$599 Intermediate to Expert Freestyle Hybrid Rocker Directional Twin Shape 2009 Outside Buyers Guide Winner & 2007 Future Top 10 Award Winner. The 162 Was also mentioned as a favorite 5 of many of the riders in the 2007 Good Wood Top 10 in the Park award reviews. The older Gnu Altered Genetics models are very Soft and park friendly but the 2011 version is stiffer and a bit more friendly at higher speeds. We are excited to see that for 2011 the Altered Genetics has C2 BTX wich will change the dynamics of the board and make it more fun to carve. This is a very high end board that will perform well just about anywhere in the park. The older Altered Genetics were really stiff but the last few years the boards we tested were very soft. For 2011 it seemed to stiffen up a bit but it's still seems a bit softer than advertised. It seems that Gnu continued to follow this theme for 2012 and gave this a little more Viagra. It's one of the only boards from Gnu that we dissagree on the flex rating. Still this is a fun all mountain freestyle ride for anyone looking for high end tech. Check out the detailed break down of the board below.
Board Size- 159 & 162 Days on this board- 17 Bindings Used- Burton Cartel, Burton Co2's, Union Force
We have riddein the Altered Genetics for many years now ( I think 2007-2011) and up till this year the board was more soft boarderlining on noodle when it came to flex. Now it has much more of an all mountain flex as well as C2 BTX to allow for a much better feeling when turning and especially when carving. We like the improvement.
A quick look at the 2012 Altered Genetics
Here is a detailed break down of how it rides: Groomers- The Altered Geneticsd is great for making nice cruising turns regular or switch on any morning corduroy. Its not made for high speed so don't get it if you like to bomb. It just doesn't handle out of the park speed very well. Powder- Mervin (Lib-Tech, Gnu & Roxy) makes a tip on the nose that is longer than the tail so almost all their boards have exceptional float in powder. This is no exception and only the powder specific boards perform better. The BTX from 2010 and C2 BTX from 2011 will offer a lot of float in powder but the Altered Genetics will not perform well when it gets tracked up or when you have to bust through a cruddy section. It's just too soft for that. Speed- This board has a fast base but doesn't handle well at super fast speeds due to its softness. Don't get this if you like to straight line down a steep run or occasionally race your friends. This can cruz but not haul ass. If you get 1 size larger than you would normally get this will hold better at high speeds but you still get that noodle factor when hauling ass over less than perfect terrain. For us the 159 was too noodley but the 162 helped make for a smoother ride. For 2011 we were pretty happy with the stiffness added to the board. Before 2011 we would of called this Average but now its pretty good. Weight- The Altered Genetics is very light! Its right up there with the ultra light snowboards and possibly the lightest in Mervin's line up. Turn Initiation- The Gnu Altered Genetics almost turns when you think about turning! This board is made to turn on a dime and has great edge to edge transitioning. Magnetraction and the C2 BTX cut really changes the way you turn. You don't have to worry about getting pressure to the nose and tail. All you need is a little pressure from your toes and heel and your there. This is great for some but others really don't like this feel and prefer a cambered board. This is one of those high end boards that turns soo easy it could be used for beginners. Edge Hold- Hey if its really icy magnetraction is going to make it allot better but its still going to suck. You thank Mervin for those wavy lines in your board when you get off the chair, hit an unexpected icy patch at the top where the wind was blowing, and when you don't catch an edge screwing around. Even with the introduction of BTX and C2 BTX this still has incredible edge hold. Some of us at The Good Ride complain that it's too grippy and changes the ride but most of us get use to and enjoy this feel. It sure makes hard pack to icy conditions a lot more fun to ride in. Flex- The 2010 and below boards were almost on the noodle to soft side of things. We felt that if we were strong enough we could almost get the board to bend in half and it would snap right back. For 2011 Mervin made the Altered Genetics a bit more stiff. We like the change in stiffness that makes this a more all mountain freestyle board. Switch- Even though the tip of the nose is higher than the tip of the tail it is still a twin so it rides switch just like it rides regular. If you center this board out it will ride pretty well switch. The BTX and C2 BTX for 2011 make it easier to ride swtich than before because the edges are less catch free. Pipe- The Altered Genetics performs really well for a softer board. If you are into a soft board for the pipe and some are it climbs icy pipe walls very well and is soft enough to forgive an imperfect landing. The 2011 version is a little better in the pipe because it's a bit more stiff. Jibbing, Rails & Boxes-- This is made for jibbing and will make you look better. Its soft for that very reason and will help you rule the park. Its all about rails with this board! Hit anything and it will be nice! The only thing we don't like about Jibbing with the Altered Genetics is the price. It's hard to take a $600 over hits that will eventually destroy the board. That is more our hang up. Jumps- Very forgiving and fun. We didn't push it that hard but we wonder if it has enough strength/stiffness to handle a massive kicker. Something you want to consider if you like to go big. If you are like most riders who go small to medium you will be fine. We like C2 BTX because there is a tail/nose pressing back into the snow if you are off when you land.
