Location: Mammoth, CA + June, CA
Snow Conditions: Hardpacked to softpacked to powder.
Setup: I rode the Arbor Swoon with Union Team bindings and Vans Veil Boots size 8.
Size: 155cm.
First Impression: The new Swoon gives women a snowboard that goes along for the ride, wherever you ride.
Weight: Average
Flex: Medium flex all around on the swoon, longitudinally stiffer so you have a more stable ride and some torsional softness between the bindings that made it a bit more forgiving and easy to initiate edge to edge response. Softer nose to handle any powder on the board which it handled. The swoon has the mountain system reverse camber 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. It’s designed for more mountain riding with the flex.
Turning: The swoon is an easy board to engage onto edge, actually really easy to ride overall. Turning felt most comfortable on long drawn out turns but it could handle riding in the trees for shorter turns okay. If you weren’t paying attention, the swoon didn’t care, it’d just let you enjoy the ride. There was no aggressiveness in how it turned, it did what you wanted when you wanted.
Stable: When riding groomers and charging on groomers, the board felt fine but any kind of chop on the swoon and you’d feel the board get bounced around a bit more. In powder, it floated fine for the conditions but it wasn’t more than a couple inches of new snow on the mountain. The grip-tech was only noticeable on some icy days when it might have slipped out.
Pop: For the couple laps through the park at June and Mammoth, the pop was good on the swoon. Definitely not as poppy as some other arbor boards but it handled better than expected. The medium flex felt fine on the smaller jumps and in the pipe, it gripped the hardpacked walls. For buttering, it was doable but definitely the Cadence was easier to butter/more playful.
Switch: The swoon is a directional-twin but I didn’t notice much difference when riding switch. It also helped that I rode switch a lot on the board because the first time I took it out I was riding a bunny slope waiting for my roommate’s girlfriend. Easy to switch around and subtle differences.
Overall Impression: The Swoon is a new women’s board to the arbor lineup, it offers a reverse camber option for the women looking for more mountain riding. In my opinion it wasn’t as aggressive as the push but the push is camber. The swoon did perform on a mix of riding from powder to parks for someone who wants more from their board.
Shay’s Honesty Box: I was expecting the Swoon to be like the Push in terms of aggressiveness but what I found was the board was more forgiving (which is typical of reverse camber) but with some similar familiarities about the board. For the first year, it’s a good step but I’d like to see it take it to the next level for women and challenge riders a bit more.
Ready to buy? Head over to evo for the Arbor Swoon or shop their full line of Arbor snowboards
On Snow Photo
Arbor Swoon description
Review Disclosure: I borrowed this snowboard from Arbor after the SIA on-snow and returned it to Arbor. Please be aware boards may change, this review was done in February 2011.
June 29th, 2011 at 1:04 am
Hi Shay,
Last year was my wife’s first time boarding (about 5 weekend trips). I was thinking about buying her the cadence or the swoon. First she rode 5150 revert. Then she rode my son’s 2010 149cm draft. She loved the rocker system and felt more stable and forgiving. She is still learning, which board would you recommend and why?
Thanks,
Vic
June 29th, 2011 at 7:10 am
Hey Victor,
What’s your wife’s stats? Boot size, weight and how often will she go? Is she ever interested in park or do you think she’ll just freeride? What size was the 5150?
The rocker will be more forgiving than traditional camber which is what I’m guessing the 5150 is. Cadence is the woman’s version of the draft, so it’s very soft flexing and easy but in the long run, it won’t be as stable as the swoon or pushing her riding unless she rides park. The swoon is a good all around mountain board with all mountain rocker. But give out some specs and let’s figure it out.
August 14th, 2011 at 9:52 pm
Hi her stats are as follows: 8.5 boot, 5’5″ around 150. She probably will go around 8 weekends and has no interest in the park. However, she did enjoy riding the draft. I am sorry I did not respond sooner; my email did not alert me. Thanks for your opinions and judgments.
August 14th, 2011 at 9:55 pm
The 5150 is a 146 cm. Hope this helps.
