Summary

The Gnu Beast is new for 2014 and offers a true freeride board to their line which is nice because most of their line is all twins.  If you like the idea of the Gnu Billy Goat but want something more directional with a massive set back and slight taper then you have the Beast. It's a fun aggressive old school Freeride board with a nice camber upgrade that makes it better than the old school boards. Not much has changed over the years since we first rode it.

Where To Buy

No obligation, but these links support the site.

No Results Found

No Results Found

No Results Found

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

Semi-Locked In

Turn Initiation

Medium

Skidded Turns

Semi-Hard

Flex

Medium/Stiff

Buttering

Hard

Edge Hold

Hard Snow

Gnu Beast 2016 - 2014 Review by The Good Ride

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.

Size: 158
Days: 3
Conditions: Hard with some softer spots here and there.
Riders: James, Peter, Eli and Mary
Boots: Burton Imperial, Burton Ion,  Nike LunarendorSalomon Synapse,
Bindings: Nitro Zero, Flux TTFlux SF
Set Up: 22″ to 23″ wide set back some but not all the way.  18 front -3 back.

On Snow FeelThis has a pretty camber feel to it but it feels like an easier camber than the old camber boards.  It still has some consequence. It’s all freeride and powder. It’s surfy but not too surfy unless you get all the way back on the tail.  We rode this not set back all the way and it didn’t feel like a washy tapered board.  It felt stable, fast and kind of like a friendly beast. It does have a bigger feel and that must be because of the bigger waist that seems more friendly for mid/wide riders.

Powder:  We had no powder to speak of but with a 2.5 inch set back and that big ass nose it should do just fine.  It seems that there is a little bit of early rise rocker in the nose so it should provide a very surfy float for those with mid/wide feet.  If you have normal feet it might feel a little more sluggish than you would expect in the trees and in tight spots.

Turn Initiation and CarvingSo let’s start off by saying that the waist width is more for a mid/wide rider so if you fit this you will find this board quick edge to edge for a mostly camber ride and it will perform well for you when it comes to medium to wide radius turns.  If you ride a size 9 like Mary and I, it will feel a bit more sluggish edge to edge and not be as quick when making short radius turns.  It’s not so sluggish that I felt I was riding a mid/wide board but it didn’t feel snappy edge to edge as it did with the Gnu C3 Billy Goat.  It reminded me a little bit of a more fortified Jones Hovercraft which I liked.  Wide radius turns and Carving turns were really fun and the taper didn’t make the board feel too washy. It gives you a really surfy ride.

SpeedBomber fast.  The base didn’t have a good wax but if it did it would hold it’s speed well in the flats.  It’s also very damp and avoids chatter.  It’s got confidence-inspiring stability.

Uneven TerrainYou would think it would be worse here but it’s not that bad when we encountered a patch of shitty snow or went down a well-tracked run.  It seems like it wouldn’t punish you on your way through shitty bumps on the way to a powder stash if you can turn the board well.

Edge HoldGreat grip without grabbing.  It doesn’t have that dig too deep feel and shouldn’t catch an edge in soft thick snow.

Flex:  Pretty stiff here but after 15+ days it should mellow out here. So the demo model we tried was stiffer than the production model.  The production model will have a softer core that should make the board

SwitchI flipped it around for a few turns switch and it did ok but really wanted to switch back and carve. This is not really a board for switch riding.

Jibbing: Nope!

Pipe: I wouldn’t like to take this in the pipe but Mary did.  She’s weird and likes really directional boards in the pipe.  She liked it but unless you are like her I’d rather be on a smaller double ender.

JumpsNot bad for a method off a wind lip but not for the park. It’s got good spring for an ollie and with the softer flex on the production model, it will be even more fun.

 
Gnu Beast Past Reviews

2014 Gnu Beast Series Video Review

 
Gnu Beast Specs

 
Gnu Beast Images

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

2016

2015

2014

Gnu Beast User Reviews

Where To Buy

No obligation, but these links support the site.

Other ways to support our free reviews: