Summary
The Gnu Danny Kass changed the Camber Profile in 2014 to XC2 BTX making it kind of like a cousin to the Lib Tech TRS. The 2015 and 2016 is pretty much the same ride as the 2014.Where To Buy
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| Riding Style | All Mountain Freestyle |
| Riding Level | Intermediate - Expert |
| Fits Boot size (US) | 8-10, 10-12 |
| Manufactured in | USA by Mervin |
| Shape | True Twin |
| Camber Profile | Hybrid Rocker |
| Stance | Centered |
| Approx. Weight | Feels Heavy |
| Split | No |
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Where To Buy
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Gnu Danny Kass 2016 - 2010 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.
The Gnu Danny Kass 2014 moved to XC2 BTX which is the evolution of C2 BTX. It’s basically C2 Power BTX with more camber and less rocker between the feet. The Rocker is also a little more flat in the middle instead of being continuous like C2 BTX. Combine that with the extra camber and you have a more stable ride between the feet than the older C2 models.
Size: 158
Days: 1
Conditions: Good well groomed Utah snow in the morning leading to hard snow exposed in the afternoon. The second day was perfect soft well-groomed sierra snow in the morning leading to borderline slushy snow in the afternoon.
Riders: Lee and James
Boots: Burton Ion, Burton Ruler
Bindings: Flux DS
Set Up: Centered
On Snow Feel: The 2014 XC2 BTX Gnu Danny Kass has an improvement in stability between the feet over C2 Power BTX. I’d call it mostly stable but it can still get loose between the feet in certain conditions. It’s a lot closer to some hybrid camber/camber dominant profiles now.
Powder: Same kind of performance in powder as the older models. Like we said before it floats very well for a twin but doesn’t have the easy directional float of a board with a set back stance and the same camber profile. If you like directional powder riding this will do well for a centered twin but you might want to look for something with more of a setback.
Turn Initiation and Carving: The added camber is a definite improvement over the older models when it comes to carving. Turn initiation doesn’t seem any different except for wider radius turns. It still feels pretty easy and doesn’t challenge the rider when you need to turn quickly.
Speed: Nothing over the top here. It wasn’t bad nor was it exceptional. The Danny Kass held it’s speed well and with a good wax, it can get through a long flat trail. It didn’t feel as stable bombing as the TRS but that just might be in our head.
Uneven Terrain: Very good when it comes to dealing with bumpy or chewed up end of the day groomers. You can slow down and deal with speed bumps pretty well.
Edge Hold: The DK has the .5 mtx edge hold tech that is their mellow magnetraction. It seems like it’s a little more pronounced than some other .5 MTX boards and has a little more grip but it’s still not as grabby as regular mtx boards like the TRS. It’s not the bottomless grip on ice but it can hang there better than some .5 MTX boards.
Flex: It has a mediumish flex when you first get it and after it breaks in it will feel more med/soft. Even with the extra camber it’s still easy to flex the board laterally for a butter or press.
Switch: This is a true twin so it rides switch very well. The nose and tail don’t look the same (nose seems to rise up a little more) but I’m not 100% on that. It does seem that the contact on the snow is the same and it rode like a twin.
Jibbing: Pretty jib friendly but it’s more comfortable jumping and riding pipe.
Pipe: Excellent pipe board. It’s very forgiving and the extra camber is a nice improvement for driving from the pipe wall to the pipe wall. It’s also still pretty forgiving so pipe riders of all levels will really like this board. Very fun here and the XC2 BTX is a nice improvement on what we already thought was an excellent pipe board.
Jumps: There is a decent spring when it comes to an ollie and pretty forgiving when it comes to an awkward landing due to the extra camber. Also, the fact that the tip/tail are still a little off the ground so it’s not too catchy if you under or over rotate. It also tracks well approaching a kicker. There is good spring here that borders on great but it’s missing something that makes it excellent.
All in all, this is a fun board but in our opinion, we had a little bit more fun on the TRS. Not a lot but a little bit. If you are a mid/wide and looking for a 158 then this is for sure the call because it will be as good as you can get to the TRS.
Gnu Danny Kass Past Reviews
Gnu Danny Kass C2 BTX 2013-2010 Review
The Gnu Danny Kass 2013-2010 is a semi-stable and forgiving ride for most ability levels that comes in regular sizing and Mid Wide sizing for the 158.
The 2013 Gnu Danny Kass changed the camber profile from C2 Power BTX to C2 Contour BTX. I’m not really sure what that is but the ride felt pretty similar to the 2012 to us. There might be some subtle differences to someone who rides this board all the time but to us who only ride this a few days a year it felt pretty similar.
Size 158 and 155
Days: 11
Conditions: 1 deep powder day and the rest hard to soft groomer days.
Riders: James, Lee, Peter, Jimbo and a few other friends/family not on the site.