October 10th, 2011 at 7:54 pm
Hi Shay,
Thanks for a great site with honest product reviews. I’ve only ridden traditional cambered boards and am looking to progress in the park and try a rockered board. The Arbor Swoon and Arbor Westmark are 2 I’m deciding between. At 5’8″ 168lbs, would the swoon 155 be too short? The westmark looks a bit more aggressive and able to handle higher weights…what do you think?
Honestly, the swoon’s graphics appeal to me more…but I’d hate to get one and not enjoy the ride!
Thanks
keri
October 11th, 2011 at 6:42 am
Victor, I’d keep her on the swoon for her stats and riding style. It’s suitable to her and i think she’ll enjoy the ride more than the 5150.
Keri, what’s your boot size? The swoon 155 would be fine for your weight, you could even go lower if you plan for it to be your park board. Westmark is a men’s board so will definitely be more board to ride than the swoon but handles weights for sure. Honestly, I wouldn’t worry about your weight on the swoon.
October 11th, 2011 at 5:23 pm
Thanks Shay, my boot size is 9.5. I have a bataleon Violenza 153 right now, but it feels a bit slow…and short somehow…maybe just hard to get used to
October 12th, 2011 at 5:32 pm
Keri, Surprised you think the violenze rides slow and short, do you wax often or feel it’s not enough underneath you? Definitely your boot size could handle a men’s board and your weight would be fine on it. The 155 Arbor Swoon won’t be an incredible leap in flex from your violenza but it will have the reverse camber to make it more playful. You could definitely ride the westmark as well but I think you’d be more comfortable on the swoon.
October 12th, 2011 at 6:44 pm
I wax often, but honestly, I never know if I’m using the right wax for the temps. It was ridden last spring, felt really slow and I didn’t love the TBT on the boxes/rails (it just scraped where the TBT lines were!). Usually ride either Burton Balance/seven/Custom – all 158cm. The swoons graphics definitely appeal to me more than skulls of death on the Draft, and even the Westmark. Thanks again for taking the time to help!
October 12th, 2011 at 9:04 pm
Keri, yeah I wouldn’t think the wax would effect you that much. Well definitely if you love the swoon, go and see how you like it. It’ll be a lot different feel than the TBT and definitely more park suitable than the violenza.
October 16th, 2011 at 10:33 am
Hi Shay!
Thanks for your fantastic reviews! I`ve been riding a Burton Clash beginners board (154 cm) for 6 years and now it`s time for a new board. I thought about buying the arbor push 156 cm. But now they brought out the swoon which also sounds really good. I never tried a rocker-board, but I´ve heard it`s easier to ride and more forgiving but not as stable as cambered boards when taking more speed? . I live in Europe (Austria)and love rding in powder, but really good powder days are rare in my area, I often have to deal with either icy groomers or slushy snow in spring. I´m trying to improve my riding/carving etc., but I`m not so intersted in park and pipe (doing only smaller jumps). It`s almost impossible to test arbor-boards here in austria, so I have to order it via internet. Shay, would you recommend the push or the swoon to me? And which size? (I`m 132 and 5,77″)
Thanks
Stef
October 16th, 2011 at 12:52 pm
Stef, awesome definitely sounds like time for a new board! Rockers are definitely more forgiving and much easier to handle kind of boards. Stability is better on camber but depends on the rocker version, the rocker/camber styles still do good. A rocker board will float in powder easier.
Honestly if you don’t ride park/pipe the push is the more aggressive, charging board. The swoon is a bit more easy riding, all mountain freestyle. So depends on your style and preference. Both boards are great. For size, 151-154. You could go bigger and get more stability, 155-ish but really depends on your riding.
October 20th, 2011 at 2:04 pm
Thank you very much for your help! Finally, I decided to buy the Push. Actually, I could make a good deal with a last year`s Arbor Push 152 cm, but I`m a little worried it might be too short? (since I rode a 156 board over years…)What do you think?
October 27th, 2011 at 3:43 pm
Hi Shay, just wanted to let you know that I went ahead and purchased the Swoon…should be arriving tomorrow! Thanks for the help…
October 30th, 2011 at 8:41 pm
Stef, awesome on the Push! It won’t be too short for your weight, but definitely smaller than you are used to.
Keri, sweet that’s awesome! Let me know how you like it when you get it on snow.
November 6th, 2011 at 9:54 pm
Hi Shay!
