Positives

  • Fast
  • Damp
  • Very forgiving for a board this aggressive
  • Carves Hard In Good Snow

Negatives

  • Not as floaty in powder as some peers
  • Feels edgeless and washy in hard snow

Summary

The Arbor A-Frame can feel edgeless and washy in hard snow but is a great good condition carver and is much more forgiving than you would think.

2024 Update: The Arbor A-Frame seems to be the same board or very close to what we tried in 2019, so this review still stands. 

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Riding Style Freeride
Riding Level Advanced - Expert
Fits Boot size (US) 8-10, 10-12, > 12
Manufactured in Dubai by SWS
Shape Tapered Directional
Camber Profile Mostly Camber
Stance Setback -10mm
Approx. Weight Feels Normal
Split No
Powder Good
Base Glide Good
Carving Excellent
Speed Excellent
Uneven Terrain Average
Switch Poor
Jumps Average
Jibbing Poor
Pipe Average
On Snow Feel

Stable

Turn Initiation

Medium

Skidded Turns

Moderate

Flex

Stiff

Buttering

Hard

Edge Hold

Hard Snow

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Arbor A-Frame Written Review Review by The Good Ride

The Arbor A-Frame came back with some tweaks in 2019 that change the overall personality compared to the old A-Frame we knew. It’s a little bit wider for the size, has a little more taper, their new system camber with lifted sides and grip tech bumps to give the board more edge hold.  It’s still a carver/bomber but now it’s a lot more forgiving than it used to be and likes a little more weight on the back foot when riding groomers and has a little more of a surfy feel than before. This just shines in clean groomers and we suggest you put it away when the snow gets messy but if you don’t it’s a lot better than it used to be when it was traditional camber.

Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews.  No one is perfect and we do make money from the “Where To Buy” links below, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average riders’ perspective. 

How This Review Happened:  We borrowed this for an extended demo and then returned it.

Size: 162
Days: 3
Conditions:  Everything from bumpy groomers to hard snow to soft pretty well-groomed snow.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-195lbs), Grant (Size 11 6’ 160lbs)
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV
Insoles: Sandsole Custom Insoles,  Footprint Insole Technology Gameghangers Low Profile
Bindings: Union AtlasUnion Falcor
Set Up
: 22” Close to reference 18 front -6 back.  21.75″ 21 front 0 back.

Approximate Weight

The Arbor-A-Frame feels a bit on the heavy side of normal. That isn’t bad to me, though, because I’ll take a little extra weight to have a damp feel on snow.

(We don’t put in the exact weight because, with wood cores, there is no consistency in a board’s weight)

Sizing

I didn’t need anything more than the 158 Arbor A-Frame. It felt pretty good for my boot size. Maybe not perfect, but close enough and just fine for my weight. If I went any bigger, it would be a dream of perfect groomers, but there would be situations where the A-Frame would end up riding me when the conditions turned.

Here are some ideal US boot sizes for the Arbor A-Frame. Because of the Grip Tech extensions at the bindings, you can fit a bigger boot than you normally could for its width. You can, of course, go bigger or smaller depending on your riding style and boot’s footprint, but these work best for not turning the board slower than it should be and not having the dreaded Toe and heel Drag. Also, for weight, these boards seem good to handle riders heavier than the recommended weight range but don’t go too far past it.
158: 9-10
162: 9.5-10.5
159w: 11-12
165w: 11.5-13
170w: 13-14

For weight, I would stay close to the brand’s recommended weight ranges. If it comes down to boot size or weight, I would make sure it fits your boot first and then your weight a close second.

Shape/Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

The Arbor A-Frame is moderately tapered and pretty directional/set back. It feels washier on the tail if your front foot weight your turns hard, but with a posi stance, it reduces that feel a bit.

Speaking of washy, the full camber with lifted sides at the end of the effective edges feels forgiving and super easy to skid a turn, but they wash out in harder snow. Especially one footing and flat basing. It feels like there is a full edge to match the full camber, but when you lean into it, there isn’t.

Flex/Pop/Buttering

Pretty stiff. Not as gnarly of a flex as you would think, but still pretty hard to butter on the nose or tail. I find that the lifted sides can make it wash out when buttering. There is a lot of pop, but it needs a stronger rider to access that to make this ollie easy.

Speed/Dampness/Uneven Terrain

The Arbor A-Frame is a very fast and damp ride. It’s more damp at higher speeds than the flex would lead you to believe. It can power over hard/microbumpy snow super well but also power through soft, uneven snow very well too. It isn’t the dampest board I’ve ever tried for its flex, but it is up at the top of its peer group for sure.

