On an edge the pressure is spread across three contact points, rather than just the one at each end that you get with classic camber. It’s less precise, but more forgiving, which is essentially what the Gnu Money is in all other respects too. Besides, on an icy day when you really need all the grip you can get, the wavy Magne-Traction edges bring extra bite.

On powder days, that central rocker section takes some of the effort out of staying afloat. As the shape is only subtly directional, any extra help in that department will be welcome, and it also comes in handy when you want to get a strong press going in the park.

The base on the Gnu Money is less tech than what you’ll find on most of the pro models, but it can take a beating, so freestyle fans might even prefer the trade-off. Besides, any snowboard at this price has to have compromised somewhere.

“On an icy day when you really need all the grip you can get, the wavy Magne-Traction edges bring extra bite”

That being said, there’s paulownia alongside Aspen wood in the core, as well as a mixture of biax and triax fibreglass for added strength without any plank-like feel. Usually you’d have to shell out a lot more to get these features.

All this makes the Gnu Money punch well above its price tag, hence why it deserves a place in this year’s Whitelines 100.

“The directional freestyle shred machine with art by the one and only Jay Howell!

We packed every technology we make into a sick looking rip stick, carefully hand build them in the USA and made it available at a jib bonkers price…

Not sure how we got this one past the bean counters… Get ‘em while you can.”

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