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GNU Riders Choice Review

Last Updated: October 24, 2022 by Nate 77 Comments

GNU Riders Choice Review

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

GNU Riders Choice Review

Board: GNU Rider's Choice

Price: $659

Style: All-Mountain-Freestyle

Flex Rating: Medium

Flex Feel on Snow: Medium (6/10)

Rating Score: 89.9/100

Compared to other Men’s All-Mountain-Freestyle Boards

Out of the 27 men’s all-mountain-freestyle snowboards that I rated:

  • The average score was 82.0/100
  • The highest score was 92.1/100
  • The lowest score was 71.3/100
  • The average price was $524
  • The Rider's Choice ranked 2nd out of 27

Overview of the Rider's Choice's Specs

Check out the tables for the Rider's Choice's specs and available sizes.

Specs

Style:

All-Mountain-Freestyle

Price: 

$659

Ability Level: 

Ability Level Intermediate to Expert

Flex: 

Snowboard Flex 6

Feel:

snowboard feel stable

Chattery/Damp:

Chattery Damp Bar-07

Smooth/Snappy:

Smooth Snappy Bar 6

Playful/Aggressive:

Playful Aggressive Bar 6

 Edge-hold:

Edge hold Icy Snow

Camber Profile: 

Hybrid Rocker (GNU's "C2X")

Shape: 

True Twin (asymmetrical)

Setback Stance: 

Centered

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)

151.5

251

90-180

41-82

154.5

252

120-200

54-90

157.5

255

130-210

59-95

159.5

256

135-230

61-104

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

* the 2023 model gains a 159.5 size but looses the 166W that the 2022 model had.

Who is the Rider's Choice Best Suited To?

The Rider's Choice got a new core for the 2023 model (G Lite 3 core plus new Carbon Power Bands) - and it's made the board stiffer than it has been in the past. 

The ride feels a little damper, a little less snappy and you've got to ride it a little more aggressively to get the best out of it compared to previous models. It's still not overly aggressive, but it's just on the aggressive side of the middle of the scale, where before it used to be just on the playful side of that scale. 

Also where it used to feel "semi-loose" it now feels more stable. 

Whilst it's personality has noticeably changed, it's still the same type of board, well suited to riding freestyle over the whole mountain - just feels a little different doing it. 

The Rider's Choice in More Detail

O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Rider's Choice is capable of.

Demo Info

Board: GNU Rider's Choice 2023, 157.5cm (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

GNU Riders Choice 2023 Review

Forgot to take a picture on hill, so took this near the carpark - the snow conditions weren't this bad!

Bindings angles: +12/-9

Stance width: 22" (560mm)

Stance Setback: Centered

Width at Inserts: 263mm (10.35")  

Tester: Fraser

Rider Height: 6'1"

Rider Weight: 180lbs

Rider Boot Size: US9.5 Adidas Tactical Lexicon ADV

Bindings Used: Fix Yale: M 

Powder

Nothing to speak of on the day, but from past experience with this boards and based on specs, it will do OK. Particularly in shallower powder, it will be fine. In deeper powder, it will be a bit of work. Above average for a twin, but certainly no powder king. 

Carving & Turning

Carving: The new core has made this board more carvy than it was previously. You can lay down a decent carve on this board. Though it's no monster carver. Good for shorter sharper carves and more long/drawn out ones. 

Ease of Turning/Slashing:  Still pretty good for slashing and initiating turns is still fairly easily. But just a little less so than previous iterations. 

Maneuverability at slow speeds: Felt pretty normal. Not lightning but not sluggish either. 

Skids: It's still pretty easy to skid without consequence, but you just have to be a little more weary than you used to with previous models. 

Speed

Another area the new core has improved it is with speed. It's damper than it used to be - and it takes more speed now to get a little wobbly than it used to. 

Uneven Terrain

Crud: It's not a super crusher, but it does a good job mowing over crud without getting bucked around too easily. When you're riding slower it can get bucked around a little, but pretty easy to correct. 

Bumps: It's quick enough edge-to-edge allowing you to weave through bumps without any issues. 

Jumps

Really fun on jumps overall. 

Pop: Really good pop. Got surprised by how much a couple of times. Most of it is pretty easy to access and when you wind it up, it gives a little more. 

Approach: Nice and stable but also forgiving enough to make corrections to line when needed. 

Landing: Nice and stable on landings but with enough forgiveness to save a landing when you get it a bit wrong. 

Side-hits: Well suited to and fun for sidehits. Preferred frontside over backside. 

Small jumps/Big jumps: Excels at every size jump

Switch

About as good as it gets. Transitions well and just feels great with that asymmetry riding switch. 

Spins

Spins well. It's got the pop and the energy and sets up and landing switch well too. 

Jibbing

Because it's a little more board than it used to be, it's a little harder to hit jibs with - but for an experienced jibber it would be fine for jibs. 

Butters

Not quite as easy to press on as it used to be, being a little stiffer, but still nothing too hard. Just got to put a bit more weight into it. The asym felt like it made butters feel a bit different to normal, but I think you'd get used to that pretty quickly. 

Score Breakdown and Final Verdict

Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.

RATING
(out of 5)

Contribution to Final Score

JUMPS

4.5

18/20

CARVING

3.5

7/10

TURNS/SLASHING

4.0

8/10

SWITCH

5.0

10/10

SPEED

3.5

7/10

SPINS

4.5

9/10

BUTTERS

3.5

7/10

JIBBING

3.0

3/5

CRUD/CHUNDER

4.0

4/5

TREES/BUMPS

4.0

4/5

POWDER

3.0

3/5

TOTAL after normalizing

89.9/100

The Rider's Choice is a great all-mountain freestyle board that would be suitable as one-board quiver for a lot of riders. It's not super pow friendly or super jib friendly, but it can hold its own for those, if you're not doing them that frequently or if the pow isn't too deep. 