Base Glide

Not as fast as I’d hoped, but the Arbor A-Frame isn’t bad when well waxed.

Edge Hold

So here is the weird thing. The Grip Tech really helps, but the lifted edges (called Uprise Fender) make the Arbor A-Frame feel edgelss and washy. You have to weigh hard in between your feet to engage the grip tech, but it’s not easy to get used to doing that.

Turning Experience/Carving

The Arbor A-Frame isn’t super quick edge to edge, and it’s hard to trust in tighter spots on the mountain. It is a powerful turner and has a very straight line friendly turning experience. In good conditions, you can just rail a turn and it doesn’t feel like you need to fully back foot weight it like some tapered boards need on groomers.

Powder

There just isn’t the kind of easy float in powder compared to even other boards like the Annex. I rode that, and the Crosscut (same shape/specs as the A-Frame) and the Annex did way better, but even that didn’t compete as well as some of its competitors. At a 21.25″ stance width, you can get the Arbor A-Frame -4.25″ back from the center of the board. That isn’t bad, but there just isn’t a lot of extra help coming from anywhere else other than the taper. The Uprise Fender tech helps a touch, but it isn’t like a lot of other lifted sides that continue on into the nose. It stops before the nose and has a lift just like the fender of a car so it doesn’t lend towards easy float. I felt that with the Crosscut that has the same shape and specs but just with a softer flex.

Conclusion

So overall, I found that the modern Arbor A-Frame still bombs and carves hard but is very forgiving. The Uprise Fender tech/lifted sides just make it less fun to ride in hard snow.

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Arbor A-Frame Past Reviews

The Arbor A-Frame is an old school aggressive Freeride board that is all about carving, speed and it makes morning groomers exceptionally fun.

2014-2016 Arbor A-Frame Review

The 2016 and 2015 Arbor A-Frame is pretty much the same as the 2014 which had a lot of changes to the look as well as a little change to the ride. The only difference is that the A-Frame now comes in Wide.

Days: 3
Conditions: Perfect Groomers with a bit of soft snow off piste.
Riders: James, Peter, Jimbo
Boots:Burton Imperial, Burton IonBurton SLXNike Lunarendor,  Nike Kaiju,
Bindings: Burton Genesis, Burton Diode,  Flux SF,
Stance Width: 22.5 to 23
Stance Angles: 18 front -3 back, 18 front 3 back

The Arbor A-Frame is made for hauling ass and locking into a hard carving turn. It has a true camber shape but a massive 2″ set back for powder along with a very minor taper.  Its one of the better camber freeride boards out there.

On Snow Feel:  This is all about a locked in feel for advanced to expert mountain carvers and bombers. It’s not for intermediates or people who skid their turns.  It’s all about giving a rider that knows how to carve well get the most out of the carve. Each year has the same great feel.  The 2015 and 2014 seems to give a much more directional feel despite it really being the same ride as the past years..

Powder: Same massive 2 inch set back as the older model and the same minor taper as before too. Its about as good as a camber freeride board can get in powder. With the new tip and tail their might be a slight improvement in the deep stuff giving it a little more of a mostly hybrid camber feel.  We had no pow but that’s how it seems now with the new nose/tail.

Turn Initiation and Carving: The same great deep side cut that allows quick turning for those that know how to turn.  It’s not easy but if you know how to turn it’s really quick edge to edge compared to most freeride boards. Especially for an all camber board.  Short radius to wide radius turns are fun and the A-Frame has some nice pop out of almost any radius turn. The 2014 and 2015 Arbor A-Frame is still one of the best carving boards we came across. It really springs well out of a turn and seems to pick up speed (in a fun way) out of it. If carving is most important to you then it’s hard to do better here. If you aren’t convinced let me put it this way. This is a board that we compare all other boards to when we rate boards on carving.

Speed:  This bombs and it’s very fast. There are some boards that offer up a little more of a bomber feel like the new Arbor Steepwater but this will more than satisfy most riders. I’d say 95% of the riders out there will feel they have met their match when it comes to speed.  If you are that 5% that want more speed and are willing to sacrafice a perfect carver you have boards like the Steepwater.

Uneven Terrain:  So even though this bombs it doesn’t suck when conditions get bumpy like on a crowded Saturday at the end of the day.  If you are expecting an easy board in bumpy terrain this isn’t but it’s about as good as it gets for a board of this shape, flex and riding style.

Edge Hold:  Borderline excellent edge hold that can allow you to carve hard in most conditions that you want to ride. It’s not really an ice specialist but it grips pretty well when it gets hard.  It doesn’t have that washy in the tail feel that many tapered boards have.

