 Snowboard Review

Gentemstick Rocketfish HP Initial and Written Review Review by The Good Ride

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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 rider’s perspective. 
How This Review Happened:  We borrowed this for an extended demo and then returned it.
Size:
Days: 3
Conditions: Mostly varied spring conditions
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-195lbs)
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV, Burton Imperial,
Insoles: Sandsole Custom Insoles,  Footprint Insole Technology Gameghangers Low Profile
Bindings: Union Atlas, Union Strata

Similar Boards (but not the same) That We Compared This To:
Gentemstick Mantaray 156, Korua Dart, Korua Pencil, Gentemstick Chaser, Gentemstick Chaser HP, Gentemstick Barracuda, Gentemstick Barracuda HP, Gentemstick Rocket Fish

Set-Up: 21” Wide. 36 front +12 back. Close to Reference and Set all the way back.

Approximate Weight

It feels light for even its size.

Sizing

The Gentemstick Rocket Fish HP really likes a smaller, lighter rider who has boots under size 10. I felt like I had too much weight on this board at 185lbs but my size 9 boots worked well with the overall width…especially in the narrower tail.

Flex/Buttering

It is really easy to flex in the tip/tail and then stiffen up between the feet, but it was scary at first to butter. It just happened so fast and easy that you could easily butter onto your ass. I could not believe how much we all had to dial it back to butter it. The Gentemstick Rocket Fish HP also has that very lively poppy feel that all these alternative rides have.

On Snow Feel/Ability Level/Skidded Turns

So, like the Rocket Fish, the Gentemstick Rocket Fish HP has a very light-in-the-tail kind of feel. It has a ton of nose that tapers dramatically to the very prominent swallow tail. It makes for a very unique feel underfoot that wants lots of weight on the front foot for it to track well. It is a massive departure feel wise from most tapered directional rides you see out there. Its set-back camber has a stable feel as long as there is more attention on the front side of the board. It skids turns super easy, and it is a very forgiving ride, but not really for intermediate riders.

Edge Hold

The edge hold isn’t bad, and it does a pretty good job for what kind of board this is.

Turn Initiation

The Gentemstick Rocket Fish HP is one of those super-fast turners, and even though the waist and nose are super wide, it just turns so fast that you are there before you know it.

Turning Experience/Carving

My first time riding this years ago was a total fuck up. Everything I did back then was wrong. I put weight on the back foot, had a 0 to -3 back foot stance angle, a super wide stance width, and it scared me to turn. This time around I set it up for us with a stance width close to reference, 36 on the front, +12 on the back, and drove hard on the front foot every turn. Even coming from similar front-foot drivers like the Chaser and Chaser HP, I still had to change up my approach even more to make it turn. When I did, it really started to get fun, but it liked a mellow slow speed turn/carve that was focused on style more than power. I get it now, and while I still prefer more damp, aggressive rides for carving, I totally get why some people love this type of turning, and so does our crew. It’s an incredibly easy board to slash with, too, and it really feels like you are bottom-turning on a surfboard to get to the pocket.

Powder

Such a little guy but such an easy floater for its size. The tail just buries into the snow, and you really feel the nose rise up out of the powder. It could easily be a dedicated powder board.

Speed

Not for speed, and it’s a chattery mess. It’s for dialing back your speed and trying to make everything you do on the hill cool.

Uneven Terrain

Very bouncy and bucky in soft, messy snow, especially so when it gets more bumpy. That’s expected for a board like this.

So, while this isn’t the kind of board that works for everyone, some might really enjoy this unique ride.