Hello and welcome to my GNU Riders Choice review.
In this review, I will take a look at the Rider’s Choice as an all-mountain-freestyle snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Rider’s Choice a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other all-mountain-freestyle snowboards.
Overall Rating
Board: GNU Rider’s Choice 2020
Price: $579 (USD recommended retail)
Style: All-Mountain-Freestyle
Flex Rating: Medium (5-7/10 depending on the length)
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium (5/10)
Rating Score: 90.4/100
Compared to other Men’s All-Mtn-Freestyle Boards
Out of the 23 men’s all-mtn-freestyle snowboards that I rated:
Overview of the Rider’s Choice Specs
Check out the tables for the Rider's Choice's specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | All-Mountain-Freestyle |
Price: | $579 |
Ability Level: |  |
Flex: |  |
Feel: |  |
Turn Initiation: | Fast |
Edge-hold: |  |
Camber Profile: | |
Shape: | |
Setback Stance: | Centered |
Base: | Sintered |
Weight: | Normal |
Sizing
LENGTH (cm) | Waist Width (mm) | Rec Rider Weight (lb) | Rec Rider Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
151.5 | 251 | 110-180 | 50-82 |
154.5 | 252 | 120-200 | 54-90 |
157.5 | 255 | 130-210 | 59-95 |
161.5 | 258 | 140-240 | 64-108 |
155W | 265 | 130-210 | 59-95 |
158W | 268 | 130-220 | 59-100 |
162W | 268 | 140-250 | 64-112 |
166W | 268 | 150-280 | 68-125 |
Who is the Rider's Choice Most Suited To?
The ideal rider of the Rider’s Choice likes to spend plenty of time in the park and favors the jumps line. They like to hit anything from extra small to extra-large jumps. They might like to hit the jib line on occasion but it’s not their preferred part of the park.
They also want to be able to leave the park and ride the groomers and be able to use natural hits and basically ride freestyle over the groomers. But you can also hit a reasonable carve on this board and ride at reasonable speed – though it’s not a bomber or a super-hard carver.
The Rider’s Choice also has great edge-hold in hard and icy snow conditions, so if you encounter those a lot, then this board is also a great choice.
Not the ideal board for a beginner but definitely suitable for anyone from Intermediate to Expert.
The Rider's Choice in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Riders Choice is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: GNU Rider’s Choice 2019, 157.5cm (255mm waist width)
Date: March 3, 2018
Conditions: The snow had a great medium feel to it. Relatively firm but certainly not hard and not overly soft. Off groomer was nice too and there were a few pockets of untracked powder from snow from a couple of days previous. Sunny and perfect visibility. Temperature was -7 with wind.
Bindings angles: +15/-15
Width at Inserts: 260mm (10.2“)
Powder
The Rider’s Choice was OK in powder. Not amazing but not bad either. It wouldn’t be my powder choice for a powder day but if you encounter pockets it’s still fun.
The centered stance and true twin shape isn’t really what you want for powder but it does have rocker in the profile which helps it to float.
Carving and Turning
Carving isn’t this board’s strongest point – but you can still lay into a carve on it.
S turns were super easy and really forgiving and was easy to skid turns on. Edge-to-edge it’s really fast too.
Overall it’s really maneuverable, which is great for trees, and approaches to tricky side hits and jibs – not as good for wide arching carves though.
I really liked the feel of the asymmetry too, you could get really sharp on those heel side turns.
Speed
It’s not fast but it’s not slow. It’s got a nice base that makes it glide well through flats and you can ride it reasonably quickly before it starts to feel a bit wobbly – but it does get a bit wobbly when you really get up there. You can still ride pretty quickly and feel stable though – but not a bomber.
Let’s Break up this text with a Video
Uneven Terrain
Since it was a Saturday, there was a lot of messy resort snow and, as I always do, I had my demo runs mapped out specifically to test on variable terrain. Typically I find softer boards with plenty of rocker better in the messy snow. The Rider’s Choice isn’t soft but it’s certainly isn’t really stiff either – and also that maneuverability I was talking about also helps.
So overall it ended up being really good in messing snow and undulating terrain.
