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Arbor Poparazzi Camber 2021 Review by The Good Ride

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The Arbor Poparazzi Camber snowboard is a true camber board that comes with a softer flex, and raised fenders to give it a catch free ride. This board is slightly directional, and comes with Arbor’s grip tech to help with harder snow.

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 rider’s perspective. 

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

Size: 144

Days: 2

Conditions: Spring conditions with some powder on top.

Riders: Steph

Boots: Vans Ferra

Bindings: Union Milan

Set Up: 21″ Centered 15 front -15 back

Board Sizing: 144, 148, 152

On Snow Feel: The Poparazzi is a true camber board so you would think it would feel pretty locked in. But with the raised fenders on the toe and heel edges, it helps the board to maneuver around without the catchy feeling of a traditional camber board. So it feels semi-locked in, and has that energy that you get from a camber board without the downside of catching edges.

Powder: I had some soft spring powder when I tested it, and the Poparazzi handled really well for being a directional twin and having a positive camber profile. The raised fenders also help to keep the camber profile from wanting to dive down in softer snow. However, the snow I was riding in was pretty hard to sink in. It was more dense than your mid winter powder. The Poparazzi can handle small powder days, but might not be ideal for deeper days.

Turn Initiation and Carving: I felt like this board was quick to turn. It felt fairly easy to change edges, and with the softer flex, it is easy to muscle it around when you need to.

Speed: It held its speed nice for the terrain I was riding, but I didn’t get the chance to really go fast. I feel like with the softer flex the Poparazzi might not hold a solid line if you are going really fast and it starts to get a little bumpy. I think it enjoys a good medium speed.

Uneven Terrain: I liked turning it through trees and off piste. I didn’t have a problem maneuvering it last minute or through tight spots. But it likes to turn through bumps instead of fly over them.

Edge Hold: It is a positive camber board so the edge hold is pretty good. You stay connected to the snow for the most part. And you get the added help from the grip tech bumps under your toes and heels. The Poparazzi would be able to hold an edge in hard snow, but wouldn’t hold and edge quite as well as a board with magna traction all the way down the sidecut.

Flex: The flex is a 4/10, although I felt it was a little stiffer when I was riding it. It may soften up after it breaks in a little. But I liked the mix of a softer flexing board and the traditional camber. The camber kept the energy in the board so you don’t feel like you are riding a wet noodle.

Switch: Riding switch is no problem. You don’t notice that it is slightly directional if you are riding it centered. Also the raised fenders help with not catching and edge when you let your guard down.

Rails/Jibs: If you like the feel of a camber board on rails and boxes, this could be a fun board to jib with because of the softer flex. But if you are just learning how to jib, it might not be the most forgiving board to try on.

Pipe: I think this board would be a lot of fun in the pipe. The camber profile and grip tech would help you ride up the wall, and it has a pretty good amount of pop for having such a soft flex. But it would be more for mellow pipe riding because of the softer flex as well.

Jumps: A fun board to ollie around and hit jumps on. Pretty forgiving for learning tricks if you have a little park riding experience. I think it would be fun on small to medium features.

Overall: The Arbor Poparazzi Camber snowboard likes to explore all over the resort. If you are an intermediate rider who likes having the benefit of a positive camber board you might like this one. If you like to cruise around and aren’t looking to charge too hard then this could be a good fit.

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