Flex: Should be the same flex but Arbor changed facilities this year because Elan (makes many US boards) went under. You can get the details at another place because I’m not really about industry reporting. What is important to us is how will the flex will change. One of the guys who was heavily involved in production at Elan started a new company SWS and he was very involved with Arbor’s line.  Because of this my guess is that the production models flex should be about the same as the demo we tried.

Switch:  The older model used to be better than the 2014 and 2015 model switch but my guess is we are some of the only people who ride this switch.  The new model has a flattened tail so it would make it rather sketchy.

Jibbing:  No way.

Pipe: If you got the 158 it probably wouldn’t be too bad but still nah…

Jumps: There is a lot of spring in this board so if you want to ollie off a roller at high speed or a cliff it will spring well.

So all in all the A-Frame is one of those traditional camber boards that is all about carving and also a lot about speed.  It’s a very fun old school aggressive surfy carver that the right rider will absolutely fall in love with.

The 2014 Arbor A-Frame Review

So Arbor added a little switch to the design between the production model and the demo model we tried.  The specs are the same but the nose/tail are different. The board now looks more like it rides and that is a directional carving freeride bomber instead of a double ender all mountain kind of look with the past model.

2013 and Below Arbor A-Frame Review

Size: 166, 152 and 158
Days:15+
Conditions:Light thick powder, perfect groomers, choppy afternoon groomers, firm, hard and borderline icy snow
Riders: James, Peter, Kyle, Jimbo
Boots: Celsius Opus, Burton SLX, Nike Kaiju, Burton Ion, Nike Zoom Ites
Bindings: Flux SF45, Union SL, Burton Diode, Union Charger
Stance Width: 22.5 and 23
Stance Angles: 18 front -3 back, -18 front 0 back

There are only a few other long but narrow waisted boards like the Arbor A-Frame out there you can ride. If you live for high speed directional carves on morning groomers but still find yourself on the hill when it’s all rutted up like it gets on a Saturday the Arbor A-Frame is going to be one of the top choices in this category. The fun part of the A-Frame is going fast and making high speed carves on well groomed runs. It’s the perfect board for expert riders who want to have speed and control. It’s also good for advanced but technical riders trying to really understand speed and hard carving. Very little has changed between the 2011 Arbor A-Frame to the 2013 Arbor A-Frame models. We weren’t sure we could tell you which was which if you covered the top with tape.

On Snow Feel: The Arbor A-Frame has a super locked in feel that wants you to carve as much as you can and be on your game almost all the time. Flat basing and one footing with camber is an easy thing too with the big camber profile.

Powder: The A-Frame is not a powder specific board but it’s sheer size, slight taper and massive set back keep it afloat even in the deep stuff. These days most of us enjoy something with some rocker when dealing with a directional board in powder but it still floats very well for a camber board. It’s like going out with a modern shaped long board because it’s big but easy to throw around.

Turn Initiation and Carving: This is not easy to throw around but we have to say that this turns very well for it’s size and flex if you know how to make technical turns. All three sizes felt like smaller aggressive camber boards when getting from edge to edge. If you compare this to other stiff camber boards in its class and size it turns the easiest. If you compare this to hybrid rocker or hybrid camber boards out of its class it is more difficult. We had a lot of fun making deep carves on fresh morning groomers and felt this is what the Arbor A-Frame is made to do. It really springs out of a turn and helps you build speed into the next turn while still maintaining control. Even though there is a little taper it isn’t washy.  Short radius turns are easy if you are a good technical rider and you won’t have a problem in a tight place. Medium radius turns are fun and you start to feel the spring out of a turn but big hard carves are where the A-Frame really shines.  It was not easy but much easier than any board of this size we rode to make tight turns in rutted or mogul conditions.  Basically you are getting this board to carve or straight line but if you are in places that require shorter radius turns it will be easier to manage than you might expect due to its deep side cut and narrow waist.

Speed: The Arbor A-Frame is really fast but probably not the fastest board in its class. However we liked more the all condition balance that the A-Frame had. The Arbor A-Frame you can keep around after things get a little rough. So for speed the A-Frame is really fast compared to many boards but not the fastest in its class.

Uneven Terrain: The good thing about the A-Frame is that it can handle chopped up groomers a lot better than most boards in its class and riding style. We are not saying it’s going to be easy but it will be easier than most Freeride boards with this camber and flex.  It’s even better than a lot of hybrid freeride shapes out there.  The design team at Arbor understands that many of you who want to own this board have to ride all day and not just in the morning when all is perfect.  It’s a big long board so it’s not going to be easy to negotiate bumps but it does absorb shock very well for it’s size.  If you size down on this board it can do fine.  For example the 166 would be more my preference for the A-Frame but if I went 162 I could handle rutted up groomed runs and almost moguled out powder.

