Value Rating: 8
Overall Rating: 8
Location of Test: Mt. Hood
Duration: 5 Days
Product Name: Gateway 155cm Snowboard
Product Brand: GNU
Best Use: Rails, Spring Slush
Sizes Available/ Specs: 149, 152, 155 CM available
The Full Review:
"Spring is here, and while for some people that might mean time to pull out the fishing poles, kayaks, or hammocks, there's still plenty of slushy laps to be had up on Mt. Hood. This is the fifth day I've taken the Gnu Gateway out this season, and it was just as fun as the first.
(For reference, I'm 6'2"" and about 180 pounds, and I was on the 155 cm.) If you're looking for a board that locks onto rails and butters with almost no effort, pick this board up. First off, the tech: The Gateway has a sintered base, which is fast and durable. It features Gnu's PBTX camber, which is reverse camber between the feet that mellows back to just a touch of camber towards the contact points. It also has Gnu's Asymmetrical sidecut, which gives the board a deeper sidecut on the heelside than the toe side, the idea being that it is easier to really ""dig in"" on a toeside carve than a heelside carve, so this difference in sidecut should equalize the different carves. It also has some Magne-Traction, which is a wavy sidecut (think a serrated knife) that holds an edge much better in ice and hardpack. Another cool thing about the Gateway is that by purchasing one you also get a season pass to Gateway Parks, essentially urban snowboard parks that are built to allow easier access to snowboarding.
This is the perfect spring time board: pure soft, reverse camber fun. The flex makes buttering ridiculously easy, and the reverse camber helped me ride away from more than a few sketchy landings where a more traditionally cambered board would have caught an edge. While I would not call myself a talented rail rider, I've never felt more confident locking onto a rail than with this board. The inherently shorter size of the board (max size is 155 cm.) also means it is a dream to spin on. I was able to whip it around on even the smallest of rollers. Despite being reverse camber, it popped fairly well, and didn't feel too flimsy or soft when trying to catch air. The Magne-Traction and asymmetrical sidecut also allow it to carve surprisingly well for a board of this style, although unless you are hitting rails all season, I would stick to this as a quiver board. It rides decently well at high speeds, and could handle some medium sized jumps, but this is not a board for the whole mountain. Once I started picking up a lot of speed and trying to do harder carves, I could feel it getting a little squirrelly and not locking onto its edge as much as I would have liked, so if you're looking for a board to charge hard and lay down carves, I'd look at something else. That said, if you are looking for a jib board, or a board to take out and have a great time around on a slushy spring day, look no further than the Gnu Gateway"
The Good:
Very playful and forgiving; excellent for rails, smaller jumps and butters; carves better than expected
The Bad:
A little squirrelly at high speeds, less stable off of big jumps, not the best pop
The Bottom Line:
This is a perfect freestyle board for days when you just want to mess around.
