GNU Headspace Review

Who is the Head Space Best Suited To?

The Head Space is best suited to anyone looking for a park/freestyle deck - either to add to their quiver as their freestyle board or if freestyle is their main thing and the groomers are just used for getting back to the park. 

That said, it's not terrible on a carve or at moderate speeds, but just don't expect it to bomb a high speed, aggressive carve. 

Not something if you need regular powder performance. You'll get pretty big back leg muscles if you do! 

It's easy riding, but it's not quite beginner easy. But lower end intermediate riders or riders who have a solid technique but are beginner when it comes to park/freestyle would be well suited to this board. And of course more advanced freestyle riders too. 

The Head Space in More Detail

Bindings angles: +15/-15

Stance width: 555mm (22″)

Stance Setback: Centered

Width at Inserts: 262mm (10.3") 

Rider Height: 6'0"

Rider Weight: 180lbs

Rider Boot Size: US9.5 Adidas Response ADV

Bindings Used: Burton Malavita M 

Control Board for Control Laps: Lib Tech Terrain Wrecker

Weight: 2980grams (6lb 9oz)

Weight per cm: 19.23 grams/cm

Average Weight per cm: 18.71 grams/cm*

*based on a sample size of around 250 models that I’ve weighed in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 & 2024 models. While the Headspace was a little heaver than normal on the scales, it actually felt a little lighter than normal on snow. 

2024 Model Changes 

The Head Space got a few tweaks for the 2024 model, which is why we wanted to ride it again. The shape of the tip and tail look more rounded. That in itself is more a aesthetic change, but also looses the asymmetry that the '23 model had. Sidecuts different because of that asym loss - e.g. 7.8 on the 149 (which was 7.6/7.8). Apart from that and apart from the new rounded tips look, everything else the same.

So not heaps of changes but enough to retest it. While I was disappointed it was loosing its asymmetry, as I tend to like asymmetrical boards, I still really enjoyed the ride. 

Powder

We had a good bit of powder to test in. And whilst the Head Space wouldn't be my choice of board in pow, it was OK in the shallower sections, but did feel sinky in the deeper areas. And no real surprise given it's a camber dominant true twin with a centered stance.  

There was a little more rocker between the feet than some other C3 camber profiles, so that helped a little. But still never going to be amazing in the deep stuff. 

Carving & Turning

Carving: For its flex and being a twin/park board, it's not too bad. Better for slower speed, tighter carves than high speed wide carves. 

Turning: Nice and easy to initiate turns on and to slash.

Maneuverability at Slow Speeds: Nice and quick edge-to-edge at slow speeds. Very nimble.

Catchiness: Despite being more camber dominant, didn't feel catchy at all to me.  

Speed

Decent for flex and size, but never going to be a bomber. But could handle moderate speeds well. 

Uneven Terrain

Crud: Not damp or stiff enough to be able to smash through anything that was harder. Everything was soft on the day and it did fine but wouldn't be a crud crusher when things were more chatter-inducing. 

Trees/Bumps: Nice and nimble, so good at weaving between obstacles. Not ideal when there's powder in trees though. 

Jumps

Super fun and confidence inspiring. 

Pop: Super easy to access the Head Space's pop. You just had to think about it popping and it was in the air. Total pop wasn't epic, but it was decent enough for sure. 

Approach: For moderate speed approaches it was great. Was stable enough to handle moderate speed without getting wobbly and was nice and nimble for adjusting and good for speed checking. Not as suitable for really big jumps that need faster speeds on approach. 

Landing: Found I could really stomp landings, despite the softer flex. Felt nice and stable and really good. Wouldn't be as good on bigger jumps, but for medium jumps it felt really good. 

Side-hits: So freaking good! This is about the ideal board for side hits, for me. So much fun on them. 

Small jumps/Big Jumps: Best for small to medium, IMO, but can handle larger jumps too.  

Switch

It's no longer asymmetrical. But apart from that, it's really well suited to switch and it felt good riding switch. Easy transitions too. 

Spins

So easy to spin and great for setting up and landing switch. It has really easy access pop to help you get the air you need too. Just all round almost ideal for spins. Not quite as suitable if you're going really big. 

Jibbing

I felt confident jibbing with this board. It's good on the approach, doesn't feel catchy, good easy pop for popping on and off features. 

Butters

Tip/tail press nice and easy, but you can still lock them in without over pressing. Tip/tail feel exactly the same, so you get that consistent feeling. 

Score Breakdown and Final Verdict

Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.