Bindings Used- Burton Cartel, Union Force, Union Atlas,
Boots: Burton Ion, Burton SLX, Burton Imperial, Nike Kaiju, DC Judge,
On Snow Feel: The 2013 Gnu Danny Kass went to C2 Power BTX so its camber profile tends to be a little more loose between the feet than many other C2 BTX profiles. It’s still pretty stable in softer snow but a little loose between the feet in harder snow when one footing or flat basing. It’s a fun cruising board on the mountain and a great do almost everything board in the park.
Powder: We had one really deep powder day and The Gnu Danny Kass floats well for a twin with a centered stance. It would of been nice to have a little set back for directional pow riding like the Billy Goat but it’s great riding switch or regular in pow for a more freestyle approach.
Turn Initiation– If you have Size 10 -12 shoes the Gnu Danny Kass will turn on a dime but if you have smaller feet it’s going to take more work. Still the hybrid rocker shape will make the board easier to turn than traditional camber. We found it pretty easy to transition from edge to edge but my size 9 boot didn’t have that lightning quick response that many of us found with the Gnu C2 BTX Billy Goat or Lib Tech TRS C2. It was more like the Lib Tech Travis Rice C2 BTX.
Speed: The Danny Kass has a very fast base and is pretty stiff but their is still a bit of that feeling like a skate board with loose trucks when you point it. Also when you flat base it can be a little squirrely too. We must say that this has been really reduced compared to some of the C2 BTX boards we rode in the past so they are getting close to eliminating this problem.
Uneven Terrain: Not bad dealing with uneven end of the day groomers of snow. It’s thick heavy build shields your body from soft to hard bumpy snow pretty well.
Approximate Weight– Not the lightest board out there but it’s well built.
Edge Hold: The Gnu Danny Kass is excellent when it comes to edge hold. The MTX side cut is in the mid range but the Danny Kass would be fine on east coast ice as long as you stayed on edge.
Flex: This board is really on the medium side of medium. It is a very well balanced flex for all mountain riding.
Carving– The Danny Kass can carve pretty well. The bend on the tail keeps the board from washing out. It’s perfect for laying a rail to get up the half pipe or making some mellow turns but it was missing that spring out of the turn when you really try to scratch your nipples on a deep aggressive carve. Still this is pretty good when it comes to carving.
Switch: Despite it’s non twinish twin shape it rode switch very well. It’s borderline excellent. Gnu says this is a twin but the nose and tail look different. The ride is very good switch but it didn’t seem excellent. Maybe that was just in our heads but that is what we are reporting.
Jibbing– You can stop through the jib park for a box and a bonk but there are better boards in Lib Tech’s line for long kinked down rails. It’s pretty fun though for a mid flexing board and it does soften up a little over time.
Pipe: The one thing this board is supposed to excel in was not tested. There is no pipe up yet at our mountain. From all the indicators of how this board rides we don’t see why this wouldn’t rock the pipe.
Jumps: The Gnu Danny Kass could handle jumps very well. It wasn’t as solid as the Gnu Riders Choice but it’s very springy of the lip and really is fun to jump in the park and hitting natural terrain throughout the mountain.
The Gnu Danny Kass will always be a black sheep compared to some of Gnu’s flagship models but some riders with mid sized feet or riders that want to put a little more effort in their turns will really enjoy this short playful ride.
The 2012 Gnu Danny Kass has a nice upgrade to C2 BTX Power Banana which is a more aggressive stable ride over C2 BTX. The Danny Kass is still very similar in terms of personality but it’s just going to flat base a little better and deal with speed a little better so this year is the call over all other years.
The 2011 Gnu Danny Kass looks like a more refined version of C2 BTX over the 2011 that one foots and flat bases on hard conditions better.
Gnu Danny Kass Specs
Gnu Danny Kass Images
We try to get as many images of the Gnu Danny Kass, but forgive us if they're not all there.
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
Gnu Danny Kass User Reviews
Neville
I have a 2012 c2 danny kass best board i have ridden period.This board rides everything
Like the board a lot
I really love this board.. Im on the east coast N.J. so I board a lot in P.A. , NY, and Mount Vernon .. Danny kass home town.. I like this board as equal as my other ATF 157 libtech TRS... since the magnatraction is less.. I like the smoothness chill feel the board offers.... plus im an odd duck for my size.. im 6 foot 220 pounds but I only have a size 9 foot... so I like the smaller board feel... I use this board with Union Contact pro.. and Union Aysmbol bindings.. this board is really really smooth.. even on the hard snow ice hear on the east coast... I think if your between the 157 and 155 danny kass its a true coin toss.. I love the both.. but I really love smaller board and smoothness ride this board offers over the 157 TRS.. if you want a chill day ride the 155 danny Kass.. if you want a more aggressive aggressive edge ride were you drank 5 shots of espresso. go with the 157 TRS.. but that being said . I do have both boards and I love them both.
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