CATEGORIES
CATEGORIESArbor’s woodgrain snowboards have never looked better. The 2016-17 lineup has everything you could possibly want: a Bryan Iguchi pro model, tuned for big mountain surfing; directional guns (the all new Clovis, designed with help from the legendary Mark Carter, as well as the beloved Cosa Nostra); affordable all-mountain shredders (the Element, one of Arbor’s best selling models); a lady’s line with a Swoon splitboard and a women’s specific gun shape (also the Clovis). Side by side, these boards look absolutely lethal. But Arbor’s biggest announcement this year is not a board: they’re getting into the binding market.
Images via Drew Zieff
Arbor’s new bindings are intriguing as they are impressive. The company is only launching with two bindings: the stiffer, freeride Cypress and the more flexible, freestyle Hemlock. Because, hey, why not? That’s all you really need.
Priced in the mid and low $200 range, respectively, expect the Cypress and the Hemlock to be flying off the shelves next season. Not only does Arbor’s reputation in the board market carry significant sway, but they’ve brought in Alex Warburton to help lead the design process. If that name rings a bell, that’s because Warburton has a storied past with snowboarding: he was a freewheeling pro for Burton and Morrow in the early days, then changed things up and got onto the development side of things. He’s since designed products for adidas, Forum, YES and Now Bindings. So, yeah, Arbor’s in great hands.
The moral of the story: if those tired bindings of yours can get through another season, you might want to hold off on snagging a new pair. Arbor’s 2016/17 line, minimalist as it may be, is affordable, gorgeously designed and likely to rip. Stay tuned to Active Junky for an upcoming review, as we put a pre-release pair of the Cypress through the paces in the Rocky Mountains.
