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. In previous season’s I’ve rated this board as a freestyle board but I decided to make the change this season.
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 freestyle snowboards.
Overall Rating
Board: GNU Rider’s Choice Asym C2
Price: $569 (USD recommended retail)
Style: All-Mountain-Freestyle
Other Uses: Freestyle/Park
Flex Rating: Medium (5-7/10 depending on the length)
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium (5/10)
Rating Score: 86.5/100
Compared to other Men’s All-Mtn-Freestyle Boards
Out of the 24 men’s all-mtn-freestyle snowboards that I rated:
- The average score was 81.3/100
- The highest score was 93.3/100 (see below)
- The lowest score was 70.8/100
- The average price was $507
- The Rider’s Choice ranked 4th out of 24
Overview of the Riders Choice’ Specs
Check out the tables for the Riders Choice’ specs and available sizes in the charts below.
Specs
| Style | All-Mtn-Freestyle | Flex | Medium (5/10) |
| Ability Level | Intermediate to Expert | Feel | Semi-stable |
| Weight | Normal | Turn Initiation | Fast |
| Camber Profile | Hybrid Rocker (C2) | Shape | Twin (Asymmetrical) |
| Stance Setback | Centered | Edge-hold | Icy snow |
| Price | $569 (USD) | Base | Sintered |
Sizing
| Size (Length) | 151.5 | 154.5 | 157.5 | 158W | 161.5 | 162W | 166W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waist Width (mm) | 251 | 252 | 255 | 268 | 258 | 268 | 268 |
| Weight Range (lbs) | 120 - 200 | 120 - 200 | 130 - 210 | 130 - 220 | 140 - 240 | 140 - 250 | 150 - 280+ |
| Weight Range (kgs) | 54 - 90 | 54 - 90 | 59-95 | 59-100 | 64 - 108 | 64 - 112 | 68-125 |
| Flex | 5 | 5.5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6.5 | 7 |
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
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.
Let’s Break up this text with a Video
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.
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| Switch: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Jumps: | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Jibbing: | 3.0 | 6/10 |
| Carving/Turning: | 3.0 | 6/10 |
| Powder: | 3.0 | 6/10 |
| Speed: | 3.0 | 6/10 |
| Uneven Terrain: | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Pipe: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| 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.
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.
- GNU Riders Choice at evo.com (2017)
If you want to check out some other freestyle snowboard options, or if you want to compare how the Rider’s Choice compares to other freestyle snowboards, then check out the next link.
>>My Top 5 Men’s All-Mtn-Freestyle Snowboards
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.
tks nate
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
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.