Gnu Space Case 2019 - 2013 Review by The Good Ride

• User Reviews
• Past Reviews
• Product Specs
• Product Images
• Questions?

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: 156 
Days:  1
Conditions:   Pretty firm snow but some good spots too.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-195lbs), Jimbo (Size 11, 5’11” 160lbs), Peter (Size 8, 5’11” 185lbs)
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV,
Insoles: Sandsole Custom Insoles,  Footprint Insole Technology Gameghangers Low Profile
Bindings: Salomon District
Set Up: 22.5” Centered 15 front -15 back

Size: 153
Days:  1
Conditions:  Really good mid-winter Sierra Snow
Riders: James, Peter, Jimbo
Boots: Burton Almighty, Adidas Tactical ADV, Burton SLX,
Bindings:  Union Force

Weight: Feels normal.

Flex: It’s got a medium-ish flex at the start but like all Mervin boards it goes to medium soft after 10-15 days on the hill.  On snow, it does not feel medium though and it’s easy to butter.

On Snow Feel: The Gnu Space Case XC2 BTX/ extra camber profile makes the ride a little more stable underfoot than the older EC2 BTX.  It still feels pretty much like a hybrid rocker board in really hard snow but more like hybrid camber in softer snow.  So overall there is better tracking when flat basing or one footing and it feels a little more dynamic underfoot.

Edge Hold: The Space Case has always had edge hold that’s just right for people who ride a lot.  If you ride in hard to icy snow the Riders Choice is the call because it has more magnetraction but the Space Case is the kind of mellow mag that we really appreciate in everything but icy snow.  It doesn’t grab like magnetraction in soft snow so that’s a real bonus.

Turn Initiation:  It’s pretty easy edge to edge and it goes where you want it to go. It’s a fun board to turn and we like how it turns better with XC2 BTX.  It’s not anything really amazing but just a better slightly more springy pop from edge to edge.

Skidded Turns: Even though there is more camber it’s still easy to skid out if you get off your game and its still a ride that is very forgiving for intermediate riders. It’s nothing like C3 which is pretty much camber when it comes to how it catches.

Carving: Definitely better and it’s still not C3 but a big improvement over the older EC2 Model. It’s the kind of board that you can have a lot of fun carving with on your way to the park or when you feel like riding the mountain.  It’s gone from being an average carver to being a good carver.  I personally still like the XC2 BTX TRS a little better but it still lays into a carve pretty well. You don’t have to squat and get your knees out over the camber in a monkey stance to really keep the tip/tail from washing out as you do with a lot of hybrid rocker rides.  You can keep your knees a little closer together with the XC2 Space case now.

Speed: It’s got decent mountain speed and we all felt it’s not a bad mountain freestyle board even though it’s a bit better in the park.

Uneven Terrain:  Gnu boards don’t have that rubbery damp feel like some boards do and you can feel the wood in the ride but it’s not a bad board for messy resort snow. You can for sure ride all day with this board.

Powder: The Gnu Space Case XC2 is an asymmetrical twin so that means it’s best to keep it centered and ducked out at all times but if you like to ride switch in powder and really take a freestyle approach to the deep stuff this can work.  There isn’t too much difference between EC2 and XC2 because the tip/tail are still lifted off the snow but the EC2 does have an advantage there.  If you like to set it back and surf then you can get the Zoid for powder and have a similar ride to the Space Case.

Switch: Perfect either way.  The Asym tech actually makes it more symmetrical for a duck stance if that makes any sense. What I’m trying to say is it matches each side of your foot position perfectly.  It improves turn initiation across the board but we found it makes you a stronger switch rider when set up centered and perfectly duck.

Jibbing: Pretty easy jibber and we all felt that when the board softens up a little the Gnu Space Case XC2 will be fun here.

Pipe: I could lap the pipe all day with the Space Case and the XC2 BTX will help with a little more drive from wall to wall.  There often seems to be a correlation with carving and pipe so if a board can carve well it usually means it will ride the pipe well.  It carves better now so it should ride the pipe better too.

Jumps: Love the extra pop off the tip/tail from the augmented camber and it’s a better jump board than it used to be.  It really excels with jumps that most people hit.  If you are going really big you might want a little more board underfoot.

So last year when I was riding the Gnu EC2 Space Case and the Never Summer Funslinger I found that Funslingers extra camber made the Space Case seem a little dated but now that it’s been upgraded to a camber profile similar to the Funslinger the Gnu Space Case stayed relevant for 2017 and makes it still a very recommendable board.