Hello and welcome to my GNU Frosting snowboard review.
In this review, I will take a look at the Frosting as a freeride snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Frosting a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other women's freeride snowboards.
Overall Rating
Board: GNU Frosting C2
Price: $479 (USD recommended retail)
Style: Freeride (bordering on all-mountain)
Flex Rating: Medium (5-6/10, depending on size)
Flex Feel: Medium bordering on Mid-Stiff (6.5/10)
Rating Score: 82.8/100
Compared to other Women’s Freeride Boards
Of the 16 current model women's all-mountain snowboards that we tested:
❄️ The Frosting ranked 13th out of 16
Overview of the Frosting’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Frosting’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
STYLE:
FREERIDE
PRICE:
$479 - BUYING OPTIONS
Ability Level:
flex:
feel:
DAMPNESS:
SMOOTH /SNAPPY:
Playful /aggressive:
Edge-hold:
camber profile:
HYBRID ROCKER
HYBRID ROCKer - GNU's "C2" profile
SHAPE:
setback stance:
SETBACK 1" (25mm)
BASE:
Sintered | GNU's "Eco Sublimated Sintered Base"
weight:
Felt A TOUCH HEAVIER normal
Camber Height:
5mm*
* but hard to measure with a hybrid rocker profiles
Sizing
LENGTH (cm) | Waist Width (mm) | Rec Rider Weight (lb) | Rec Rider Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
143 | 240 | 50+ | 30+ |
146 | 241 | 60+ | 35+ |
149 | 243 | 70+ | 35+ |
152 | 244 | 80+ | 40+ |
Who is the Frosting Most Suited To?
The Frosting is best suited to a more experienced rider who is looking for a damp, minimal chatter ride that is nice and stable at speed and deals with crud and chunder with ease. If you're someone who prefers a smooth damp ride (as opposed to a snappy ride) and have a solid technique, then you'll probably like this board.
Not for beginners. It's not easy to turn at slower speeds and stiffer than you'd want it. Would be a hard board to learn on.
THE Frosting IN MORE DETAIL
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Frosting is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: GNU Frosting 2024, 149cm (243mm waist width)
Date: March 23, 2023
Conditions
Overcast with around 85-90% visibility. Snowed briefly and a little bit of overnight snow.
Temp -1°C (34°F) and -6°C (34°F) with wind in the morning and stayed the same through the day. Was a little windy in the morning - 20kph (12mph) SE but died down in the afternoon.
24hr snow: 5cm (2")
48hr snow: 0cm (0")
7 day snow: 0cm (0")
On groomer: Dust on hard. Still some harder spots in places. Inconsistent speed, with some of the fresh snow being a little wet/sticky.
Off groomer: Dust on crust but decent enough.
Set Up
Bindings angles: +15/-12
Stance width: 19.9″ (505mm)
Stance Setback: Setback 1" (25mm)
Width at Front Insert: 9.9" (251mm)
Width at Back Insert: 9.8" (250mm)
Weight: 6lbs 2oz (2780grams)
Weight per cm: 18.66 grams/cm
Average Weight per cm: 17.38 grams/cm*
* based on just over 40 women's boards that I've weighed in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 & 2024 models. The Frosting was heavier than normal on the scales. On snow you didn't notice it as much though. A little heavier than normal, but nothing that noticeable.
Tester: Meira
Rider Height: 5'4 (163cm)
Rider Weight: 130lbs (58kg)
Rider Boot Size: US Women's 8 (Burton Limelite)
Bindings Used: Union Milan
Powder
We didn't have significant enough fresh snow on the day to properly test for powder, but based on specs and experience with similar GNU boards, would say that it should be really decent in powder.
It has a good bit of rocker in the profile, a decent amount of setback, a directional shape and just a touch of taper.
Carving
Locks in nicely for carves, particularly when its got a bit of speed under it. Preferred how it felt on heel side carves vs toe side carves.
Turning
Ease of Turns/Slashing: Can slash the tail out easily when it's got some speed under it, but harder at slower speeds. Have to work a bit to get it onto edges. Felt quite stiff torsionally.
Maneuverability at slow speeds (nimbleness): The board is a bit catchy and hard to turn at slow speed. Extra effort has to be made to turn at slow speeds.
Catchiness: Quite catchy at slow speeds, but less so once it gets some speed under it.
Speed
Super solid with speed. Felt very stable. And overall felt fast and had a good smooth glide to it.
Uneven Terrain
Crud: Smashes through any uneven terrain very well. Gives you a stable feel through varying conditions. The board is quite damp and relatively stiff, so you feel very little in the way of chatter.
Trees/Bumps: Takes effort to get it weaving between obstacles. It can do it, but it's not something that's effortless. Could get quite fatiguing doing a lot in the trees in a day.
Jumps
Like a lot of things with this board, it's OK with jumps when you put some effort into it, but don't expect a naturally flowing, easy jumping board.
Pop: Had a good amount of pop when you really put the effort in. But it was very hard to access. You really had to put your weight into it to extract it.
Approach: Solid in terms of stability when approaching with speed, when you don't have to make any adjustments. But didn't feel as good for slower approaches and when you had to adjust along the way, due to it's catchiness when ridden slower.
Landing: Hard to stomp landings, unless you got it just right. Felt like it was quite unforgiving if you got it wrong or had to make any quick adjustments or check your speed right after the landing.
Side-hits: Slightly hard to adjust in approaching side hits or after landings. Hard to access pop too. It's okay for side-hits when lined up nicely but otherwise not ideal.
Small jumps/Big jumps: More suited to bigger jumps where you have to have more speed in your approach.
Switch
Riding switch was doable. It's not like the most directional board in the world, so once there, it was OK. But transitions were a little sketchy and if you're riding slow switch, like a lot of us do, it had that slow speed catchiness to it.
Butters
Easier to press nose than tail. Can't get a very good butter due to the stiffness of the board. Could hold press on nose. Tail noticeably stiffer.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
| Factor | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Powder | 4 | 20/25 |
| Speed | 4 | 12/15 |
| Carving | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
| Turns | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
| Crud | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| Trees | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Jumps | 3 | 3/5 |
| Switch | 2.5 | 2.5/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 82.8/100 |
The Frosting is a smooth, damp ride that felt stiffer to us than it's flex rating. The tail flex and torsional flex were particularly stiff, with the nose and middle of the board softer.
It's at it's best with some speed under it and doesn't like being ridden slowly. If you're a strong ride both technically and physically, then this is the kind of board that can help you push the limits in terms of carving and speed and going through crud, but if you don't fall under that category you might find this board hard work.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the Frosting, or if you are ready to buy, or if you just want to research prices and availability, check out the links below.
If you want to check out some other freeride snowboard options, or if you want to compare the Frosting to other women's freeride snowboards, then check out the next link.
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