Board: Gnu Space Case
Size: 156
Camber Option: C2x. Camber under foot with a shortened rocker between the feet.
Bindings: K2 Indy
Stance: 21.5 Wide 18 Negative 15 Goofy
Boots: K2 Thraxis Size 10
My Weight: 188lbs
Resort: Arapahoe Basin
Conditions: Sunny bluebird skies, moderate wind, snow that was fast but starting to get super soupy and chundery.
Flex: With a camber profile like this you get a board that typically is really playful. Gnu understands this and beefs up the core making it a little past middle of the road stiff. You still get a softer flex in the tips, stiffer under foot, and more play between the feet. The torsional give is there and noticeable every time you rail a turn.
Stability: This board can handle moderate chunder and ruts with ease, getting into bigger ruts I noticed that it would bounce me around a bit. At speeds on a groomer there wasn’t too much chatter in the tips. Overall it’s stable to a point but does have its limitations.
Ollies: The camber zones make it easy to load up and aggressively pop. What I found was this is a board you don’t have to be aggressive with loading up to snap with it. It’s playful yet powerful when it needs to be.
Pop On Jumps: Here’s a board that some might say has limitations with jumping, I don’t believe so. I think a lot of it will come down to the rider. It absorbs landings with ease and always felt stable. The pop you get off the lip is dependent on if you know how to jump or not.
Butterability: With two independent camber zones you have the option to load it up and play around as you see fit. So get weird and butter your muffin all over the snow.
Jibbing: This board locks into nose and tail presses aggressively, you’ll feel the reverse camber between the feet be a hinge point which helps with the flex. When you get sideways this board cradles the feature with ease. There’s some snap out of the tips when doing nose/tail presses so be aware of it.
Carving: Between the asym sidecut and the Magne-Traction this board can rip a turn. It has that uncanny ability to aggressively change direction when you over flex the center reverse camber. If you really want to lay a Euro-carve, don’t hesitate, it will do that. The overall initiation of a turn or carve is mellow and doesn’t fight you.
Rider in Mind: Park guy that rides the whole mountain.
Personal Thoughts: Between this and the Headcase I’m not sure which one I liked more. They both fit a certain criteria for a rider and they both have some precision and power. This board is the more playful of the two which lets you be a bit more lax with how you do tricks or ride. For those that are mellow I would recommend this and for those that are a bit more aggressive I would say check out the Headcase.
Comparable Boards: DC Ply, Yes Greats Smokin Awesymetrical.
Support your local snowboard shop buy locally. Find a shop here.
30 Comments
I’ve been on the Jones MTN twin 157 for the last 2 season. Its a great all around board that imo favors the freeride side of all mountain. I am a well rounded rider with more freeride/all mountain skills than jib and park skills. Thanks to my kids I’ve been spending more time in the park hitting rails, boxes, ect. I want to add in a park board that can still rail turns, cruise groomers, pop off shit and just dick around on. This sounds like a good choice as I don’t want a jib noodle but a well rounded park board that can rip, grip and has good edge hold on hard pack and ice. I am look at getting the 156, weight=165#, boot size=11, age= old and broken, experience= hung up the 2 planks in 1991
You might like the Headspace a bit more.
I couldn’t find a headcase in my size but found a good deal on the Space Case and pulled the trigger. Guaranteed to not be my worst board purchase as that went down in 1999/2000. That honor goes to the Burton FL project, fucking light, more like FUCKING LICKS! Stiff with a side of more stiff and throw in some rigamortis for this dead piece of shit.
That is possibly one of the best ways I’ve ever heard to describe that board.
Hi Angry,
I am thinking about spase case and yes jackpot boards for park, flat tricks, butters and some nice carves (not in mach1:))
Maybe quite strange comparision but both frestyle, similar flex and progressive side cuts. Profile is different and jackpot is not asym so I want to know how these rides.
Could you compare these in sense of
1. Pop and jumps, platform for tricks
2. Carving
3. Edge hold
Carving and edgehold goes to the Space Case, buttering and flat tricks goes to the Jackpot.
I’m 175 lbs and 5’9″ should I go with a 156 or 159. Every board I’ve had up to this point is a stiff ride. Looking for a softer board to do flat ground, butters, pop off random stuff riding. Live in SoCal, but also ride a lot in Colorodo and Utah.
Get that 56 you’ll be super stoked.
Any recommendations on a set of bindings to pair with this board? Might as well get the full experiance.
They’re designed around using Bent Metal. So you could check out some of those. Otherwise Burton Cartels, Rome Katana’s, K2 Formulas all come to mind as solid choices.
I’m really interested in a playful board like this but as someone who spends most (but not all) of their time in the trees/powder should I let that hold me back from choosing this board?
No.
Angry between this and the greats for east coasting riding just groomers fking around on the ground type of riding.
Greats.
I trying to decide between this board and the Arbor Westmark Rocker. I am an intermediate rider and my hard charging days are behind me. Just looking for a fun board to cruise the mountain.
Probably want to go Space Case in case you really want to charge with it because you got a wild hair up your ass.
Thanks for the recommendation. 5’9” 190. Should I go with 156 or 159 space case?
56 if you want to be more jibby and playful, 59 for more charging and jumping off things.
150 and 5’8 should i buy 156
I wouldn’t.
Space case going to be any easier than my 2017 Double Barrel to butter? I know they stiffened up the recent Double Barrels. Or maybe head space? Starting to look for demos out there, praying for a Westmark Rocker, but I’m opening up to other boards now.
It definitely will.
5′ 10″ 170lbs size 10 boots. Should I go with the 156 or 153? I will be riding more all mountain, drops, groomers, charging with this board and a good mix of park. I found one of these lightly used for for $250 but its a 156..
I’d go 56 for sure if you’re using it more all mountainish.
Hey angry, been debating between the Space Case and the gnu T2B. I’m coming from a Rome agent and looking for something that’s more suitable for small jibs and a lot of butters.
From what I’ve read the T2B is a lot softer than this which makes me think it’ll be better for jibs and butters. The only reason I haven’t pulled the trigger is because I ride down the mountain often and don’t want to hate my life while doing so on a soft ass board. The space case is a medium-stiff flex which scares me because I want something buttery.
Which one would you choose?
Side note: I think my Rome agent is too stiff for butters to give u my perspective of soft
Well the T2B fucking sucks.
Outerspace living, gnu space case, mercury or doa? I really like jumping on natural hits, kickers. I can do 180’s, i can butter a little, but i like to do it all. Can you help me choose one of these?
DOA.
Thanks!