For everything else, the Rider's Choice excels and strikes a great balance between many different factors. It leans freestyle, but it can handle everything. A very good all-rounder. 

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
  • CA
  • UK/EU

>>GNU Rider's Choice at evo.com

>>GNU Rider's Choice at the-house.com

>>GNU Riders Choice at PRFO.com

>>GNU Riders Choice at Blue-Tomato.com

GNU Rider's Choice 2023

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.

Top 10 All-Mtn-Freestyle Snowboards

PAST REVIEWS OF THE RIDER'S CHOICE

--RIDER'S CHOICE 2019-2022--

GNU Riders Choice reviewHello 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

Price: $599 (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: 90.8/100

Compared to other Men’s All-Mtn-Freestyle Boards

Out of the 28 men’s all-mtn-freestyle snowboards that I rated:

  • The average score was 81.8/100
  • The highest score was 92.5/100
  • The lowest score was 71.3/100
  • The average price was $497
  • The Rider's Choice ranked 2nd out of 28

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: 

$599

Ability Level: 

Ability Level Intermediate to Expert

Flex: 

snowboard Flex 5

Feel:

Snowboard feel looseish semi stable

Turn Initiation: 

Fast

 Edge-hold:

Edge hold Icy Snow

Camber Profile: 

Hybrid Rocker

Shape: 

True Twin

Setback Stance: 

Centered

Base: 

Sintered

Weight: 

Normal

Sizing

LENGTH (cm) 

Waist Width (mm)

Rec Rider Weight (lb)

Rec Rider Weight (kg)

151.5

251

90-180

41-82

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

Gnu Riders Choice Review 2019O.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.

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
(out of 5)

SCORE WEIGHTING

JUMPS

4.5

18/20

SWITCH

5.0

10/10

JIBBING

3.5

7/10

CARVING/TURNS

3.5

7/10

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

4.0

4/5

TOTAL after normalizing

90.8/100

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.


--Rider's Choice 2017-2018--


Overview of the Riders Choice’ Specs


Check out the tables for the Riders Choice’ specs and available sizes in the charts below.

Specs

StyleAll-Mtn-FreestyleFlexMedium (5/10)
Ability LevelIntermediate to ExpertFeelSemi-stable
WeightNormalTurn InitiationFast
Camber ProfileHybrid Rocker (C2)ShapeTwin (Asymmetrical)
Stance SetbackCenteredEdge-holdIcy snow
Price$569 (USD)BaseSintered

Sizing

Size (Length)151.5154.5157.5158W161.5162W166W
Waist Width (mm)251252255268258268268
Weight Range (lbs)120 – 200120 – 200130 – 210130 – 220140 – 240140 – 250150 – 280+
Weight Range (kgs)54 – 9054 – 9059-9559-10064 – 10864 – 11268-125
Flex55.56676.57

Who is the Riders 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 – definitely more at the freestyle end of the all-mtn-freestyle spectrum.

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 Riders Choice in More Detail


GNU Riders Choice 2017
GNU Riders Choice 2017

O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Riders Choice is capable of.

Demo Info

Board: GNU Rider’s Choice 2017, 157.5cm (255mm waist width)

Date: February 27th, 2016

Conditions: Slushy and choppy on the groomers. Some rare pockets of powder off. Some rain later in the afternoon for a brief spell but mostly dry but cloudy outside of that. Visibility good all day.

Bindings angles: +18/-6

Powder

Didn’t encounter hordes of powder on the day I rode this board unfortunately – but did find some slushy stuff to float over – and the Rider’s Choice was o.k. Not amazing but not bad either. It wouldn’t be my powder choice – but it’s fine to get over powder if you need to.

The centered stance 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.

Turning was super easy and really forgiving for skidded turns. Edge-to-edge it’s really fast too.

Overall it’s really maneuverable, which is great for casual riding and approaches to jumps 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.

Uneven Terrain

Like I said I had a lot of it. Typically I find softer boards better in the bumpy stuff because they can just hug it a bit better. 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 pretty good in the bumpy/chopped up snow.

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.

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.

I didn’t ride with a mirror duck on this board – and it still felt awesome riding switch.

Jibbing

O.k. like I mentioned earlier in this post, this isn’t a jib specialist. If jibbing is your main stay, then there are better options out there.

But you can definitely jib on this board. If you like the occasional run through the jib line but don’t spend half your day jibbing then it will do a good job for you.

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.

FACTORRATING (OUT OF 5)CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE
Switch:5.020/20
Jumps:4.518/20
Jibbing:3.06/10
Carving/Turning:3.06/10
Powder:3.06/10
Speed:3.06/10
Uneven Terrain:3.57/10
Pipe:4.08/10
TOTAL after normalizing 86.5/100

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.

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Filed Under: 2017 Snowboard Reviews, 2018 Snowboard Reviews, 2019 Snowboard Reviews, 2020 Snowboard Reviews, 2021 Snowboard Reviews, 2022 Snowboard Reviews, 2023 Snowboard Reviews, GNU, Men's Freestyle Snowboard Reviews Tagged With: GNU Riders Choice 2021-22, GNU Riders Choice 2022-23, GNU Riders Choice 2023, GNU Riders Choice C2X, GNU Riders Choice Snowboard Review

About Nate

Nate is passionate about and loves learning new things everyday about snowboarding, particularly the technical aspects of snowboarding gear. That, and becoming a better rider and just enjoying and getting the most out of life.

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