All in all we are very impressed with the addition of C2 BTX and like it better than the old BTX model.
This is what we call a snowboard that has rocker in the center and then a camber bend at the tip and tail. The end result is the tip and tail are still off the ground but it helps bring some good qualities that people liked with camber to rocker. The camber usually keep’s the board from washing out when you lay into a harder carve and for the most part provide a more balanced all conditions ride compared to continuous rocker or camber. This is still nothing like camber board and it provides a loose forgiving catch free ride. Hybrid Rocker comes in all riding styles from Freestyle to Freeride and is a solid next step from where it started with continuous rocker. Hybrid Rocker is usually pretty poppy, floats well in powder, catch free and very forgiving. The one complaint is it can still be unstable flat basing or one footing in some conditions like hard pack or ice. The major companies are working on this problem and it’s been getting better since this was introduced. Most love this loose feeling and get use to the squirrely nature in certain conditions. We at The Good Ride feel this is one of the better shapes out there so give it a try.
Award winning Banana Tech Magne-Traction geometries and construction! Gnu mutant trees are cultivated to blend the best properties of Bamboo, Aspen, and Balsa to provide unbelievable pop! Vectran liquid crystal polymer was developed as the fiber foundation for inter-planetary Mars lander tires and has 10 times the strength of titanium. New Bio-polymer top material made from beans provides the industry’s strongest strength-to-weight ratios and is nice to the environment. We have combined these three elements to bring you the world’s most advanced snowboard construction. The future has been altered! Set forth boldly on a mutant banana!
MSRP: $599.95 USD
SIZES
155, 159, 162
ABOUT THE ART
Graphic by Bend, Oregon’s Adam Haynes of Stickfort.com. Adam can draw better than you, but he would never tell you that. He is a quiet, humble, backwoods, cliff droppin’, Baker Banked winning, illustrative ninja. More at: Stickfort.com. Dee you at Mt. Baker, Adam!
CONSTRUCTION
- C2 POWER BANANA TECH.
- MAGNE-TRACTION
- SANDWICH CONSTRUCTION
- DIRECTIONAL TWIN SHAPE
- SINTERED 9900 ALLOY BASE
- QUASI GLASS
- EISS 9 UHMW SIDEWALLS
- BIO-POLYMER
- VECTRAN FIBER
- AG3 SUSTAINABLE WOODCORE
GNU Altered Genetics Snowboard 2011
Altered Genetics C2-BTX
Description:
Directional Twin Freestyle Freeride Banana!
Award winning Banana Tech Magne-Traction geometries and construction! Gnu mutant trees are cultivated to blend the best properties of Bamboo, Aspen, and Balsa to provide unbelievable pop! Vectran liquid crystal polymer was developed as the fiber foundation for inter-planetary Mars lander tires and has 10 times the strength of titanium. New Bio-polymer top material made from beans provides the industry’s strongest strength-to-weight ratios and is nice to the environment. We have combined these three elements to bring you the world’s most advanced snowboard construction. The future has been altered! Set forth boldly on a mutant banana!
Sizes: 155, 159, 162
About the Art:
Graphic by Bend Oregon’s Adam Haynes of Stickfort.com. Adam can draw better than you, but he would never tell you that. He is a quiet, humble, backwoods, cliff droppin’, Baker Banked winning, illustrative ninja.
Construction:
Banana Magne-Traction shred Technology
Sandwich construction - Directional twin shape
Double sintered UHMW sidewalls - Quasi Glass
Vectran fiber - Mervin AG3 Eco farmed wood core
Sintered 9900 alloy base - BEANS bio top sheet
GNU Altered Genetics Snowboard 2010
Award winning Banana tech Magnetraction geometries and construction! GNU mutant trees are cultivated to blend the best properties of Bamboo, Aspen, and Balsa to provide unbelievable pop! Vectran liquid crystal polymer was developed as the fiber foundation for inter-planetary Mars lander tires and has 10 times the strength of titanium. New Bio-polymer top material made from beans provides the industry's strongest strength to weight ratios and is nice to the environment. GNU has combined these elements into the world's most advanced snowboard construction.
Unless you are a beginner this board is barely a medium flex. I owned last years ALTG and the TRice. While it doesn't perform like a soft board I could really bend this thing especially with the BTX. But it still had relatively good pop. I found the TRice to be too stiff. I actually agree with this review. I think the boards construction makes it a contradiction compared to normal flex profiles.
Overall Rating:
4.0
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Reviewed by phil
October 19, 2010
GNU Altered Gentics
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful
This board is not soft. In fact, Mervin only makes two stiffer snowboard models: the GNU Billy Goat & Dark Series. The flex rating is a 7 out of 10 on an Altered Genetics, the Billy Goat& Dark are rated 7.5. The stiffest boards that Mervin makes are between a 7 or 7.5 flex. The Skate Banana is an example of a softer park board. Flex for a 159 is a 6 & the 154 is a 5 flex out of 10. The Altered Genetics is a superior all mountain board, stiff and solid. This review listed above is completely inaccurate. The Altered Genetics boards rule!