Thanks for the great review! I currently own the Push, from about 5 years ago when I started boarding, and I love it. I figured, though, that it’s about time for me to get a new board. Because I love my Push, I was thinking of getting another one, but I noticed the Swoon, and am curious if I should not stick to the same and try something completely different. I prefer to board groomers and love the thrill of speeding down through them. I hardly go through trees and hit the parks only just for fun towards the end of the day when I’m winding down.
What do you think? Should I get another Push? Or will the Swoon fit my preferred style of boarding more?
Thanks!
November 6th, 2011 at 10:09 pm
Crystal, If you ride the Push and love it, the Swoon might be a bit too easy for you. I’d check out the NS Lotus as a comparable board to the Push but with the reverse camber option or if you want to stick with camber, go with the Push for sure.
November 7th, 2011 at 5:27 pm
Thank you for your review! I was going to buy a board last year but cannot decide. I have been riding my sister’s 142 Ride Solace (about 3 years old). I like that it is a stiff board, but I feel it is too wide and hard to initiate turns. I like to fly down the mountain and never enter the parks. I ride both the powder in Mammoth and Tahoe, also the hard-pack and slush in local so cal mountains. I’m looking for an aggressive board that is easy to control.
I tested the Push last year and was almost sold. Then they had me try the Cadence. It took awhile to get used to, but I ended up liking it just because I could ride through slush and hard-pack choppy snow with zero effort. My grip was that it did not hold an edge very long and felt off-balance. I held out hoping that the Swoon was a happy medium. Do you recommend the Push for my style of riding or would the Swoon be a good contender? An issue with the Swoon is that they don’t make the board smaller than a 147 and the tallest I have been on is at 144 (which handled well). Is there another board that is similar that you would recommend?
Height 5’2″, 114 lbs, foot size 7
November 8th, 2011 at 11:13 pm
Stephanie, The swoon would definitely be a happy medium between the Cadence and Push. It’ll have a lot of the same benefits you liked with the Cadence, much more forgiving, easier to adapt in conditions. It’ll hold an edge better than the Cadence. But since you already tried the Push, we know it’s a board you could ride and enjoy. So it’s tough. For board size, your weight and riding style could easily ride the 147-149 range. It’ll give you more stability as well since you’ve been riding smaller boards.
November 10th, 2011 at 12:58 am
All I wanna know is how the Grip-Tech rides? Similar to Magnetraction?
November 10th, 2011 at 12:59 am
Wait….. does this one even have Grip-Tech? and it’s a womans board, but I still wanna know how the grip-tech feels
November 26th, 2011 at 5:07 pm
Hey Shay,
I’m looking to buy a new board after recently moving to Vancouver and hitting whistler mountain as much as possible. I am an intermediate rider a bit out of practice after having lived in the tropics for a while. Im 5″6 and 135lbs and looking for a board that can pretty much do anything. I cant decide between the arbor swoon or the NS infinity. I really like to just cruise around, both powder and groomers with the occasional park ride. Looking to step up my game! I’ll also need a board that will perform well in all conditions – got any tips?
Thanks!
November 27th, 2011 at 7:41 pm
Keither, it’s less contact points than MTX so won’t be as grippy but helps on hardpacked/icy. Yep it has griptech.
Elin, Sweet on the new board for a new location! Both boards would be totally good for all mountain freestyle handling.
November 28th, 2011 at 8:32 am
Thanks for your review! Do you know anything about the 2011/2012 Arbor Flight available from REI? From what I can tell it seems to be based closely off the Swoon, only with a different design and Bamboo plies rather than poplar. The Flight retails for around $100 less than the Swoon, so I’m guessing there’s got to be some more differences.
Pretty much I’m curious to know if the Flight is a good value – I’m interested in buying the Swoon for my girlfriend but would like to avoid paying over $400.
http://www.rei.com/product/820286/arbor-flight-snowboard-womens-20112012
February 18th, 2012 at 5:42 am
I am buying a new board and consider myself to be an advanced boarder. With boards going on sale now though, I’ve found this board for about $100 cheaper than the Burton Feelgood Flying V. Do you think the extra $100 is worth it for the Burton board? I prefer powder and laying fresh tracks off-piste when possible, but when conditions call for it, I play in the park.