Jumps
Now we’re talking.
Like jumps?
Then you would love the Rider’s Choice for this reason alone. Whether it’s small jumps in the park, large jumps in the park, popping off lips, ollying off rollers – anything that involves leaving the ground (and returning safely!) on this thing is pure joy.
It has good pop and that pop is easily accessible (you don’t have to put too much effort in to extract the pop). Landings felt stable and the approach was stable and with that maneuverability, any hard to access side hits were made easier to get to.
Fun board for spins too.
Switch
In one word – perfection.
It’s a true twin shape and a centered stance – so automatically it’s easy to ride switch.
Then add to that the asymmetry (which makes the heel and toe sides feel more natural) and you’ve got yourself a board that can ride both directions and (assuming you’re at least OK at riding both directions) it’ll feel identical, especially if you’re in a mirror duck stance.
Jibbing
Whilst certainly not a jib specialist, it’s a relatively easy/good board to jib with. Not intimidating at all – it’s got the maneuverability on approach and maneuverability at slow speeds too – and then it’s got the pop to get on/off the jib.
Pipe
I didn’t ride this in the pipe but based on the specs and what others have said about this board in the pipe, I imagine that it would be just about ideal.
It’s got great edge hold (important for climbing those icy walls), it’s not too soft but not too stiff, it’s got a centered stance and a true twin shape. So yeah, feels like it would be pretty darn good in there.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | Contribution to Final Score | |
|---|---|---|
JUMPS | 5.0 | 20/20 |
SWITCH | 5.0 | 10/10 |
JIBBING | 3.5 | 7/10 |
CARVING/TURNS | 3.0 | 6/10 |
POWDER | 3.0 | 6/10 |
SPEED | 3.0 | 6/10 |
UNEVEN TERRAIN | 4.0 | 8/10 |
SPINS | 4.5 | 9/10 |
BUTTERING | 4.0 | 4/5 |
PIPE | 4.5 | 4.5/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 90.4/100 |
Overall the Rider’s Choice is a great all-mtn-freestyle board, that could also be used as a more specialized freestyle board – it’s on the freestyle end of the spectrum, but it carves and rides at speed well enough to be one that you can take over the rest of the whole mountain.
It would also rate really well as a freestyle board and you could definitely ride it as a jump line/pipe specialist if that’s what you were after.
A king when it comes to jumps, pipe and riding switch, and no major weaknesses in any other area either. Also has great edge-hold in hard and icy conditions for anyone who encounters those a fair bit.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the Rider’s Choice, or if you are ready to buy, or if you just want to research prices and availability, check out the links below.
- US
- CANADA
If you want to check out some other all-mountain-freestyle snowboard options, or if you want to compare how the Rider’s Choice compares to other all-mountain-freestyle snowboards, then check out the next link.
Hi Nate,
I’m almost sold on the GNU rider’s choice for this season. I’m an intermediate level rider that owns a 156 skatebanana (2016) and wants something a little bit different that provides more versatility. I ride mostly on resort but I like to hit every jump I see.
I wear a size 9US and I’m 5 ft 9.6″ (177cm) and my weight is around 188 lbs. Which size would you recommend me?
Thank you in advance, keep up the amazing work!
Hi Alex
Thanks for your message.
I think the 157.5 would be the best option for you. It’s a good length for your specs, taking into account how you describe your riding – and the width should work too. By waist width it sounds like it’s on the wide side for 9s, but it’s actually not that much wider at the inserts (260mm) than it is at the waist (255mm), so I think it should work well both length and width-wise for you.
Thank you for the reply Nate,
I’m also considering the yes standard in 156 size, but i’m a little bit worried about the width.
The capita mercury (157) is also a consideration.
Which board would you recommend me knowing that I come from a skate banana (a very forgiving board)?
Hi Alex
I really like the Standard in the 156. But my specs are different enough – 6’0″, 185lbs, US10 boots – that it might feel a little wide/big overall for you.