Edge Hold: We never felt the edge on the A-Frame give out and we rode this in all conditions except for ice. A carving board should have a lot of grip so you can ride in all conditions and the A-Frame does a great job here. It’s not an ice specialist but can keep it’s edge in harder conditions.

Flex: This is a stiff flex but it’s more on the medium side of stiff. The Arbor A-Frame is a lot easier to bend and twist than many other boards in its category.

Switch: There wasn’t much switch riding but when we did it wasn’t bad for a big slightly tapered directional board with a decent set back.

Rails/Jibbing: Don’t bother

Jumps: There is some spring on this board that is more rewarding on a carve but you can ollie off natural terain here and there without it being to weird.

Pipe: The Arbor A-Frame has the edge hold to climb any pipe wall but it’s a big board so everything else isn’t so great.

All in all we found this to be a very fun aggressive carving/freeride board. All who tried it liked it and no one had any complaints. If you like to keep your board transitioning from one carve to another on wide open groomers or pick up some solid speed then the Arbor A-Frame is great choice.  It doesn’t have that hybrid shape appeal like many freeride boards do these days but It’s a beautiful looking old school board that could appeal to many freeriders out there.

 
Arbor A-Frame Specs

 
Arbor A-Frame Images

We try to get as many images of the Arbor A-Frame, but forgive us if they're not all there.

2023

2019

2016

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2012

2011

2010

Arbor A-Frame User Reviews

Arbor A-Frame 2010-2024 Snowboard Review SKU UPC Model

Arbor A-Frame 2016

Jul 13, 2017 by Wren
Ability Level: Advanced on the mountain and beginner in the park • 
Riding Style: Aggressive all Mountain toying with Freestyle • 
Days You Ride A Year: 15 • 
Height, Weight And Boot Size (for Boards, Boots & Bindings): 5'9" 150lbs, Arbor A-Frame 158, Arbor Cypress M/L bindings, Ride Insano size 9 

I love the Arbor A-Frame because it feels like a race car on the groomers and a jet fighter in the powder(you can hear the turbines rev up as soon as the nose touches the poooffffy snow). I don't like it on a hard packed easy mellow runs because it feels as though you are driving a limousine with miss daisy in the back drinking tea. She does not like any sudden movements. It is worry some when you first get off the lift how locked in it is and wonder if you will be able to turn the board, but the steeper and/or deeper it gets the more it becomes surprisingly agile and easy to crank a turn. It behaves sweet in powder, alive with surfy float and very maneuverable. The sidecut is smooth and not catchy.
Arbor cypress bindings pairs perfectly with the board, responsive but has a nice flex when things get rough. Weird how locked in the binding feels but never punishes and makes you want to ram through bumpy snow.


Great Carver

Jan 29, 2015 by Tim Abenath
Ability Level: Advanced • 
Riding Style: All Mountain • 
Days You Ride A Year: 30 days 

The Arbor A Frame is my third board that I bought !
The first Rossigniol Trick Stick was a very soft flexing Rocker board that my local dealer recommended my to start with!
Good to start with because you never catch edges and it´s easy to turn . After one year I hated that really loose on snow feeling and I decided to buy an other board ! For me riding groomers was my first choise! So my local dealer recommended me a 2013 K2 Slayblade ! Ohhhh that was a really other world ! I was able to follow my friends and ski friends at high speed without risking my live but there was still a little strange feeling when I straightlined the board. Think it´s the flat profile ! After another 2 years I got more interested in carving but I didn´t want a Raceboard with hardboots.....
The Slayblade was a little liveless very stiff and was more a bomber kind of board. I noticed The Good Ride Internet page and put the marks on carving,speed and locked in feeling.....There it was : The Arbor A Frame! First I did not really like the wood look of the top sheet but for me the riding features were more important than a perfekt look.
I bought a pair of Burton Diode bindings and put them on the default holes on the board ! Wooow, what a long nose!
After the first test on hard groomed snow I noticed the less weight
but was really uncertain about that long nose ! I had the feeling that the front edges not really bite into the snow ! I decided to put the hole setup more towards the front and I got a much beter feeling. Carving is now really a different world and yesterday I made my first eurocarve! Still have that big smile ......:-D The on snow feeling is really secure and I improved my riding a lot in the last days
Everything that the good ride team rewieved is right !!!!!
Thumbs up for this board and these guys!!!!!!!!!
All the best and sorry for my bad english ....
Tim


Carving Machine

Dec 11, 2012 by Kirkrider
Ability Level: Expert • 
Riding Style: All Mountain • 
Days You Ride A Year: Min 11, max 40 

It has been my dream board since I saw it on Arbor web-site. I finally rode it yesterday.

