Nitro Team Gullwing 2011-2018 Snowboard Review

The Nitro Team Gullwing is one of their better boards in the line up and many like the way it rides. The Team Gullwing still rides very well and if you want a directional twin version of the Never Summer SL R you might like the Team Gullwing. So if you are looking for a board with great edge hold in most conditions that has a lot of versatility throughout the park or mountains then the Gullwing could work for you.

Size 157

Riders: Jimbo and James
Days:3
Conditions: Really good snow and fun conditions that got a little softer and pushed around with some hard spots underneath. 2 days of hard uneven spring snow.

Riders: James, Peter, Jimbo, Stephen, Ginger, Kyle, Mary
Boots: Burton SLX, Burton Fiend LTD, Burton Ion,
Bindings: Burton Cartel, Union Contact, Salomon Defender,
Set Up- Centered, 23″ wide, 15 front and -12 back, Centered 23″ wide 15 front -15 back

On Snow Feel– The Nitro Gullwing could be a cousin to the Never Summer SL. It’s kind of a hybrid between the SL and the Proto. It’s got a mostly stable feel between the feet, great edge hold and a pretty damp fun all mountain to all mountain freestyle ride. It’s good enough to one foot off the chair but it takes a little getting use to. You really want to keep that back foot pressed in to the binding to keep it from spinning but I’ve experienced a lot worse. This is one of our favorite Nitro boards and it will fit a wide variety of riders and riding styles.

Powder: It provided a rather versatile powder ride that can accommodate a directional or centered stance ride in powder. We felt it was better for those who like to ride more with a centered stance that like to ride switch. It felt borderline great but the directional float was lacking compared to other boards we tried. Still its pretty easy to turn in the trees, good in tight chutes and fun on wide open slopes at moderate speeds.

Turn Initiation and Carving– It’s borderline moderate and takes a little more work edge to edge than many hybrid rocker boards we tried. Wide turns are fine but it’s missing a little something on a carve we couldn’t put our finger on. There wasn’t a spring out of the turn like some hybrid shapes can offer similar to the feel of camber. Still its pretty fun edge to edge and is right there with most hybrid rocker boards we tried.

Speed: We felt a little chatter and this is mainly a moderate speed board not made for bombing the hill. It can handle anything in the park and it’s terrible when on the mountain at high speeds.

Uneven Terrain: It’s good with going over bumpy snow and it’s ok turning around ruts and emerging moguls.

Approximate Weight– Feels sturdy but border line heavy just like Never Summer and Mervin Boards.

Edge Hold: The Edge holds well and makes for a good all conditions ride. If you want to ride in anything from snowment to soft grippy snow the Team Gullwing will do a good job. Like most boards icy conditions will be a bit of a challenge but still it’s great for most conditions you would want to ride in.

Flex: The flex is on the softer side of medium but feels somewhat less than lively while not being damp. It’s more of an acquired taste and after a few runs we got use to the way the boards responds to you. Over a lot of time you might even prefer this feel. It’s pretty easy to butter and press.

Switch: When the stance is centered it’s pretty much like a true twin.

Jibbing– This is a good sturdy board for the jib park and it can handle the abuse you get from there. It’s a little stiff for our taste to be a dedicated jib board but some will like this ride there.

Pipe: Pretty fun wall to wall but missing something that would make it a great pipe board. It also has enough edge hold to be good in any condition.

Jumps: It’s not dead by any means but it’s missing the snap that many boards of this shape have when it comes to good ollie power. Hitting the jumps in the park of any size is pretty fun and forgiving with the Gullwing but it’s missing something that makes it great.

All in all the Nitro Team Gullwing was one of those boards that offers of a good ride everywhere but nothing great. Still it could be a good fit for someone that wan’ts something in between the Never Summer Proto and Never Summer SL.