Hello and welcome to my Gnu Zoid review.
In this review I will take a look at the Zoid as a powder snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Zoid a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other powder snowboards.
Overall Rating
Board: Gnu Club Collection Zoid EC2 PBTX
Price: $649 (USD recommended retail)
Style: Powder/Freeride
Flex: Medium (6/10)
Rating Score: 87.5/100
Compared to other Men’s Powder Boards
Out of all the men’s powder snowboards that I rated:
- I looked at 29 different men’s powder boards
- The average price was $562 (USD)
- The average score was 85.6/100
- The highest score was 92.6/100
- The lowest score was 71.6/100
- The Zoid ranked 12th out of 29
This is a loose look of course, because even within the powder board category there are some boards designed for different things. Some powder boards are designed so you can ride switch in powder and are good for jumps and tricks whilst others are just a chilled surfy ride.
Overview of the Zoid’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Zoid’s specs and available sizes in the charts below.
Specs
| Style | Powder/Freeride | Flex | Medium (6 out of 10) |
| Ability Level | Advanced to Expert | Feel | Semi-Stable and Surfy |
| Weight | Normal | Turn Initiation | Fast |
| Camber Profile | Hybrid Rocker | Shape | Asymmetrical Tapered Directional |
| Stance Setback | Setback 50mm (2″) | Edge-hold | Hard snow |
| Price | $650 (USD) | Base | Sintered |
Sizing
| Size (Length) | 158 Regular | 158 Goofy |
| Waist Width (mm) | 255 | 255 |
| Weight Range (kgs) | 54 – 109+ | 54 – 109+ |
| Weight Range (lbs) | 120 – 240+ | 120 – 240+ |
The Zoid only comes in one size. But there is a goofy and a regular version. This is because the Zoid is asymmetrical and with a directional shape.
Who is the Zoid Most Suited to?
For anyone looking for a really surfy feel, you’ll love the Zoid. This is the closest thing to feeling like you are surfing on snow that I’ve ridden.
Definitely a board for powder. You can ride the groomers on it and you’ll be fine but there are better boards for the groomers – this thing was born to ride the powder so that’s really where you should take it to experience it at its best.
It’s a pretty loose feeling ride and it feels effortless riding this board – so if you like a loose, surfy, effortless ride and get lots of/like to hit the powder then this is definitely a fun board.
Note that because it’s an asymmetrical directional board (asymmetrical boards are usually twins) that there are separate boards for regular and goofy riders. So if you get this board make sure you get the right one.
The Zoid in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Zoid is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: GNU Zoid Goofy 2017, 158cm (255mm waist width)
Date: February 27th, 2016
Conditions: Choppy and slushy mostly on groomers, but soft fresh snow in some spots. Fine with a bit of rain later in the day. Visibility good all day.
Bindings angles: +15/-9
Powder
Powder is where this board excels the most. The pockets of powder that I found were like bliss on this board. I only wish there was more of it around on the day.
The camber profile of the Zoid helps with this float. It’s got a pronounced rocker between the feet and only very subtle camber towards the tip and tail.
It also has a good setback – 2” (51mm) which also helps to make it effortless to keep the nose above the snow and the tapered directional shape also helps with float.
Carving
Not the king of carving by any means. The feel is too loose to be a mega-carver. But once you got used to the feel of it (which took a little bit of getting used to) you can definitely carve on it.
Edge-hold is pretty good for a board with so much rocker. I wouldn’t say it turns ice into powder – as the slogan for magne-traction goes – but I’ve never ridden a board that can. It’s good up to hard conditions but not so much for really icy conditions.
Speed
It’s pretty quick – not lightning fast and doesn’t feel that stable when you really pick up the pace on harder snow. But in the powder you can let this thing fly and it feels great.
Let’s Break up this text with a Video
Learn more about the Zoid in the video below.
Uneven Terrain
I rode this board on a Saturday – and the snow was soft and the weather warm – which meant pretty choppy conditions with all that Saturday traffic chopping up the soft snow. I’m a bit spoilt these days and usually ride weekdays whenever I can but I had to do this on a Saturday.
The Zoid handled those choppy conditions better than I expected. It’s not the ultimate uneven terrain board but it can handle it pretty well. It managed to still feel really surfy even over the chop!
Jumps
Decent for ollies and popping off little lips – but not amazing, but that’s not what this deck is designed for.
Switch
You can but you don’t. Again not the purpose of this board, in my opinion.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Powder: | 5.0 | 40/40 |
| Carving: | 3.0 | 6/10 |
| Speed: | 3.5 | 14/20 |
| Uneven Terrain: | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
| Switch: | 1.5 | 1.5/5 |
| Jumps: | 2.5 | 5/10 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 87.5/100 |
If you’re looking for a super fun, loose feeling, effortless, surfy powder board, then give the GNU a try. It was a different feeling board for sure but once you got used to it, it was fun.
It’s not a one board does it all, but it would be a great addition to the quiver, especially on powder days.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you’re interested in learning more about the Zoid or want to research price or size availability, check out the links below.
Thanks for reading, I hope this review has helped you to learn more about the Zoid and helped in your buying decision.
