It’s taken me a long time to get excited about riding groomers. Admittedly, having brushed the joys of lapping corduroy for the best part of 15 years, I’m now in my mid-30s and relish riding the mountain from top to bottom. The sidehits have always been a staple, but between them, just plain hooning neglecting the heel-toe jazz step along the way, underneath my feet, a board of the most playful kind.
But as I’ve ‘matured’, I’ve come to embrace this neglected longing to drive rail into the mountain and grip a turn at a speed, at which I feel uncomfortable with. Unlocking a new level of consequence. It’s now that I turn to a category of boards I’ve previously deemed over-compensating for Australian terrain – The All-Mountain Snowboard.
Directional and stiff, this category of phallic-shaped sporting equipment is the pep in the step of snowboarders who now crave the carve. With most heads in this demographic showing a fondness for one of the all-terrain greats, Pat Moore, it was all to easy to circumnavigate our way to the new 2025 Arbor Coda – Pat’s adopted pro model and a flagship ATV model in the Arbor range.
Directional and stiff
It wasn’t all that long ago that these 2 words were the exact opposite of what I sought in a snowboard, fortunately, we hit peak-noodle boards some time ago and things have been getting increasingly serious since. While no universal scale of stiffness exists within snowboarding, the well-versed arm of a snowboarder rates the Arbor Coda as pretty stiff – Arbor gives it a 7.
But with one convincing push of the real-wood powerply, the deck kicks right back. Immediate feedback, with minimal dampening. It’s clear that this thing means business. It’s the sort of response one seeks on a crisp morning, where a blown turn on icy ’roy is akin to being skittled across hot bitumen.
The Arbor Coda asserts itself rather than submits.
Grip it and rip it
When edge hold is everything, it helps to have additional contact points. This is exactly what the tri-radial sidecut of Arbor’s proprietary ‘Grip-tech’ design accomplishes. Having ridden some very soft boards in Arbor’s range in the past, I can attest to the effectiveness of this tech. Think of it as insurance against edge blowouts.
Basically ‘Grip-tech’ gives the board more bite.
Fully Loaded
If its responsiveness you seek then there is no substitute for camber. But where the Coda differs is in its use of ‘uprise fenders’, which jack-up the effective edges of the board and away from harm when you’re approaching edge-catch territory. You’ve got the benefits of camber, being the reactive rocker profile but with a built-in parachute when you stuff-up. Hair-raising close-calls that would otherwise knock you silly is the sort of thing we’re alluding to, with the use of this tech.
Call it insurance again human error, giving you more hold with less grab.
Sizing it up
With the Coda’s most petite offering being 155cm, it’s clear that this board is built for those not dissimilar to Pat Moore build himself, with a wide option available in 159cm. The sizing of the Coda continues to make clear the purpose and intent of this board. Whippets need not apply, and the sizing says so. Hands like cinderblocks? You’ll love this thing underneath your feet.
Weighing in and wrapping it up.
It’s easy to think that that superficially the Coda may be reserved for big mountain lines and have no business in the lives of us resort-dwelling snowboarders but that’s not the truth. Both in description and by design, there’s a practicality that underpins the 2025 Arbor Coda.
While its backcountry application lends itself perfectly to those frequenting places more steep and deep in the Northern-Hemi winters, its relevance to resort riding is in the realisation of power within your riding. From driving carves on corduroy to having the confidence to stomp the biggest landings, then straight line everything in between. This is the sort of board that elevates your power on a snowboard.
A sophisticated, ultra-powerful yet practical solution to your snowboarding, within and beyond the resort ropes. It’s the sort of board that commands respect from onlookers when in the rack or wielded under the arm, yet works hand in hand with its master.
