Arbor Element Rocker Review

Overview of the Element Rocker's Specs

Who is the Element Rocker Best Suited To?

The Arbor Element Rocker is best suited to anyone who is wanting a bit of a do everything board that's on the more playful side.

It is hard to find any major weaknesses in the Arbor Element rocker as it handles whatever you throw at it pretty well. But there's also nothing that exciting about it. But whether you want to spend the day cruising around the mountain slashing and carving or hitting the jump line and some rails, it will oblige - just maybe without you unable to contain yourself talking about the board or anything. 

It's ideal for powder hunters but it can handle itself when asked, making it work well for those who enjoy powder days when they present themselves, but don't want a specialized powder board. 

While I wouldn't say it's quite beginner friendly, the Element Rocker is a great option for any lower intermediate to advanced rider seeking a one-quiver style board.   

The Element Rocker in More Detail

Bindings angles: +12/-9

Stance width: 21.3″ (540mm)

Stance Setback: Centered

Width at Inserts: 265.5mm (10.45") 

Rider Height: 6'1"

Rider Weight: 180lbs

Rider Boot Size: US9.5 Adidas Tactical Lexicon ADV

Bindings Used: Fix Yale: M

Weight: 6lbs 10oz (3000 grams)

Weight per cm: 19.35 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 Element Rocker is heavier than normal on the scales but felt about normal on snow. 

Powder

Unfortunately we had no powder to test in but the specs and getting a feel for the board suggests that it will be decent but not amazing in powder. 

The parabolic rocker gives the Element a good amount of float in powder while the directional twin (even if still centered on effective edge) shape helps naturally sink your tail and raise your nose keeping it above the powder.

I wouldn't call it a powder slayer or anything but it should handle itself in powder when required.  

Carving & Turning

Carving: Arbor's grip hold technology makes carving quite enjoyable as it creates additional contact points which helps lock and hold an edge, thus creating really smooth carves without any catchiness.  That can't completely make up for it's lack of camber but I felt it carved better than I'd typically expect from an all-rocker board - so I imagine that's in part to do with the way they do their rocker and the grip tech. 

Overall I preferred shorter carves with it but it's capable of any carve.

Ease of Turning/Slashing: I found it had a semi-loose feel and really didn't require much effort to kick out the tail and initiate a turn or slash at any speed.

Maneuverability at slow speeds: Really nimble and quick edge-to-edge at slower speeds.

Skids: Never noticed any catchiness when in a skidded turn. I'd say the parabolic rocker plays a large role in this.

Speed

The Arbor Element rocker has no camber in the profile, so it isn't made to bomb hills but it is still quick enough and decently stable for an all-rocker board. I barely noticed any chatter when pushing the board to higher speeds - definitely quite a damp board, which helped there. I would also say it had a average amount of glide. 

Uneven Terrain

Crud: Smashed through it OK but it did have moments in really rough crud where it could get bucked around a bit. It was pretty manageable and easy to maneuver to make any necessary corrections though.  

Bumps: Really quick edge-to-edge which made avoiding bumps pretty easy. I really enjoyed it in the trees as it was maneuverable enough to go through them with some speed. Only negative is it can be a little difficult absorbing bumps as it required you to get really low.  

Jumps

Not my preferred size for hitting jumps but otherwise it handled them very well, without being terribly exciting.

Pop: Good amount of pop and it is pretty effortless to access it, helping you to really pop off jumps and get some extra air time.

Approach: Really smooth and nimble on the approach, allowing you to make last second adjustments when needed. And decently stable for faster approaches too. 

Landing: I didn't find landings catchy whatsoever while the softer flex makes them really forgiving allowing you to not land perfectly and still ride out. But not what I would call a stomper. 

Side-hits: Definitely one of my favorite things to do on the Element Rocker as it really excelled on any size side hit due to the pop, maneuverability, and great edge hold.  

Small jumps/Big jumps: Pretty capable on any size jump but I liked it best on smaller to medium sized jumps.

Switch

Even though it's a directional twin it still has a centered stance, which makes switch riding really smooth as it feels really similar both ways. Also never felt catchy when transitioning to switch. Overall a really good board for switch riding.

Spins

Pretty good overall. Good for landing/setting up switch on jumps or flat ground with all the easy accessible pop. Felt normal in the air as it wasn't difficult to whip around but not effortless either.

Jibbing

Enjoyable on most features. The centered stance directional-twin shape is good for riding on boxes/rails switch while the easily accessible pop allows you to pop onto any feature with relative ease. Easy to maneuver on the approach/setup as well and no catchiness on the dismount. 

Butters

Fairly easy to butter/press. Not without a little effort but it's not super difficult either. When you lean into it and commit some weight behind them would say its about a 3.5/5.

Score Breakdown and Final Verdict

The Arbor Element Rocker is quite a versatile board that you can take anywhere on the mountain and have confidence it's going to perform well. 

It's enjoyable for jumps, jibbing, and slashing around while also capable of being more aggressive for carving or powder making it just really fun to ride anywhere.

Overall it's more on the playful side, but it doesn't completely fold or anything when you want to get a little more aggressive on it. It doesn't have any really stand out features that you would be getting pumped telling your friends and family about, but no real weaknesses either.