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 Nate, really enjoy your reviews and site, it’s a great resource. The 160 cm 4×4 seems like a great option for me as an ice coaster quiver killer, but am unsure if I should look for something wider. I’m 6’3, 185 lbs, size 11 Ride Fuse boots, with +15 -3 stance angles. Like to carve deep. Thanks for sharing all the info!
Hey Sky, thanks for your message.
Yeah, I’d say it’s probably a bit too narrow for your boots, unfortunately. We didn’t measure the insert width on the 4 x 4 unfortunately, but based on other similar GNU/Lib boards, it’s likely to be around 265mm at the inserts. You might get away with that, but if you like to carve on a fairly high angle and with that -3 back binding, I think it would be risky. I’d say the closest in the GNU lineup is the Banked Country. There’s certainly a bit of difference there, with the Banked Country being more freeride oriented, but it’s the closest from GNU, I would say – and comes in a 160W. I would say the new Wagyu (due to be released for 25/26, but I believe they were going to do an early release for it) is more similar, but no wide sizes.
From Lib Tech, the Dpr (also due for 25/26) looks on paper to be relatively similar, but I found it quite a bit more playful, so probably not what you’re after. The closest from Lib Tech, that I’ve ridden is the Jamie Lynn, IMO, and comes in a 160W.
Hope this helps and let me know if you’d like me to do a deeper dive on options for you (I just looked at GNU/Lib for now). –
Thanks so much for the helpful response! Did the 4×4 differ significantly in feel from the other GNU/Lib directional C3 boards like the Lib Dynamo/Ejack Knife/Rig and the GNU Gremlin? I’ve been riding a Capita Mercury 161 (261 WW I think) from 2018 for the last while, and I like it just fine but want something that’ snappier with hopefully better edge hold, and a little more energy out of turns, so I think I want to avoid any sort of early rise and stick to full or almost full camber. Beyond that, I am looking for something that’s fun on side hits, and competent through bumps and crud.
The Gremlin is really intriguing just because I’ve never ridden a volume shifted board and I like the idea of a smaller sidecut radius for tight carves, though opinions seem to differ on how versatile it is. Outside of Mervin, I’ve been looking at the Nitro Alternator and Capita Aeronaut, but I’m leaning towards something with edge tech for icy conditions. Would love to know if you have any thoughts. Thanks again!
Hi Sky
Vs Dynamo (note that I retested the 2026 model of the Dynamo recently and the Dynamo review will need be updated) , I would say the 4 x 4 is a touch stiffer, but not by much. The 4 x 4 is snappier, yet damper a little more stable at speed and a better carver. I’d say the only area I’d take the Dynamo over the 4 x 4 is for powder. I wouldn’t say the overall feel is significantly different, but the 4 x 4 just does everything a little better and with more spring/snap. I rode the Jamie Lynn same day as the Dynamo and I preferred that in a similar way to the 4 x 4 – just a little better at everything (except powder).
The Ejack Knife I found stiffer, a lot less snappy – a much smoother feel, rather than snappy feel. A step up in terms of stability at speed and high speed carves and better in powder but definitely preferred the 4 x 4 for jumps and tight turns. Given you’re looking to go snappier, I don’t think the Ejack would be the one.
Lib Rig even less snappy than Ejack Knife – it’s got a real smooth feel, but not that snappy energy like something like the 4 x 4.
Gremlin I found snappier than the Ejack/Rig for sure, but not to the same extent as 4 x 4. But not too far off. I would say the Gremlin was the most similar feel to the 4 x 4 of boards you listed. I would say biggest differences performance-wise are:
– Gremlin > 4 x 4 for powder
– 4 x 4 > Gremlin for speed (tends to be the downside of volume shifted – Gremlin not bad at speed, but that reduced length naturally decreases it’s speed characteristics) and jumping (and switch, naturally)
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