Good review. Pretty weird, I wrote a firs try review about the Gecko about a month ago and it's not here anymore. Maybe the Ghost of the old forums!
Anyways I agree with kipstar on his review.
Here's a little more. Coming in from the apex V2 it's a very different feeling. The plate system (and I have ridden many, apex v2, apex sport, home made, donek...) is really in your face and invasive. It changes the way you ride and you need to be on your A game and pushing it all the time. The Gecko is stealth, doesn't even fell like it's there. No lower speed problem like with the plate and you don't loose the feeling of the snow under your board.
I tested for the first time after a rain few days and into freezing. So it was golf balls. Type of day you pack it in after 2 runs and go home. The Gecko saved the day I was able to push very good and keep good edge pressure in very crappy conditions. This was on my coiler AM.
Since then the plates have graduated to my goto board. My Coiler RaceCarve metal with TD2 bindings. This is the board that instantly makes me smile first turn but it always been very unpredictable on ice. So I had high expectations. First turn and it was instant love again. The board is narrow in the 18.8. So I am able to lower a little the angle with being a little higher. On ice (and we do get a lot of it on the ice coast) the board felt very good and I was able to keep pressure on the edge. In softer snow it did some serious damage also.
definitely a toy to consider if you have some cash left in the gear budget for this year.