The Mercury 157 isn’t as wide as it sounds with that 257mm waist. I measured the 159 (which has a waist of 259mm) and it was 265mm at the inserts, so the 157 is likely to be around 263mm at the inserts. Still on the wider side for 9s, but not to the same extent as the Standard. For reference, width at inserts:
GUN Rider’s Choice 157.5: 260mm
YES Standard 156: 270mm
Capita Mercury 157: 263mm
With 9s, width-wise, the Rider’s Choice is the best option. After that I would go Mercury. I think the Standard is going to be too wide.
The Mercury is going to be the stiffest, most aggressive option from the 3 – it’s going to be, IMO, the biggest contrast vs the Skate Banana. The Rider’s Choice the closest to the Skate Banana (but still quite different) and the Standard in between. Flex-wise, I felt these boards at:
Rider’s Choice: 5/10
Standard: 6/10
Mercury: 6.5/10
Skate Banana: 4/10
If you’re looking for something that’s a really big contrast to what you have then that’s the Mercury. But if you want something that’s a bit more, and different enough, from the Skate Banana, but not going miles away from it, then the Rider’s Choice fits the bill better.
Hope this gives you more to go off for your decision.
Hi Nate,
Thanks for the answer! I’m totally sold on the rider’s choice since it’s a more realistic progression. Also width-wise seem to fit better for my 9 size.
I’ll let you know about the new board,
Thanks again, cheers from Spain!
You’re very welcome Alex. Hope you enjoy your new gear and have a great season! Look forward to hearing how it goes for you
hi nate , is it good for butter?
Hi Rico
Thanks for your message.
Yeah it’s good for butters, IMO. Not like a super-soft board is for buttering but I found it was a good board to butter with.
This board handles great in powder. One day in slush doesnt do its actual capabilities justice. I rode a riders choice for 2 years with over 130+ days on it at Mt. Baker Washington, one of the top 10 snowiest places in the lower 48 and it handles excellent in deep pow conditions.
Hi Travis
Thanks for your message. Appreciate your input on how this board rides in powder. I’ve since ridden it in more powder (2019 model) and I agree it can handle it fine. But I still wouldn’t compare it to something that’s more setup for powder – like something that’s setback with taper and a big nose. But I definitely agree it’s not garbage in powder (and to be honest almost any board can be fun in powder – it’s powder after all!) – but just compared to others that are more set up for it, it doesn’t ride float as effortlessly (in my experience). But certainly better than the average centered twin. But everyone gets a different feel and have different boards to compare their experiences with.
Hello Nate
I’m a 6’1 180 early intermediate rider and am having a tough time deciding on a first board. I think I like the versatility of the gnu riders choice or the capita outerspace living. I haven’t locked in on where I like to ride, but I know I want something that is solid in all condition because I like to explore. Between these 2 what would you choose? Also if you have a better suggestion other than these 2 please feel free to comment. Trying to stay at or below $450. Thanks man!
Hi Anthony
I think both of these would be good choices. The Outerspace Living probably ever so slightly more versatile, but not much in it, the Rider’s Choice is also a very versatile board. A couple of differences between them.
1. The Rider’s Choice is asym (heel edge is different to toe edge). I like how asym boards ride, but they’re not for everyone.
2. The Rider’s Choice has rocker between the feet, and camber to tip and tail whereas the OL has camber between the feet and rocker tip to tail. Overall the RC is a little looser feeling, but not super-loose. The OL is slightly more stable feeling.
3. RC is better in hard/icy conditions, IMO, if you ride those a lot.
There are of course other differences, but those are the main ones off the top of my head.
In terms of size, the 158 for Outerspace Living is probably a good size for you and the 157.5 for the Rider’s Choice – assuming you don’t need a wide (which will depend on your boot size and binding angles).
Hope this gives you more info for your decision
tks nate
hello nate ,are the differences between gnu riders choice 2017 and 2018 ???
Hi Rico
As far as I can tell there are no major difference between the 2017 and 2018 models for the Rider’s Choice. Maybe some tweaks, but nothing noticeable (apart from the Graphic of course!). They changed the name of the camber profile from C2 BTX to just C2 – but they changed most of the names of their camber profiles for the 2018 models – but the camber profile is still the same.