GNU Money Review: Mervin Technology at a Fair Price

The GNU Money is one of the best-value boards in GNU's range. It is not "cheap" in construction. It is simply the fairly priced way into real Mervin technology: a true twin shape, a C2 hybrid of camber and rocker, Magne-Traction and G Lite 1. Who it is for: someone just starting out, and a youth who wants serious freestyle, park and riding switch. Here is how it rides, which size to take and how it compares to the Gloss, GWO and Head Space.

Snowboard Science ep. 3: C2 Hybrid Profile - rocker between the feet, camber under them

The Money gives you Mervin technology at a fair price, without skimping on what matters

The Money is GNU's answer to the question "can a real Mervin board not cost as much as a flagship." The brand itself says it with a joke: "All the glitz of riding, without the sting of crypto," and adds that the Money and the smaller Young Money are "its gift to the past, present and future of snowboarding." Behind the joke is a serious idea: a park twin that rides the whole mountain.

What the Money keeps from the pricier models is the profile, Magne-Traction and a strong, light wood core. What it saves on is the expensive materials: carbon and the sintered base. That is why we see the Money as one of the most sensible price-conscious models from GNU and Mervin: a board that can be a first serious board and keep being ridden for a long time.

C2 hybrid profile: the rocker gives an easy turn, the camber returns control and pop

In the C2 hybrid profile there is a pronounced rocker between the feet and camber zones under them. The rocker gives easy steering and a Skate Banana feel: the board enters the turn without effort and does not catch the snow on a mistake. The camber zones return control, carving and pop: the spring for ollies (pop off the tail) and for takeoffs from jumps.

An important technical note: in its text GNU writes "an agile C2 hybrid of rocker and camber," while in the technical panel for 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26 the profile is C2e, an "easy profile for any terrain" with elliptical camber zones. C2e is the easier version in the C2 family, so the description does not change: rocker between the feet, camber under the feet, just with slightly smoother camber. For 2026/27 GNU writes C2 again.

On hardpack Magne-Traction does what the rocker cannot do alone: the wavy edge bites into ice, and the Money holds its line on an icy morning piste.

Snowboard Science ep. 5: Magne-Traction - the edge that bites into ice

G Lite 1 is a light, strong construction, not a "learner" board

The core is G Lite 1, FSC-certified poplar and paulownia, "light, strong and with plenty of pop" in GNU's words. The fiberglass is triaxial/biaxial, the base (the sliding surface) is Eco Sublimated Co-Ex, which is fast, durable and holds wax, and the sidewall and ends are UHMW. The flex is about 5.5-6 out of 10: the 144 is 5.5, and the 152 and 154 are 6.

Because of the softer construction the Money is pleasant and forgives someone who is just starting out, and even so it is not a temporary learner board. It can stay interesting for a youth who wants serious freestyle: rails, boxes, balancing on a press on the nose or tail, riding switch. The twin shape and a setback of 0 make the board the same in both directions.

On the piste and in the park the Money is playful, and in deep snow the rocker helps

GNU describes the Money in three words: "plays in the park, rips the resort." That is exactly how it rides: small jumps, natural obstacles beside the piste, balancing on a press on the nose or tail down the piste and rails in the park, without feeling limited when you come down to an ordinary piste. The rocker between the feet lifts the nose in soft snow, so a day of deep snow after a snowfall is not a problem, as long as it is not too deep.

Where the Money is not strongest: high speed on a steep, chopped-up piste and long days off-piste. There a stiffer directional board would be calmer. But for most days of a rider who is still developing their style, the Money is exactly as much board as you need.

• C2 hybrid / C2e
• twin
• setback 0
• Magne-Traction
• G Lite 1
• poplar/paulownia
• triaxial/biaxial fiberglass
• Co-Ex base
• flex about 5.5-6
• park / freestyle / all-mountain

Size: 144 for lighter riders, 152 and 154 for most riders

The Money comes in many sizes: at GNU from 144 to 159 and wide 150W, 154W and 158W. We have the 144 (from 35 kg), the 152 (from 40 kg) and the 154 from the 2025/26 generation, the GNU Money 154 2026. For park and riding switch, take the shorter size from your range, and for more stability and speed, the longer. The waist should match your boot: at 25.3-25.4 cm on the 152 and 154, a big boot may drag in carving. Enter your weight and boot size and we will show you which of the available sizes fits.

Money vs. Gloss, GWO and Head Space: which one for whom

GNU Gloss is the Lady Money: the same C2 profile, smaller sizes and a softer flex for lighter women. GNU GWO is the even softer entry in the range: a BTX / Banana profile, more rocker and an even easier turn, for the first season. GNU Head Space is the next step for the freestyle rider: a camber-dominant C3, a sintered base and Forest Bailey's model. The range also has the GNU C Money, the version of the idea with C3.

Frequently asked questions

How to choose, and where to try it

If you want one twin board to learn on and then move into the park without replacing it after a year, the Money is the choice. If you are a woman or lighter, get the Gloss. If you want the easiest possible first season, get the GWO. Come to our shop at 6A Golo Bardo St. in Sofia or call us at +359 887 800 575 and we will show you the board in person and pick the size together.