Arbor A Frame Snowboard Review

Overview of the A-Frame’s Specs

Who is the A-Frame Most Suited To?

The Arbor A-Frame is best suited to a more of a advanced all-mountain or freeride/powder kind of rider who wants that one-board quiver that is capable anywhere on the mountain.

I would suggest it to riders who want to spend bluebird days carving up groomers slashing everything in site without feeling like your going to catch a edge and suffer the consequences and then when the snow falls they are hunting fresh lines in the trees going as fast as possible looking to find a natural feature to pop off of.

Definitely not a beginner friendly board but suitable for any rider who is a upper intermediate and up.   

The A-Frame in More Detail

Bindings angles: +12/-9

Stance width: 21.3″ (540mm)

Stance Setback: Setback 3/4" (10mm)*

*on effective edge - on total length of board setback more like 2.8" (70mm)

Width at Inserts: 10.63" (270mm) at front insert and 10.55" (268mm) at back insert.   

Rider Height: 6'1"

Rider Weight: 180lbs

Rider Boot Size: US9.5 Adidas Tactical Lexicon ADV

Bindings Used: Fix Yale: M 

Weight: 6lbs 6oz (2880grams) 

Weight per cm: 18.23 grams/cm

Average Weight per cm: 18.59 grams/cm*

*based on a sample size of around 200 models that I’ve weighed in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2023 models. The A-Frame was a little lighter than normal on the scales and felt normal in terms of weight, when riding. 

Powder 

Unfortunately no fresh snow had fallen recently but we were able to get a feel for the board and that coupled with the specs gave us a good idea of what this board would be like in powder. 

The A-Frame is a directional board with 8.7mm of taper plus a longer nose and shorter tail helps sink the tail when riding in the powder. However no rocker in the profile isn't ideal when riding in deeper snow.

Compared to most full camber boards I think the A-Frame would still excel in powder. It may not have any rocker but it has everything else you could want when riding deeper snow.

Carving

The Arbor A-Frame features their system camber which essentially means the camber profile reduces towards both the nose and tail. This made carving really smooth as you get the full camber profile feel without the catchiness that usually comes with it. The A-Frame can lay out any type of carve you want but I preferred long drawn out carves with it.

Turning

Ease of Turns/Slashing: Considering its a full camber board I felt it was really easy and enjoyable. Despite having a semi locked feel overall, particularly when you really engaged in a carve, it let's you get a little bit loose as well, allowing you to kick out that tail and slash with minimal effort.

Maneuverability at slow speeds (nimbleness):  More Nimble than I was expecting. It was pretty quick edge-to-edge at slower speeds.

Skidded Turns: Not at all catchy to me. I would say the system camber again plays a large roll in this.

Speed

Not my first choice for bombing a hill as fast as possible but its full camber profile makes it quicker then average still. Felt nice and stable at speed and didn't notice it get chattery. Had a nice amount of glide to it as well which was nice.

Uneven Terrain

Crud/Chunder: Was able to smash through crud/chunder with minimal effort thanks to the larger nose. It didn't feel like you were getting bucked around very often and if you did it was easy to correct. 

Trees/Bumps: Shorter tail makes it quick edge to edge it had no issues absorbing bumps as well. I really enjoyed it in the trees too as it was easy to maneuver between and around them.  

Let’s Break up this text with a Video

Jumps

Not specifically made for jumps but did a lot better than I anticipated.

Pop: The A-Frame had much more pop than expected. Granted you need to work for it as it's a little difficult to access but once you are comfortable and used to it, you can really get a lot of pop out of this board.

Approach: It felt stable especially when riding at something with decent speed. I really enjoy the shorter tail as well it allowed for quick easy adjustments when required. 

Landing: Felt pretty stable and forgiving on most landings. The one thing I noticed is you can't land too tail heavy due to the tail being shorter. 

Side-hits: Had a good time on side hits. It wasn't catchy which allows you to keep your speed and use the pop to your benefit when desired. 

Small jumps/Big jumps: I found it capable on both but overall would prefer it on a medium sized jump.

Switch

Not ideal for switch riding. The tail being shorter than the nose, on top of the 8.7mm of taper, make it difficult it. Still capable at riding switch for shorter distances, if necessary, but it will take some getting used to.

Butters

Really enjoyed the A-Frame for tail butters/presses its almost effortless to lean back on the smaller tail and press it. I found the Nose required more effort, which makes sense.

Score Breakdown and Final Verdict

Overall the Arbor A-Frame is a fun versatile board that can be ridden anywhere on the mountain. It definitely excels at carving and powder riding though.

It really doesn't have any weaknesses. It can carve just about anything, handle powder with ease and has enough pop and playfulness to take on side hits or jumps when desired.

I was expecting something stiffer and less nimble and more of a powder/carving/speed specialist, and whilst it did excel in those areas, it was surprisingly good in other areas and surprisingly versatile.