Gnu Park Pickle or Lib Tech Skate nana?

Just out of curiousity, if you had a choice between a lib tech banana and Gnu pickle, which one would you go for?  From what I can tell the only difference really is the Lib tech doesn’t have the deeper sidecut on the heel.  Both are rockered boards with magnetraction.  I really dunno if the sidecut is that big of an issue, I’m fairly big at 6’3” and 105kgs so throwing things around isn’t a problem. 

Really interested in a twin, at the moment I have a directional Rossi that has been good up till now but just feel like one of the rocker style boards could help me progress in the direction I want to go quicker.

I don’t believe the Park Pickles side cut makes a big difference in riding. Hard to say its better or worse, if it was better it’ll be in every Mervin board if that was the case.

I believe the flex is slightly different in each. From hand flexing, I felt the Park Pickle was more flexy then the Skate Banana. However I’ve read some reviews that say the Park Pickle is a stiffer ride….confuses the hell out of me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBf3PGZIFM8&feature=related
Thats a review on the park pickle and he makes references to the skate banana too ;]

This is direct from a Lib Tech and GNU rep:

“The Park Pickle is similar to the Skate Banana but has an asymmetric side cut that evens out your turns.
It’s been the favourite at demo days so far.”

I’m not sure how much that helps you but from what I’ve been told they are very similar boards. Do you know how the asymmetrical sidecut works? There is a different sidecut on the heel and toe edges. I am yet to test an asymmetircal snowboard, but more companies are doing it not (Romain’s YES pro model has it also). It basically follows the theory that your heels are closer together than your toes, and have more force but less finesse, so the sidecut shape/radius is different.

asym boards are a reflection of our past.
Interesting idea to respond to the fact that most riders are now duck stance and the heels being closer creates a more focused area of pressure along the edge, vs the toe edge where that pressure is distributed more widely on that edge…

asym simply means that they are not equal.
What a asym used to be is that the heel edge was set back from the toe edge side cut.
the center point of the toe edge’s sidecut doesnt match the center point of the heel edge’s sidecut.
This is when everyone used positive angles on both bindings.

What this is turning into now, is a different shape of sidecut radius on heel vs toe, because of how we are now positions on our boards.
Very interesting.

I have not rode this board, but I would be curious to.

The odd thing about asym boards is that that you have to have them made for right foot forward riders, and for left foot forward riders. (if the board isnt a twin shape… which the pickle is, but the old asym boards werent twins, they were directionals.)

One thing I dont get is the EFFORT they talk about on the heel edge…
I dont ever find anyone talking about the effort they have to put in on the heel vs the toe edge.

From gnu.com:
“Based on the idea that heelside turns require more leverage than toeside turns, the Park Pick will have a deeper sidecut on the heelside. The board is a true twin shape with a centered stance so it can be ridden with either goofy or regular and includes Mervin Mfg’s exclusive use of Banana Technology.”

Im gonna step in here and relieve nthbeachesguy from all the stress.
personally i’d say go to your local board store and ask for both boards. stand them up against a wall of your choice and then- eeny, meeny, miny, moe….
Its guaranteed to make a decision :p

I guess the main reason I ask is because I wanted to get ppl’s thoughts on if the deeper sidecut of the Gnu would make that much of a difference, they are the same in every other aspect really apart from the sidecut.  Aesthetically speaking I much prefer the Lib tech, the Gnu’s graphic and text font doesn’t do itself any favours in my book, looks like something from a 1980’s comic book strip about the blob.  I know it’s kinda superflous to how the board actually goes but no one wants to ride a board they don’t like the look of, its a mental thing, I’m still waiting on the Gnu to grow on me!

I understand with your comments.
The truth is that you dont know what the difference will feel like with the asymmetric sidecuts, so go with the Bananna.
Truth is that the pickle may be hard to find too.
With the reverse camber, and the magne traction, you’re getting a lot of new tech for your buck….
The asym sidecut is maybe too new? for ya?
Atleast you can use that excuse (when it is really the graphics.. lol)

If I was in your shoes, I would be comfortable going with the nana.

I haven’t ridden a Pickle, but I loves me my Skateynana! I rode it for a Northern Hemi season on everything from bulletproof EK ice to Utah treejibs with big puffy pow landings.

Are they the same price? If they’re that similar and the asym tech isn’t heavily reviewed, I’d say you’d be fine to base your decision on price and looks. It’d be different if you were deciding between two dissimilar boards.

I hope that with good management and direction and marketing and financial decision making technologies that Mervin has been producing for years now will continue to come to light and be appreciated. I hope that products like these will launch Lib and Gnu into being a greater force in the industry solidifying the place they have and hopefully will keep.
“snowboards hand built in the USA by snowboarders”
I like the approach, and simplicity they try to have with snowboarding.
I just hope they keep up with the current track record.

Thanks for all your inout guys, I have a store nearby with both in stock and spent some time talking to the guys there hence the question.  Both were offered to me for a good price and I am still a little stuck in regards to which to pick, the looks dept the lib tech wins hands down, the performance thing might go slightly to the pickle.  Might be a case of waiting till next weekend, if I’m gunna go on Saturday will probably just make a spur of the moment decision on one or the other.  Will be sure to let you know which I pick and what I think of it.

Recent conversations here and on other forums about the banana are making me want one.
A banana with Magna traction may be in order for me this year. I had thought it was a year to buy boots, but ya know…. I used my old boots when my newer boots were wet, and they still worked well. So with 2 functional and comfortable boots, I dont need boots. I dont need anything actually, but we all like to spoil ourselves, dont we?

Right, I don’t need anything at all, but I think my ‘spoil’ item will be an idiom continuum down. Aaaaand maybe the AG leather street jacket. Aaaaaand that’s all. Seriously, that’s all.

Theres a thread up on this now
Great idea. Hoping to see your responses :]

Stuff both of them, get a GNU Street Series!!

Streets not bad, but pretty park specific with its soft flex.