Curated Snowboard Expert Arielle Busch got her hands on the 2023 GNU Ladies Choice this spring and put it to the test at Powder Mountain, Utah. Check out how it performed in the carving, freestyle, and freeride categories, but don’t forget, every rider is unique; if you have any questions about the questions on the GNU Ladies Choice or would like recommendations on what snowboard would be ideal for your needs, reach out to a Snowboard Expert here on Curated.

Before we jump in, a quick note that Curated Experts are not sponsored by any brands, all of these reviews are completely unbiased.

Brand Claims

What does GNU claim about this board?

The Ladies Choice is by Jamie Anderson. It’s a fun freestyle choice and it'll carve, fly and float through the whole mountain. It's got carbon power bands with radical response and pop.

Overall Impressions

What's your overall impression of the board?

It was probably the most fun board I've been on all week. With the C2 profile, it locks you in but still gives you that playful maneuverability with that little bit of rocker that's in there. It is an asymmetrical twin, which means that it's going to keep your body a little bit more asymmetrical. So, you're going to be even on your toe side and your heel side, and you definitely feel extremely balanced on this board. I would definitely add this board into my quiver as my more freestyle-oriented, softer-flexing, playful board. It’s definitely not a noodle because it can withstand some more aggressive riding as well.

Carving

How is its edge hold?

I would say that every once in a while, when you're not really thinking about it or maybe going a little bit slower, it does feel like you catch a little bit on your edges. That could be from the asymmetrical twin. It could also just be the C2 profile as well, but that did only happen at slower speeds.

How does it carve?

I don't think it would be like my go-to carving board but it can definitely dabble in all of those performance skills with no problem. There might be some other boards out there that really rail you into a deep carve, but this one thrives in other places a little bit better.

How is its stability in turns?

It's going to give you that control, but it's also going to be really easy to maneuver.

How is it in terms of speed?

It's got that C2 profile and does have a little bit more power behind it. I am definitely more of a freeriding, aggressive, hard charging rider, and up at speed this thing held really well.

Is it easy to control at speed?

At speed, the GNU Ladies Choice has control and it has stability.

Freestyle

How is its pop?

I got a nice tripod in and the board really just wants to play. I don't say this all the time, unlike some other snowboarders, but the GNU Ladies Choice does want to make the whole mountain your playground. It would be lively in the park but, unfortunately, I didn't take it into the park today. I did take it over some side hits. Once you get it into that sweet spot, that ollie can really pop high and really take it to the moon.

How is it for buttering?

It is a mid-stiff flex, but it's a super friendly playful flex. I'm a really small person and I was able to press this, butter it, and do all those fun little freestyle tricks.

How is the board on jumps and how is its stability on landings?

When I came off of some of my kickers and side hits—I mean I flew—and I was able to land and it did not feel like there was a plank of wood under my feet.

How is its dampness/underfoot chatter?

There was no chatter underneath, I felt stable, it cut right through that Corduroy, and held in a nice carve. There was no chatter and it really just wants to fly. I did take it into some uneven terrain and it was able to absorb anything. It's super damp.

Freeride

How it would it be in powder?

There was a little bit of some fresh stuff in the trees and it really did just kind of float on top of that. It wouldn't necessarily be my go-to powder board, it's definitely more park/all-mountain.

How is it riding in the trees? How is its maneuverability?

I took it into some tighter trees, so I was really able to test out how quick you can kind of get from edge-to-edge. That turn initiation mixed with the speed of getting onto both of your edges is so quick, so easy.

To sum up, what terrain is this board ideal for? What terrain should riders avoid?

It’s definitely not anything I'm going to take into the backcountry. Also, this wouldn't be my first park board, but maybe my second park board. For when I'm trying to get a little bit more air on my jumps, and a little bit more power behind everything, but also want to take it onto the rest of the mountain and still not feel like I'm on a noodle or anything like that.

Any location in the world that it might be good for?

This board does have magnet attraction, which means it will bite into some icier conditions. You could definitely rock this board on the east coast. This thing could definitely excel in any park around the world, and really anywhere around the world. It can really tackle anything on the mountain. It's just that some of those skills might be better performed on a different type of board.

Recommendations

Who would you recommend this board to?

This board is definitely going to be for my lady shredders, who are already pretty familiar with the park and the tricks that they want to throw, but just want something that has a little bit more power. This is meant for more aggressive riders, but not the most aggressive riders. It would also be great for someone who is maybe coming off of a board that has a little bit more rocker in it and wants something with more precision and control, but not something that they feel like is going to buck them or be too much for them. It's kind of a middle of the road board in terms of its profile. I think it can be approached by an intermediate rider but an advanced rider can definitely have a blast on this.

Who would you not recommend this board to?

This is not going to be your “intro to park” board, this is going to be something that's a little bit of that step above.

Snowboards work differently for different types of riders. If you want help finding the right board for you, reach out to Arielle or any other Snowboard Expert here on Curated. Note that the 2024 version of the GNU Ladies Choice is linked below - same tech, just different graphic: