Gnu Whip It 2015 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 riders’ perspective.

Size: 159
Days: 1
Conditions: Soft easy groomed sierra snow.
Riders: James, Peter, Jimbo, Mike,
Boots:  Burton Hail, Burton SLX, Nike Lunarendor,
Bindings:  Union Factory

Set Up: Centered 23″ wide 15 front -15

Approximate Weight: Felt normal but maybe a bit close to the heavier side.

On Snow Feel:  You know it was hard to nail down this boards personality and where it would shine.  It felt semi-stable which is pretty stable for continuous rocker/BTX for us but we had pretty soft snow.  I think in harder snow it might feel loose between the feet.

Turn Initiation:  For us, it wasn’t super easy but that’s because we are not mid/wide riders so for us it was moderate but for someone who is a size 11 to 12  you might find this easy to turn.  It’s got that same BTX personality when turning edge to edge.  It’s easy and there is a little spring in short turns between the feet but the wider the turn the more the rocker makes the turn almost too easy.

Flex:  Kind of a medium soft flex that’s easy to butter.

Edge Hold:  Really solid hold on all snow.

Powder: We had no powder but the massive blunted tip/tail have our imaginations running with how well it will float for a twin. Seems like it would be better than most twins with normal noses.  Seems like it would be very good for a twin.

Carving: Now the edges gripped just fine and made the board better than it should be but it’s still continuous rocker and that’s one of the biggest problems with this camber profile when it comes to carving.  There is just no spring out of a carve and the pressure must be between the feet or it starts to get a little washy.

Speed: The base was fine but the big blunted tip/tail really bounced around as you picked up speed and it wasn’t a fast board.

Uneven Terrain: The tip/tail bounced in slower uneven terrain but it wasn’t hard for a mid/wide to get around small bumps and tracked up groomers.

Switch: The Asymmetrical tech is even better than a true twin when it comes to riding switch and it made us all better switch riders.

Jumps: You know it had pretty good pop and all Gnu boards do.  It’s much more between the feet/bounce off the rocker kind of pop but it works.

Jibbing: This wasn’t a bad Jibber and we all felt it was pretty good here.

Pipe: There is enough grip to climb pipe walls if you don’t jib much but it doesn’t drive well from wall to wall with the BTX.  Still, it grips and it’s very forgiving.

So, all in all, we couldn’t really find out what it would be best for.  It feels like a pretty decent freestyle board for mid/wide riders that has a little more float when it comes to riding powder.