Expert Review: GNU Head Space Worble Edition Snowboard · 2022
Published on 11/27/2022 · 4 min readThis review is my honest opinion of the snowboard, which I purchased with my own money in March of 2022.
GNU Headspace x Worble Edition. All photos courtesy of Joseph Attwood
About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the snowboard, which I purchased with my own money in March of 2022.
My take
The GNU HeadSpace Worble Edition Snowboard is a pretty rare and overall exciting board to ride. It’s a quality Mervin-built board. This board is Ideal for a freestyle/all-mountain wizard.
Super nice artwork on top sheet
About the snowboard I own
- Model: 2022 GNU HeadSpace Worble Edition Snowboard
- Size: 152cm
About me
- Height: 6’2”
- Weight: 180lbs
- Experience: 10 years of snowboarding
Test conditions
- When I bought it: March 2022
- Days tested: 20
- Mount position: 15% front foot, 13% back foot
- Boots: 2022 Adidas Lexicon
- Boot Size: 10
- Bindings: 2022 Strata
- Where I’ve used it: Brighton Resort, Big Bear Resort
- Terrain: Groomers, park, jumps
How it performs
What I was looking for
I was looking for a top-performing tech deck that could rip anywhere on the hill. I was not expecting a boat powder deck. I wanted a quick and responsive board with the right amount of flex as well. I wanted to try something great for freestyle.
Up close edge and some base condition
Why I chose this gear
Overall, it’s just a clean-looking board with super good quality to match that is hard to beat. GNU is known for building long-lasting boards. There were a lot of other strong board choices to test as well, but this one called my name with the shape of nose and tail. Also, it has super clean artwork on it.
Condition of the base
What I love about it
- Speed: A very fast board out the gate coming with clean factory wax. One best believe they’re gonna be flying downhill in any type of condition.
- Edge hold: This board uses Magne-traction tech for its edges, which provides super strong edge hold while not catching.
- Turns: Turning on this deck feels super nice. The edge design works for any terrain and provides good control over the board.
- Groomers: It’s a great board for groomers. It’s nothing but a great time carving around from edge to edge and boosting side hits.
- Park: I feel really at home in the park both on rails and jumps. It’s very nimble to move around and it’s easy to make it go where I want it to.
- Durability: It has a very strong wooden core made out of Aspen and Paulownia. Overall, a very well-made deck with high-quality materials. It has taken some damage to the edge area and chipping from rocks but handles it very well.
- Weight: It feels light yet strong underneath the feet. The light weight helps with spins and just helps to save more energy throughout the day as well.
- Switch riding: It is a twin shape with asymmetrical features in the nose and tail, which is super cool and rides switch perfectly.
- Stability: It's pretty wide, which gives lots of space and area to land on. It also just feels stable during carving or in air.
Some edge/base damage and durability testing
Issues I’ve encountered
- Powder: This board is not really made for those deeper days since it's a twin shape. It won’t stay above the deep powder the best. But then again it’s not really made for it.
- Trees: This board could just have a more locked-in feel through the trees. Some of its freestyle factors make it not as good as it could be within the trees, like the Magne-traction edges.
- Backcountry: With the float factor not really being there with this board, riding it as a backcountry board really won’t work that great. It’s got a twin shape, so I can’t use that directional advantage to keep my nose on top of the deep snow. Especially hitting a cliff drop or getting any airtime and then landing on deep snow, it’s just gonna sink fast right into the snow.
Little sidewall ding but still holding up.
Manga Traction - you can see kind of wave in edge design
Favorite moment with this gear
The best moment riding this deck was 100% at Big Bear Mountain in California. It was a perfect bluebird day and nice temps with no wind at all. Then I had an ideal run from top to bottom of the park. I landed the line I wanted and rode away with a big smile on my face.
Value for the money vs. other options
This model is on the higher end side of snowboard prices. That being said, one is getting a very high-quality board, so it's well worth it. There are other strong choices in this range, however this deck separates itself with the unique artwork from the collab with Worble, which makes it more rare and desirable by many; along with top-quality and newer tech used in the deck itself. A similar-value choice is the Ride ShadowBan. That deck is pretty close in price but does not use the same high-quality materials that one gets with the GNU, such as carbon stringers and bamboo strips.
Final verdict
The 2022 GNU Headspace Worble Edition Snowboard is a top-tier snowboard. Mervin has a long history of making some of the best handmade boards within the USA, and some of the best worldwide. This is a very special version of an already-beloved model within the line up. Overall I had a great time riding this board anywhere on the mountain.
GNU Head Space Worble Edition Snowboard · 2022
- We price match
- Returnable
