Arbor Draft Snowboard Review

Who is the Draft Most Suited To?

The Draft is a good option as a really reasonably priced park/jib specialist to add to your quiver. Best for playful, buttery freestyle riding rather than big tricks. 

An easy to ride board, so good for beginners too, but something that you'd want to upgrade from in terms of all-mountain riding relatively quickly. But then it makes for a good option to keep as your specialized park/jib/street board.

Bindings angles: +15/-15

Stance width: 560mm (22″)

Stance Setback: Centered

Width at Inserts: 263mm (10.35") 

Rider Height: 6'0"

Rider Weight: 185lbs

Rider Boot Size: US10 Vans Aura

Bindings Used: Burton Malavita M 

Weight: 2900g (6lbs, 6oz)

Weight per cm: 19.08g/cm

Average Weight per cm: 18.45 grams/cm*

*based on a small sample size of 51 boards that I've weighed in 2019 and 2020 models. So the Draft is just a little haevier than average.

Powder

Not something for deep pow. Would be pretty back leg burning. But also could get worse. And was OK in the depth of powder I had. It's all rocker, so that definitely helps in the pow, but other than that, there isn't really anything that's helping to keep that nose afloat in the deep stuff. 

Carving & Turning

Carving: It's not a board for aggressive carves that's for sure. Can't get that deep on it or hold it that long before it wants to wash out. It's a more surfy feel than a carvy feel. 

Turning: Easy turning board that's pretty easy to skid turns on. Still wouldn't say the easiest I've tested, but really easy nonetheless and just an easy turning surfy feel. 

Maneuverability at Slow Speeds: Really agile at slow speeds, as expected. Especially so, given that I was riding the 152. 

Speed

Gets pretty wobbly even at moderate speeds. Certainly not designed for bombing.

Uneven Terrain

Doesn't smash through crud or anything, but it's pretty good maneuvering through bumps. 

Let’s Break up this text with a Video

This video is for the 2019 model, but both models are very similar. 

Jumps

Overall good for side hits, but not so much for bigger air. 

Pop: Not a lot of pop. What is there is really easy to access, but just not heaps there. 

Approach: Got pretty squirelly even on approach to smaller jumps, so not that stable - but really maneuverable. 

Landing: Not that stable to land on. Not a stomper. Nice for coming off spins from small air, but not great for stomping big landings. 

Side-hits: Nice and maneuverable for those trickier approaches and good for landing off spins. Would have preferred a bit more pop though. 

Small jumps/Big Jumps: Definitely better for small jumps and side hits vs larger jumps.   

Switch

Really good. Same both ways. 

Spins

Apart from lacking in a bit of pop, the Draft was fun to spin. Really easy to get the spin around (made even easier from riding it in the 152) and good for landing and taking off switch. Not as good for larger tricks though. 

Jibbing

Really suited to jibbing and a nice option for this. For me though, in some ways, it almost felt too loose, but that's something you'd probably get used to - or if you already know you like a really loose option for jibbing, then this will treat you well. 

Butters

Really easy to butter. Just a soft/buttery, surfy feel. 

The Draft is a great option for those looking to add a soft, buttery, surfy feeling ride for playful freestyle and jibbing, particularly for those starting out in the park. 

Makes for a great addition to a quiver to have that soft playful option, but not for aggressive carving, bombing or anything like that, IMO.