Monday, July 19, 2010

2010/2011 Snowboard Reveiws: Arbor

The 2011 lineup for Arbor snowboards is impressive. While I dont think that graphically they are very strong, the boards are amazing. Arbor continues to gain momentum in the "freestyle" market while remaining a top dog in the freeride category. A couple of new tweaks here and there to some of their staples. We will start one at a time. The big winners for us were....
Arbor Formula-
This is tagged as a somewhat enrty-level board, or where the boards start in their line. This season, it is offered in both cambered and reverse cambered. We rode the reverse cambered version and I must say, it was a big surprise. At a whopping $299 retail, this could prove to be the best bang for the buck out of ANY company. Beau, one of our team riders, had this ranked at around number one out of all of the boards he tried. A surprising fact for a board at this price. Its a fun, easy to ride twin tip. With the new reverse camber and griptech edges, it was a very playful board perfect for a lighter rider, or anybody who wants a softer, jibby board. The standout was the stability of this board. A stable, fun $299 board?? Yes indeed. Our best bargain buy of the year. The graphic was the only downside for us, but who cares about a graphic when a board rides like this.