About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the snowboard, which I purchased with my own money in December of 2018.

My take

The Salomon Gypsy is first and foremost a park board, and it is for sure a classic one (I see at least one other person riding the Gypsy every time I am at the resort). It’s soft, so it’d be a great board to learn on, as well as a park board for beginners to advanced riders.

About the gear

• Model: 2018/19 Salomon Gyspy
• Size: 151

About me

• Height: 5’9”
• Weight: 145lbs
• Experience: 21 years of snowboarding

Test conditions

• When I bought this: December 2018
• Days tested: 80 days
• Mount position: Goofy
• Boots: 2021 Vans Luna Entana Pro
• Boot Size: 8
• Bindings: 2021 NOW Conda Women’s Bindings
• Where I’ve used it: Steamboat Springs, Colorado and Lake Tahoe, California
• Terrain: Park, powder, groomers

How it performs

What I was looking for

When I bought this, I was looking for a park board. I wanted a board that would help me pop onto rails to help my fear of running into them on takeoff.

Why I chose this gear

I chose this snowboard because someone recommended it to me, and it had some great online reviews. This was the board of my dreams at the time. I had heard so many good things about it from my fellow park riding girlfriends in Breckenridge. I was looking at the K2 Lime Lite as well. But the version at the time was flat under my feet, so I decided on the Gypsy to help with my pop.

What I love about it

• Edge hold: I can lay into a turn with this board, and the edges will keep me stable, if I’m not bombing as fast as possible. It has camber in between my feet, so it helps snap between turns, cutting into any ice.
• Turns: Because it’s so springy, I can easily bounce back and forth when I am turning. It’s super fun for that.
• Trees: Since it’s so bouncy, it works well in trees to hop back and forth and around trees.
• Park: It’s definitely made for the park, and it assists in all of my poppy needs. I love how it’s flat in between my feet, to land evenly on a rail. Its camrock profile makes it perfect for rails. The rocker at the tip and tail made it easier for me to nose/tail press. It has great pop to work on my spins and grabs over side hits and onto rails with super easy turn initiation that allows me to jump back and forth.
• Durability: This is a durable board made with an aspen core and sintered base. The sintered base helps absorb wax keeping it from rubbing off, so it stays fast. I've beaten it up on rails, rocks, and all sorts of things, and it holds up well.
• Weight: It is a super light board — no issues there. When I’m hitting side hits and jumps, or jumping onto rails I don’t have to worry about pulling any extra weight around.
• Switch riding: It is twin tip and has a quadralized sidecut, which makes switch riding effortless.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Speed: For the park, I can straight line it to jumps on this board just fine. But going as fast as I can, it’s just too much of a noodle and will start to flop around, making me unstable.
• Groomers: If I were bombing groomers as fast as I can, it just couldn’t handle the speed. It has a flex rating of 3, so it’s super soft. If I were to hit bumps or uneven surfaces, it wouldn’t be able to plow through them like a stiff board. It’d bend over them, throwing me off balance.
• Powder: I’ve tested this in some deep powder, and it’s not the best. It’s so soft that I get bounced and thrown around falling over the smallest bumps in the snow. Because of how soft it is, I can get thrown around a bit in deep or choppy snow, so it’s not the best for pow days if I’m really trying to send it.
• Moguls: I’ve tried this through some mogul fields, and it makes it hard to land because it won’t charge through anything. It will toss me over instead.
• Backcountry: I definitely wouldn’t recommend this for the backcountry, unless I’m building some backcountry jumps. It’s made for the park, and I can’t really handle big terrain like steep runs and deep powder with how soft it is.
• Stability: This is not a particularly stable board. There is underfoot chatter at high speeds.

Favorite moment with this gear

I’ve had the best street sessions with this board. My friends and I lapped a staircase forever one night, which really made me love this as my rail board.

Value for the money vs. other options

This board is worth it if one is looking for an all-around fun jib board. If I’m hitting the biggest jumps in the park, I’d go with a stiffer board like the No Drama — the Gypsy is just too flimsy for the landings if someone is sending it as big as they can. The No Drama is over $200 more, but it may be worth it if one is looking to make big jumps.

Final verdict

The Salomon Gyspy is a super fun jib board, and I highly recommend it for rails, small jumps, and side hits. It’s totally worth it for that, and it’s an amazing board to learn on if someone is just starting out.