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Review: Arbor Push 2013

5K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  Optikal_Illuzion 
#1 ·
I am not sure how qualified I am to review anything but I got a new board and new bindings (thanks tax refund) and I tried them out on my first powder day!

My old setup:
Board: 148cm GNU B-Nice
Bindings: Burton Lexa

New setup:
Board: 148cm Arbor Push
Bindings: GNU B-Famous
Boots: Salomon Boots

Location: Monarch, CO

Snow Conditions: POWDER!! It was everywhere. Even the groomers were soft.

First Impression: This board slid through the first green like butter and I caught my first edge feeling the difference between a rocker and trad camber. Another thing is I was little intimidated by the board. It says the board is for intermediate to advanced riders and is not for mellow advanced riders. I was worried I would be on my ass all day. I am proud to say I was not, I rode that board into the mountain. :giggle:

Weight: tad heavier than average

Flex: It was stiff for sure. The flex on my old board made me feel a little squirrelly at fast speeds and stiff runs. I was bombing the mountain with all the stability in the world on the Arbor. It turned so smoothly. No resistance like I though there would be. My bindings are also some of the stiffest I could find and I think that helped. I knew going in that they would be some harsh stuff to ride. I got tired quickly having to work a little harder and being more aggressive than I ever was before. Good turn initiation with this board. Simple to carve down the mountain as long as you aren't lazy about it. :laugh:

Turning: Beautiful. I was having problems with my GNU getting a good heel-side turn in. The Arbor forces you to act. You need to bend your knees more to feel in control. Switching edges was almost to easy. If you get lazy about it the board will tell you for sure. I ate it a few times not paying attention. But most of the time the board gave you a warning and I was correcting better than I ever did on the GNU.

Stable: I have never felt more safe on a board before. The camber, the stiffness, combined with bindings made me stable. I was able to pick up speeds I never even dreamed of. I hit a few moguls runs and just picked through them. Landing a jump even felt better than on the more flexible GNU.

Pop: Hit a few jumps on the trails, landed everyone. This is the first time I can say that. I felt smooth going in. A little work to get up off the jump, landing was a dream. I am absolutely positive the powder made this easier as well. I will have to get some jumps in a terrain park before I can make a conclusive answer to this. The little park was being redone and was closed at monarch.

Switch: It's a directional board. The only time I rode was switch was in a tree run, through two feet of powder. It was going to be difficult anyway. But the board is a twin, same shape so I just had to get used to having a long nose for a few feet.

Overall Impression: :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: The Push was just a dream to ride. I have no regrets. The traditional camber felt great, the stability of the board just made it for me. I am glad to be on a board that pushes me to be my best. It was a work out for sure and the board will make you go ass over tea kettle if you aren't careful. It was beautiful day to ride this board as well. Powder and steep runs. I was just blown away.

Any cons? - Those bindings were a bitch. Gnu has the step in system like flow and I got the very best they offer. And while they were on feet strapped in, they work just so well. Getting into them though. Ugh! Step in bindings are supposed to be fast. When you pull the high back down, there is a release button for the ankle strap to allow more room. I could not get my boot into them like that. I had to release some more tension, slide my foot in, pop in the high back, push the release button down and then crank back down the ankle strap. It was just annoying. I got used to it after a while and its not that much different than strapping in on my Lexa's it was annoying to have a system that just didn't work. My bf straps into his flows in two seconds. I still took a while to get into mine. :dunno:

Best for: Freeriding - The board's advertising says it is made for girls who surf mountains. They weren't kidding. If you are looking for something playful this is not the board. I am not saying it wasn't fun. It was a blast! It just requires work and concentration. A great board for those riders out there willing to test their limits.

A little nervous about my first review but we are just missing so many women's boards on here that I had to do one. :yahoo:
 
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#3 ·
Outstanding Comments !!!!!

Great to hear from a female who clearly loves to ride and can articulate in fine detail her experiences. For all of us guys who "think" we know what is best for our Wives, GF's, SO's, it is so cool to hear the female perspective from someone who has been on different boards and knows the difference. Trust me, you are qualified. :thumbsup:

Many thanks. :eusa_clap:
 
#5 ·
Great review--thanks for posting!

Just curious, what is your weight and boot size? I notice that you're riding the Push in the same length as the B-Nice...usually one would go longer for a freeride board although it's all preference anyway.

I'll post a review on the NS Lotus when I can actually find a good powder day to ride it (one Tahoe snow forecast doesn't predict a significant snowfall until early March...)

Also, thanks for giving me an incentive to file my taxes! Still haven't done it yet.
 
#7 ·
Great review Desiree!

It's great to see more womens reviews posted on here! :thumbsup:

I'll post a review on the NS Lotus when I can actually find a good powder day to ride it (one Tahoe snow forecast doesn't predict a significant snowfall until early March...)
Well March is coming up soon... Hopefully there's a storm coming your way, I've been wanting to see a review of the Lotus on here...

Maybe I can get back on my board soon :yahoo:
 
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