It wasn't a typical powder day...quite a few powder hounds in line for the first chair. I was nervous riding my brand new Arbor while in line....
Once on top I was a bit intimidated by the new setup, mostly worried about the new board, a bit longer and advanced that my trusty "Ride Control 155" I manage to scratch my base over a small rock almost immediaterly out of the lift, on the wind battered top of Chair 6.."there you go" first scratch done...good to go.

The board feels WAY lighter than my old one. let's see how it performs...Conditions were 3 feet of powder, 12F, sunny. (First day of the season)

The first thing I notice is how the board easies you into a turn, must be the beautiful sidecut that initiates the turn just when you want it to and keeps it, until you push out with your back foot, never turning out of your carve (A thing I noticed on my brother's Ride Prophecy last winter, where the board would keep turning like on a rail, on its own) stable yet very quick from edge to edge, the board rides like a dream. Serpentine is very fast, hig speed carving is powerful and dramatic, flat runs are fast and stable, never had the feeling I had to worry yabout my edges...

Its a great powder board, with the original set back. VERY surfy if you go even further back. Responsive, floaty and with a great accelleration.

It felt obviously light years ahead of my previous stick. So much easier to ride , faster, more precise. No feeling at all to "catch an edge", the board does what you want, until you respect her. I found myself riding tired at the end of the day, a bit too casually maybe, you can't do that on a board like this, like a motorbike or a sport car, it demands attention and direction, otherwise you will find yourself face down on the snow.

On slashed pow the board went really well...cutting trough bumps and absorbing most of the terrain features easily, later in the day, with just 12deg the snow hardened up as soon as the shade hit the mountain side. Very good edge control and direction, the board falls down the most logic line and keeps it until you input a new direction. Very docile yet very decise once pointed down. Very good "pop" if I am using the term right....coming out of turns the boards propels you back up, after your compression and if that happens to be over a bump, it will "pop" you up in the middle of a turn, to land and grab the snowpack a second later...keeping the same line...depending on your legs stamina.

I didn't notice particular speed improvement over my old one, I was expacting it to just slid off from under my feet and speed up, it didn't happen, but I have the feeling that she needed a new wax job over the original one she got when I bought the board in August. i left the wax on until 3 days ago to protect the base, but it's ok, yesterday I weasn't looking for speed...yet.

Carving will take a different meaning for me on this board, especially with the stiff boots I got too. It looks fantastic and feels as easy to drive as say an "Audi-S4" but at the same time it demands the same attention...and it will give you the same reward...while propelling you put of a carve with a giant grin on your face

Carving with your body completely extended, (Opposed to a knee bent posture) flexing your ankles and using a lot of compression and extension before and after the turns was a great way to appreciate the elegance of how this board rides. I felt like I was exaggerating my compression and extensions, but that actually made for a very solid ride. You need to push on this board with decision, if you want some G's it's also a bit longer (158) than my 155, and I could feel that.

All in all a fantastic board.

Update:
Rode it one hole set setback, on one foot plus of wind blown powder...amazing. the A-Frame floats easily and feels like a really mellow forgiving ride, always ready to take your input but never unpredictable, little back leg fatigue and really fun to carve in less deep snow.

Later in the day the temp went up, and the snow got heavy, the board still floated or cut trough it with little change, besides speed. Always precise, and docile IF you are paying attention. A board to ride determined always, but that still hasn't given even a hint of edge catch, even at the end of the day under my wobbly legs. I feel I am improving and connecting with it more at every run.

Fantastic, fast, precise, and beautiful.

Update at day 19 of the season.
Mono-rail 6G carves are so much fun with this stick...it just stays there until you extend and dive in another turn. Unbelievably stable. Holds an edge with rage.
FAST. I have to check speed sometimes...the board keeps accellerating...Amazing base. Very fast...

Beautiful...When 2 people out of 3 feel the need to say something about your board at every chair....


4.3 5.0 3 3 I love the Arbor A-Frame because it feels like a race car on the groomers and a jet fighter in the powder(you can hear the turbines rev up as soon as the nose touches the poooffffy Arbor A-Frame 2010-2024 Snowboard Review

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Snowcountry.eu
Arbor A-frame 22/23
€ 799.95Buy it

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