2023 Arbor Annex Camber

If directional all-mountain performance is your bag, then the Arbor Annex Camber should be on your feet. This stiffer-flexing ride is ideal for in-bounds carving and on-trail activities, but it also does quite well in softer snow, wider spaces, and less-travelled terrain. Thanks to Bryan Iguchi’s influence on the Annex Camber, riders of the advanced and expert levels will get snappy, hard-charging performance and a very high-quality construction. Built with a Double Barrell II core and topped with an Inlaid Maple Curly Power Ply, the top sheet of the board adds quite a bit of strength and power to the flex. Arbor lists it as an 8 out of 10 on the flex meter, and a lot of that has to do with the combination of mixed fiberglass laminates as well as the Cross Vector Netting. By using cross-hatched fibers on the edges of the board, the torsional stiffness and edge grip of the board is dramatically increased. Ideally suited for advanced and expert riders who appreciate stiffness and responsiveness, the Annex Camber is a snappy and poppy board that loves speed and hard charging.

Justin Connolly found the 159 to be a bit too long for him, resulting in a score of 5 out of 5 for stability. That 5 is bookended by low scores of 1 out of 5 for playfulness and versatility. We tend to see these types of distances with more specific boards, so these lower scores are indicative of that for sure. Quickness, maneuverability, torsional stiffness, edge grip, and overall impression were all 4’s, so even though there were some highs and lows, it seems like Justin was mostly impressed with the performance potential of the board. He calls it “Very stiff, definitely not the ideal conditions for the board. Was able to hold and edge at high speeds on groomers. Not very playful, but I don’t think it’s meant to be. Not very versatile. Recommend for powder or big mountain. Geared towards an experienced rider who knows what they like.” And for that rider, it sounds like the Annex is a winner. Nick Aswad loved his 159, noting that “This would be a great intermediate groomer ripper but probably not the most versatile board out there. It held an edge well in soft and hard snow but didn’t “wow” me like some over the other boards I tested. Suited best for intermediate to advanced groomer riding.”

Jarrod Ogden rode the 159 and noted that he could have gone a size smaller. He scored it 5’s out of 5 for torsional stiffness, edge hold, and stability—pretty expected scores for those categories. Overall impression, quickness, maneuverability, and flotation all got 4’s while versatility and forgiveness were in the 3-range. Jarrod notes that the Annex Camber “Needs to be ridden aggressively. Hard charging and comfortable at full speed. Good for a very advanced rider.” And John Gernt, also on the 159, states that “This is a big mountain style board with lots of guts to it, stiff and solid. Serious riding for serious riders who are looking for a board to push the speed and terrain. Has the classic Arbor feel to it. I had to be on my game to ride this one.” For someone with as much experience as JG on a board, that’s some pretty strong verbiage there. He had high scores of 4 out of 5 for stability, flotation, torsional stiffness, and edge hold, with 2’s on the other end for versatility, playfulness, quickness, and maneuverability.

The Arbor Annex Camber is an upper-level board for upper-level riders. The stiffness of the fiberglass and carbon matches up well with the use of maple in the construction to make it one of the more demanding directional boards in Arbor’s fleet, and one of the more demanding boards that we saw at our test. For the right rider and application, this is a very good thing.