Snowboard Review: 10-11 Arbor Cadence

Location: Steamboat & Copper, CO

Snow Conditions: Mixture of hardpacked to slushy groomers.

Setup: I rode the Arbor Cadence with my Union bastardized bindings and Vans Veil Boots size 8.

Size: 151cm.

First Impression: The park system suits the Cadence perfectly

Weight: average

Flex: The park system definitely makes the cadence a more fun park specific ride than last year, it’s still a medium flex longitudinally not a noodle but not stiff either.  The added rocker makes it easier to press/butter the mountain up with. The cadence has a softer torsional flex between the bindings so easy for turn initation and quick response edge to edge.   The cadence features the park system which has parabolic rocker which has more rocker in the center of the board and decreases the rocker to the tip and tail of the board.

Turning: It’s really easy to get the cadence on edge and once on edge, allowing for really quick short radius turn response on the mountain.  I like that the tri-radial sidecut gives you different options for turns, you can get the quick arc turn or lay it out longer down the hill. The cadence has griptech which adds contact points near the binding location on both toe and heelside edges.  My first thought was that griptech might catch on boxes but the added contact point I didn’t notice impacting how the board handled when boardsliding.  On icy/cruddy snow it does help hold an edge better.

Stable: The main purpose of this board is park inspiration which is where I’ve been riding it mostly.  However I have taken it on more charging runs where it could keep up but the size was on the small end so I didn’t expect it to handle as well.  On hardgroomer terrain, the board grips really well with the griptech and holding stable down the groomed runs.  When charging on really bumpy terrain, it can bounce you around and you feel more of the snow changing but I also recognize the size comes into play on that.  The park system rocker made it a lot more playful and gave it a bit less of a freeride focus than when I rode it last year but for park laps I love how it handles.

Pop: You know when the season ends and somehow the lips to the boxes get farther apart and lower than the box…yeah the cadence has good pop and lets me easily get onto the boxes without worrying about how the pop will throw me or hitting the box straight on cause I didn’t ollie high enough onto it.  There’s some good snap in the cadence and it’s definitely a lively board for playing around with.  I had a couple oververt pipe days with it and it’s one of those boards it’s hard not to pop with.

Switch: The cadence is a true twin and rides like a true twin.  I never encountered any problems with how it handled switch, easy to manuever and no problems with handling the mountain switch.

Overall Impression: Arbor gave the cadence the park system for 10-11 and it’s an upgrade that makes the cadence an even better park ride.  Last year when I rode it, it was on the mid level for stiffness but the park system gives it a more playful feel to how it handles the mountain.  It’s still capable of the mountain riding but definitely a park focus that it is described as and now rides like.

Shay’s Honesty Box: I’ve spent the remainder of the season riding the cadence as my main park board which has been perfect for park laps and it’s being waxed up for Mt Hood this summer.  Its grown on me after the first day of riding it, it’s become my park board that I can take on the boxes, take on hardpacked groomers and then take into the pipe.

Ready to buy? Head over to evo for the Arbor Cadence or shop their full line of Arbor snowboards

On Snow Photo

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Griptech

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Arbor Cadence description

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Review Disclosure: This board was given to me by Arbor Snowboards.