About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the snowboard, which I purchased with my own money in December of 2022.

My take

The GNU Airblaster Gremlin Collab Snowboard is a wide, hard-charging, fast-paced freeride board that can hot lap deep pow and hardpack alike. For the advanced freerider, this board can handle any terrain.

About the gear

• Model: 2022 GNU Airblaster Gremlin Collab
• Size: 155

About me

• Height: 5’8”
• Weight: 160lbs
• Experience: 16 years of snowboarding

Test conditions

• When I bought these: December 2022
• Days tested: 15
• Mount position: Centered
• Boots: 2022 Burton SLX
• Boot Size: 9
• Bindings: 2022 Union Falcor
• Where I’ve used it: Utah resorts and sidecountry
• Terrain: Deep pow, chutes, steeps, rock gardens, cliffs, groomers, hardpack, trees

How it performs

What I was looking for

I was looking for a powder board that was fun to ride but one that had good edge hold as well. I needed a board that would float on the deepest of days and feels stable in the chop. I’ve owned the Orca and the Golden Orca, and they float really well, but the edge hold just isn’t there when I need it.

Why I chose this gear

I bought this board because I rode one first and really enjoyed it. I have a lot of fun on wider boards, and the way the tail is shaped made it feel very surfy in the pow. Oh, and it’s pink, so this board was a no-brainer! I also was able to ride the YES Warca and the Jones Stratos. The YES didn’t have much torsional flex compared to the GNU, and the Stratos didn’t float well enough for what I was looking for. The Gremlin rode the best and was perfect for what I needed.

What I love about it

• Speed: The Gremlin is lightning-fast. I find myself hitting the breaks more often than usual, and I love it. This thing carries speed so well on deep pow and also hardpack. I haven’t felt any chatter, and I’ve gone fast enough to scare myself. The speed really helps when traversing as well.
• Edge hold: This board has an amazing edge hold. The width of the board really helps with that. I can dig an edge into deep pow and hardpack groomers with ease. I’ve edged over some steep, sketchy terrain to get into chutes, and this thing held the edge incredibly well. I think I’ve gotten some of the deepest toe carves of my life on this board.
• Turns: The Gremlin can turn really well in the deep pow. The shape of the tail allows me to pop the nose up and dunk the tail. Once I’m up on the tail, I can whip it back and forth easily. It turns really well on the groomers, also. I can trench this board harder than any board I’ve ridden before. However, it is a very wide board, so it can feel bulky when going through tight trees or when I need to make a snappy turn.
• Groomers: This is a very playful board for how wide it is. The volume-shifted shape adds to the effective edge. For a short board, it has the ability to trench on groomers the way a board 5cm larger would. It can pop off of side hits so well due to the stiff tail. I like the flex pattern a lot and notice it on the groomers. It’s very predictable and stable.
• Powder: I’ve mostly ridden this board in deep pow. There's no doubt that’s where the Gremlin shines. This thing can float over anything and plows through the packed powder. With the volume shift, I can ride a shorter board and still have the float and a board that will stomp on deep days. The Gremlin loves getting up on the tail and flying above the snow. If it dives under, the blunt-shaped nose punches right back up. This board feels unstoppable in the pow.
• Trees: As already mentioned,** **the Gremlin is a really wide board. I think it rides great in the trees, but it’s far from a nimble board. I feel confident riding through the trees, but I have to pick my line carefully when it gets narrow. The upside to the wide board is that it’s shorter, so it compensates in tighter situations.
• Moguls: The edge holds great through the moguls. I can carve through with ease on the 155. Wider boards usually help with toe and heel drag on the moguls, so I have no issues with slipping out.
• Park: I hit some jumps on this board, and it felt really stable. The wide board lands bolts really well, and the soft nose makes it playful for butter tricks. It’s not a park deck, but ending a pow-lap with a few features is no problem for this board.
• Durability: This board is incredibly durable. I’ve run over a ton of rocks with it, and the base looks brand new. Mervin boards are known for their durability, and this one is proof.
• Weight: The board feels like it’s on the lighter side. It feels good on the chairlift and underfoot. I think it has the right balance of weight to be a hard-charging board.
• Switch riding: This board is fully directional. It can ride switch pretty well, though. It pops really well switch due to the softer nose, and I can land switch in pow on this board. It’s not a twin by any means, but I think it rides switch great for what this board is.
• Stability: I think this board is extremely stable. At high speed, it feels composed and maintains a lively feeling. In deep pow, the stiffness between the feet helps it plow, making it feel comfortable. On the groomer, the flex pattern allows me to pin it and make some proper turns with no chatter.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Other: As previously mentioned, it's not a park board and is super directional and wide.

Favorite moment with this gear

My favorite thing about the Gremlin is how well it turns. I’ve had so much fun carving at high speeds on this board. Every chute I ride out of, I feel like I’m making the best turns of my life. One particular time I was riding down a chute, a face shot sent me into the white room. As soon as I came out, I leaned over and got one of the deepest toe carves of my life through waist-high powder.

Value for the money vs. other options

I think the GNU Gremlin is at a really good price point, especially compared to other volume-shifted freeride boards. This board is a stiffer/camber version of the LibTech Orca, which I’ve owned for three seasons. The Orca is about $700. I also got the opportunity to ride the YES Warca, which is around $600. I think the GNU easily outshines both of those boards, and it only costs approximately $560.

Final verdict

I absolutely love this board. I have so much fun riding wide boards; this one is my favorite so far. For a short and stiff board, it can be playful when it’s not charging at full speed.