New to the 2014 Arbor snowboard line is the Whiskey. A board coming in to a range everyone can consider. So how did this review stack up to others? Take a look at see.
Board: Arbor Whiskey
Size: 155
Camber Option: The System -.8 of center reverse camber.
Bindings: Rome 390 Boss
Stance: 22.5 18 negative 15 Goofy
Boots: K2 Thraxis Size 10
My Weight: 170lbs
Resort: Breckenridge
Conditions: Sunny blue skies with some fresh snow for playing around in.
Flex: Softer in the tips stiffening up underfoot through the center of the board. There’s not much give in the torsional flex. Over all this board ebbs more to being freeride oriented than all mountain freestyle. The uniqueness of its flex comes from the relatively soft nature of the furthest ends of the tips.
Stability: This board was meant to ride over chunder and ruts with ease. It’s possibly one of the most damp Arbor decks I’ve ever encountered. At high speeds there wasn’t any point where I felt it was going to wash out.
Ollies: Load the tips up and there’s some snap but it’s not overwhelming. If anything it’s your basic all mountain deck that can get the job done.
Pop On Jumps: Just like with ollies it has enough to get the job done. Once again it’s not a deck you write home about for being able to shoot you to the moon.
Butterability: The tips extra softness make it really playful for getting up on it and spinning around. Even though it’s center reverse the stiffness makes you work twice as hard to center bend the deck.
Jibbing: The softer flex in the tips really lets you lock in your nose or tail presses. The stiffer flex between the feet in my opinion does hinder how it locks in for a lighter weight rider.
Carving: Grip Tech works. By putting a contact point under each foot you can center flex the board and carve right from the feet. The sidecut on this board aims to the rider that wants to get aggressive and lay a trench.
Rider in Mind: Slightly heavier guy that wants a jack of all trades deck that is softer in the first few centimeters of the tips.
Personal Thoughts: The core and its flex are rather interesting. Everything about it says this board should be more soft and playful but instead it’s stiffer. I honestly think at this size the board is designed for someone with 20lbs more than myself. Over all it’s a board that crosses most categories for a rider but it doesn’t have anything that makes it stick out compared to other decks from Arbor.
Support your local snowboard shop buy locally. Find a shop here.
Disclaimer: This snowboard was loaned to us for review from the Arbor Snowboards brand manager.
Note: This board was built at Elan since then production has shifted to Dubai.
11 Comments
dubai? i guess they do have a year ’round facility to test the equipment, indoors. do you still wear goggles?
I really had hopes this thing would slot around the Coda (now that the Coda has changed shape and minimum size) but apparently it’s a completely different board.
How’s this compare to the Blacklist?
It doesn’t.
[…] Arbor Whiskey […]
Heyo- how does this board stand up against the element?
You realize it’s an entry level board right and the Element is not?
For a beginner / intermediate rider, is it worth considering?
Or would you suggest better alternatives.
If you’re just progressing it’s definitely an option.
I think you are spot on with the weight comment. I actually was quite surprised by the whiskey. The torsional stiffness and stiffer flex surprised me. This review is spot on and a great option for a do it all board that has a great price tag.
[…] out the 2014 and 2015 reviews of the Arbor […]