Gnu B-Street BTX 145

Mountain: Arapahoe Basin, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Copper, Keystone, etc.
Weather: A whole variety; from warm sunny days to cold, windy shitty days
Snow: Groomers to powder to ice

Bindings: K2 Auto A Go Go then Ride Zeta
Boots: 32 Lashed size 6.5

OH GOD I LOVE THIS BOARD!! Here, we have a Gnu B-Street 145, it has both the banana technology and magnetraction. The banana is kinda like the rocker, but instead of being outside the bindings, it's between the bindings, giving the board a kind-of-banana-like shape when viewed sideways. The magnetraction is on the sides, and you can see it because it's kind of wavy. It's supposed to grip on ice well, and I can vouch for this. It's also supposed to make initiating turns super easy. The edge hold on this board is sooo good that sometimes when I don't want it to hold an edge, it still does... so it's not too great in choppy conditions. That, or maybe detuning the edges would help. I haven't detuned mine, I don't generally detune my edges anyways.

GRAPHICS - I love the graphics! It looks like a painting, and compared to the picture above, the board in real life looks a lot better; the colors are brighter, not pastel-y like in the picture. When I'm done with this board, I'm so hanging this on the wall.

FLEX - Soft!!!! Nosepresses are no problem on this board, I absolutely love nosepressing it on boxes, but beware, too much press and you'll flip over, haha. It's definitely a lot softer than my K2 Duchess.

BOXES AND RAILS - Love it here! I tried spinning it on boxes and it spins like a top. It's also so easy to press that I can do what I like to call, "NOSEPRESS NOSESLIDE COMBO!!!!!!" The lovely Shay captured a picture of said feat in action:


JUMPS - The board also excelled here, I really have a blast jumping. So easy to spin too! I have gotten some 5's when I was really trying for 3's, and 3's when I tried for 180s. I wonder if it's cheating if you ride this board in comps? Haha.

GROOMERS - Although soft, this board is very stable at high speeds on groomed runs. Carving is absolutely effortless it's stupid. The magnetraction holds an edge so well and lets me turn fast and smoothly. I have rode over solid ice before, and while that sketches me out, the board still holds an edge great. I have stayed on edge on ice, hell, I've even tried stopping on ice, and the board just did wonderful. I didn't slip out or wash out.

POWDER - Floats so well!!!! Yes, this is a 145CM and I have rode it in powder! It also turns great! I rode at Vail one day, and it was the deepest I had ever ridden, my hands were dragging through the snow whenever I turned... oh god, it felt so great. So smoooooooth and just floats. However, once the powder gets tracked out and choppy, this board is so hard to ride. It really tries to hold an edge when you don't want it to over the chop, so it gives my legs a work out. Haha. It's still do-able though but not a very comfortable ride. This is the only thing I don't like about the B-Street.

OVERALL - This board pretty much rides similar to my K2 Duchess, except it's softer. If you're new to the Banana and Magenetraction, it might get some getting used to. It took me probably a day before I had it on lock down. I would say this is the perfect board for the park gal who also likes to explore the mountain. I use this board for everything and I don't see why you shouldn't! The only con is that this board is so damn expensive at retail price! It's like, $460 or something ridiculous! But worth every penny in my opinion!