Hello and welcome to my GNU Forest Bailey 4x4 review.
In this review, I will take a look at the 4x4 as an aggressive all-mountain snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the 4x4 a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other aggressive all-mountain snowboards.
Overall Rating
Board: GNU Forest Bailey 4x4 C3
Price: $599
Style: Aggressive All-Mountain
Flex Rating: Medium-Stiff to Stiff
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium-Stiff (6.5/10)
Rating Score: 88.1/100
Compared to other Men’s Aggressive All-Mountain Boards
Of the 18 current model aggressive all-mountain snowboards that we tested:
❄️ The 4x4 ranked 5th out of 18
Overview of the 4x4’s Specs
Check out the tables for the 4x4’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | Aggressive All-Mountain |
Price: | $599 - BUYING OPTIONS |
Ability Level: |  |
Flex: |  |
Feel: |  |
Chattery/Damp: |  |
Smooth/Snappy: |  |
Playful/Aggressive: |  |
Edge-hold: |  |
Camber Profile: | Hybrid Rocker (GNU's "C3" camber) |
Shape: | |
Setback Stance: | Setback 25mm (1") |
Base: | Sintered (GNU's "Eco Sintered Knife Cut") |
Weight: | Felt normal |
Sizing
LENGTH (CM) | Waist Width (mm) | Rec Rider Weight (lb) | Rec Rider Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
157 | 255 | 130+ | 59+ |
160 | 257 | 140+ | 65+ |
Who is the 4x4 Most Suited To?
The GNU 4x4 is best for anyone who's wanting a do-anything style board but in a more aggressive way. It prefers to be ridden with some speed, carving up groomed runs and smashing through crud/chunder, as opposed to cruising around looking for things to slash. That said, it's not ultra aggressive, so you can't get a little casual on it.
It won't fare well in really deep powder or in the park for jibs, as it just wasn't made to do so but if you're someone who doesn't plan on doing either of these two things much, then the 4x4 could certainly be a one-board-quiver option.
I wouldn't recommend the 4x4 to beginners or newer intermediates as it is too aggressive for that but good if you are an experienced intermediate looking to get on a more advanced style board. Otherwise its made more for advanced-expert riders.
The 4x4 in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the 4x4 is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: GNU 4x4 2023, 157cm (255mm waist width)
Date: April 7, 2022
Conditions
Really warm - as you expect in April. Overhead was a mixture of sun and cloud. No recent fresh snow.
On groomer: Slushy and slow/sticky, as you get on a warm April day. But the boards were well waxed for the conditions, so it was all good.
Off groomer: Similar to groomer.
Set up
Bindings angles: +12/-19
Stance width: 560mm (22″)
Stance Setback: 25mm (0.5")
Tester: Fraser
Rider Height: 6'1"
Rider Weight: 180lbs
Rider Boot Size: US9.5 Adidas Tactical Lexicon ADV
Bindings Used: Fix Yale: M
Powder
We didn't have any to test in but, based on specs and feel of the board, the 4x4 would be able to handle smaller amount of powder alright, due to its setback stance and directional shape. But once in deeper powder, the 4x4 would start to struggle a bit.
Carving
Carving: Never felt washy or catchy at moderate-high speeds and held a edge with minimal effort, making it quite enjoyable to carve on. Overall, I thought it performed deep long drawn out carves best, especially at higher speeds.
Turning
Ease of Turning/Slashes: Tail releases with minimal effort, allowing you to initiate turns/slashes quickly and comfortably.
Maneuverability at slow speeds: Due to the boards profile, I didn't expect it to be as nimble as it was but I found it could change edges quickly and easily.
Skids: I didn't find them catchy whatsoever, which is a bit surprising given its profile is mostly camber.
Speed
Overall the 4x4 felt quick but needed to be pushed to achieve really high speeds as the base has an average amount of glide. Otherwise it felt good when being pushed - never getting wobbly or unstable.
Uneven Terrain
Crud: I found it smashed through crud/chunder with next to no effort, never feeling unmaneuverable or like you were being bucked around.
Bumps: It is quick edge-to-edge at any speed, allowing it to avoid bumps/moguls with ease and, if you beared down a bit, it handled ditches or bumps nicely to.
Let’s Break up this text with a Video
Jumps
Really enjoyed taking this board on any jump. It was stable, forgiving and had lots of pop.
Pop: The 4x4 had a lot of easily accessible pop - almost feeling like too much at times as I found myself overshooting things on occasion for the first few laps. But once I became used to it, this wasn't a issue.
Approach: Approaches felt smooth and in control. The setback stance shortening the tail allows you to make last second adjustments quickly as well.
