Expert Review: GNU B-Nice

Published on 07/13/2022 · 4 min readThis review is my own honest opinion of the snowboard, which I tested in March 2020.
Brit Bruhn, Snowboarding Expert
By Snowboarding Expert Brit Bruhn

About this review This review is my own honest opinion of the snowboard, which I tested in March 2020.

My take

The GNU B-Nice Snowboard is geared towards beginner and intermediate riders and also riders looking to progress in park riding.

About the gear

  • Model: 2022 GNU B-Nice
  • Size: 148cm

About me

  • Height: 5’4”
  • Weight: 138 lbs
  • Experience: 21 years of snowboarding, 2 seasons in the backcountry

Test conditions

  • When I tested this: March 2020
  • Days tested: 1
  • Mount position: Regular rider
  • Boots: Vans Ferra Pro Women’s Snowboard Boots
  • Boot Size: 7
  • Bindings: Burton Women’s Lexa
  • Where I’ve used it: Keystone Resort, Colorado
  • Terrain: Groomers, trees, park

How it performs

Turn Ease
5/5
Carving
3/5
Durability
3/5
Flotation
3/5
Versatility
3/5
High Speed Stability
2/5

What I was looking for

A lot of the customers I chat with are beginners and looking for a board that has catch-free edges to start out on. This super soft beginner board has been a huge hit, so I wanted to hop on it and see if the hype was real. It’s a soft, playful board that has Lib Tech Magne-Traction edges, so I would expect the edge hold to feel good on the icy spots and for the turns to feel super smooth. The hype is real, it’s very fun!

Why I chose this gear

I chose to test ride this board because the profile intrigued me and I love playful boards on those spring riding days. I picked this board to test ride because I really wanted to see how easy this beginner board turns and since a lot of customers are interested in this board I really wanted to get on it so I can let people know what I think of it.

What I love about it

  • Edge hold: This board has Magne-Traction edges, so the edge hold is pretty good.
  • Turns: The GNU B-Nice is a true twin shape board that is ready to make turns and help you feel comfortable while you are making each turn with the catch-free Original Banana shape
  • Groomers: I enjoyed riding this board on groomers due to its playfulness and ease of turning.
  • Park: I had a lot of fun in the park while riding this board. The play-fullness and softness made it fun while hitting the rails, I would only suggest this board for park riding for the smaller features and learning how to hit the features.
  • Weight: I thought this board was pretty light and spinning off the ground with it was super fun.
  • Switch riding: Switch is great on this all-mountain board with its twin shape.
  • Stability: All in all, I thought this board was super fun to butter and pop, but at high speeds, I could feel the chatter under my feet.

Issues I’ve encountered

  • Speed: I would not buy this board if I was looking for a hard-charging board. This board can keep up with the pack but doesn’t want to be the leader.
  • Powder: I would not recommend this board as a powder board since it does not have a powder shape and is not meant for powder, this board won't float in super deep powder but this board would still be fun in a couple inches of freshies
  • Trees: I love ripping trees and this board can handle it but I wouldn’t get this board if you are looking to rip long steep tree runs all day because of the playfulness and soft flex of this board, I personally love stiffer boards while doing steep and deep terrain
  • Moguls: I personally prefer riding a stiffer board if I happen to dip into moguls so I have more control.
  • Backcountry: I would not recommend this board in the backcountry because of the profile of this board. Soft, playfulness, and a beginner board does not make for a backcountry board.

Favorite moment with this gear

I really enjoyed the playfulness of this board and being able to butter everywhere and have a lot of fun in the park. Being able to tail press the entire tubes and get super low felt great. The boards I own are a lot stiffer so it was super fun to get on this soft board!

Value for the money vs. other options

This board is solid, and overall, it’s a fun board – I personally enjoyed playing around on it all day in the park. But for the price of $649 new, and this being more geared towards beginners who might not want to spend as much on their first board, a new rider could find a cheaper board out there. For example, the CAPiTA Women’s Space Metal Fantasy at $399.95, or the Salomon Women’s Lotus X Snowboard $299.95.

Final verdict

Overall, I would recommend this board to any beginner to intermediate rider looking for a solid option to get them progressing and having fun and any rider looking to ease their way into park riding.

If you want to see this board in action, check out Brit's video below for more information.

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