words: Mike Basher and TJ Kern

Feel free to judge this book by its cover. It looks like a muscle car and rides every bit as you’d expect. Arbor went all in on their design of the Annex, with a strip of snappy and burly maple Powerply veneer down the center of the topsheet, which is sandwiched between two full-length biaxial fiberglass laminates backed with a biaxial carbon matrix. In layman’s terms, this thing is really lively and loves hauling ass. Flex-wise, the Annex is medium-stiff tip to tail, but torsionally, it’s exceptionally stiff. This makes turn initiation instantaneous, edge grip really solid, and you can rocket out of turns by driving energy into the tail.

Arbor features Grip Tech on all of their boards, which is a slight sidewall protrusion of the toe and heel edges beneath each binding. This helps Arbor decks gain a bit of traction when snow is hardpack or variable, and is incredibly effective and powerful on the Annex. Offset Uprise Fenders at the contact points allow for smooth edge transitioning and a more catch-free experience while skidding turns and speed checking, something you might have to do from time to time as you fly down the mountain on this beautifully finished cruise missile.

Arbor Annex – $699.95
sizes: 156, 158W, 159, 152, 163MW

For more visit arborcollective.com and follow @arborsnowboards on Instagram.