Landing: Didn't really notice any catchiness and found landings forgiving as long as you didn't land to tail heavy.
Side-hits: Certainly what I enjoyed the 4x4 most on. It felt like you could attack any side-hit comfortably, knowing you weren't going to catch an edge on approach (even in hard packed/icy conditions) and had good easy access pop and could handle less than perfect landing spots well.
Small jumps/Big Jumps: I didn't have a preference here. I found it did both really well.
Switch
The directional shape and setback stance, making the tail smaller, wasn't ideal for switch riding but with that being said, a rider who's confident at switch riding can still ride it switch pretty easily.
Spins
The large amount of pop makes it great for getting air when the jump or side-hit is small, allowing you to spin off of anything easily because it is also light and effortless to whip around. Not bad for landing/setting up switch either just have to be mindful of the shorter tail. Overall, enjoyed it for any type of spin big or small.
Butters
I found both nose and tail presses to be pretty easy. It didn't require much effort to initiate either. I found the tail butters felt a bit different from the nose, due to the setback stance but overall they felt pretty similar.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
SPEED | 4.0 | 20/25 |
CARVING | 4.0 | 16/20 |
TURNS/SLASHING | 4.0 | 4/5 |
JUMPS | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
POWDER | 3.0 | 9/15 |
CRUD/CHUNDER | 4.0 | 8/10 |
TREES/BUMPS | 4.0 | 4/5 |
SWITCH | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 88.1/100 |
Overall, the GNU 4x4 is a poppy, lightweight, jumping beast that can really carve well too, allowing you to bomb hills with ease whenever desired.
The pop is certainly the most noticeable thing with the 4x4 but, besides powder and jibbing, it's a very versatile board that can take you almost anywhere on the mountain and excel.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the 4x4, 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 aggressive all-mountain snowboard options, or if you want to compare how the 4x4 compares to other aggressive all-mountain snowboards, then check out the next link.
Hey there! Looking to get this to replace my skate banana. I find I want something that can hold speed and hit jumps better, while still nimble and keeping some butter capabilities (I don’t jib much in park, and ride park only 20% of the time).
I’m 6’0″ 175lbs size 11 shoe riding a 156w (although I’ve got no heel or toe overhang) and would ideally get the 4×4 in a 157 as it’s listed as softer than the 160. What are your thoughts comparing the skate banana and 4×4? Any thoughts on sizing and their related flex/nimble-ness?
Thanks in Advance!
Noor
Hi Noor, thanks for your message.
I think the 4 x 4 would be a good step up for you based on what you’re describing. The 4 x 4 will require more energy to maneuver it compared to the Skate Banana, but is still a pretty easy turning board and is still nimble. Not going to be as effortless to get it to turn, but will still go edge-to-edge quickly. Particularly if you go from the wider 156W Skate Banana to the 157 4 x 4, I don’t think you’ll drop any nimbleness.
Length-wise, I think the 157 would work well for you. The biggest thing would be width. It’s pretty narrow for 11s, but if you’ve got no overhang at all on the Skate Banana, then you should be fine width-wise on the 157 4 x 4. If you could also let me know your typical binding angles and the brand/model of your boots and also how deep you like to carve, that would help to look a little closer at the width.
Hope this helps
Hey Nate! this is SUPER helpful, thank you!
For the boot binding question: I’m using step-on bindings and Burton Ruler boots. Angle is ~9deg on each side, and I’ve got no overhang with roughly 1-1.5cm of board on each side of my binding. I’m thinking 157 is the move too, especially as the 160 is rated as “stiffer” and I still want to keep some butter capabilities.
Thanks again for your reply!! It goes a long way.
You’re very welcome Noor. Hope you have a great winter!
How does this compare to the Gnu Anti-gravity? Is it a lot stiffer?
Hey Tom
Thanks for your message. Apologies for the slow response, was travelling overseas and haven’t had the chance to get to your message until now.
Honestly we didn’t find it any stiffer than the Antigravity. GNU seem to show it as stiffer on their flex scale, but by feel they felt very similar to us. And also, if you look deeper into GNUs flex ratings they actually rate the Antigravity 156 as 6/10 flex and the 4 x 4 157 as 6/10 flex as well, so those flex scales can be quite confusing. But most importantly by feel they were similar. But overall the 4 x 4 just feels snappier and lighter, yet at the same time damper. And despite being a similar flex and camber profile, the 4×4 also felt less catchy.
And as you can see if you compare the two score tables, we felt the 4×4 performed either as good or better for everything we rate for, except for powder. 9.5 times out of 10 I’d choose the 4×4 over the Antigravity.
Hope this helps and hasn’t come too late