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New Kelly Slater Skateboard Released

Posted on: July 28, 2009 by admin

THE ARBOR COLLECTIVE RELEASES NEW KELLY SLATER SKATEBOARD

The 9x World Surfing Champion’s new swallowtail shape arrives in stores this summer.

Venice, CA – May 25, 2009 – The Arbor Collective is proud to announce the release of a new model created with friend and nine-time ASP World Surfing Champion, Kelly Slater. This follow up design builds on the foundation created by Arbor’s original Slater Model. The updated design provides speed down the line and the tightest turning available from any of Arbor’s carve oriented skateboards. “The new swallowtail design was inspired by some of the boards Slater has been surfing recently,” said Bob Carlson, Arbor’s cofounder.

Kelly Slater is arguably the best competitive surfer ever. He has won an amazing nine world titles, five of which were consecutive, and is showing no signs of letting up. “Kelly’s life is rooted in the world competitive surfing and all that comes with that path,” says Carlson. “This led us to work with Venice, California based artist, Jake Pickle to develop a graphic that highlights the important elements in Kelly’s life: surfing, music, travel, and friends.”

Kelly Slater is a Arbor skate team rider.

The new Slater Model, which is now more competitively priced at $179, is a 37” long tapered carver, with a concave profile that is 8.75” wide. A 26.30” wheelbase creates the stability and performance of large-radius turning. The Slater Model also features Arbor’s gummy 65mm, 78a durometer wheels for a smoother ride, and Gullwing 9” reverse kingpin trucks for tighter turn initiation.

The new Slater Model is built with a unique blend of materials that deliver a powerful combination of attributes, including: performance, an important amount of surf heritage, and a respect for the planet. “It’s the environment that makes a life of surf, skate, and snow possible,” added Carlson. “This awareness has always been important to Kelly and Arbor; it drove our design efforts ensuring that the new Slater Model is as friendly on the environment as possible.”

To read more of this story, CLICK HERE!

Win A Snowboard, Skateboard Or Bamboo Tee

Posted on: July 27, 2009 by admin

The Arbor Collective and Vanguard Records bring you an opportunity to win a new Arbor snowboard, skateboard or a bamboo Tee-shirt and you can get a free Trevor Hall song download. Simply click here and once you are  redirected to the link, enter and submit your information. Once you do, you’ll have a new Trevor Hall song and be on your way to possibly winning some great Arbor swag.

Trevor Hall performing live at the Arbor headquarters in Venice Beach.

The System

Posted on: July 27, 2009 by admin

THE SYSTEM: A FUSION OF INTERDEPENDENT TECHNOLOGIES THAT SUPPORT SUCCESSFUL ROCKER PERFORMANCE

Make no mistake, rocker represents a completely different approach to snowboard design.  It requires a total rethink of long held ideas of how flex, materials, and shape interact and affect performance.  In response, Arbor developed The System to address the new physics of riding rocker.  In our opinion, the award winning “System” has proven itself to be the best rocker design yet offered.  As a result, we’ve expanded our offering to 6 models across three distinct technology combinations.

Grip-Tech: an unblended tri-radial sidecut design that creates four additional contact points under your feet for signifigantly improved, more direct edge control. Grip-Tech counters the effect of rockering (de-cambering) which, if not addressed, can make a board difficult to control. It adds this performance in a simple, more balanced manner that maintains the rocker benefits of easier turning, spins, slides, presses, and butters.  In addition, Grip-Tech makes flat-boarding across hard packed snow more comfortable.  The placement of the new contact points underfoot also allows riders with larger feet (up to US men’s size 12.5) to ride standard width designs. (JIB, PARK, MOUNTAIN)
Parabolic Rocker: A ROCKER DESIGN BASED ON THE PARABOLIC ARC; FURTHER IMPROVES EDGE CONTROL, WHILE MAINTAINING A UNIFORM RUNNING SURFACE TIP TO TAIL.  PARABOLIC ROCKER MELLOWS THE AMOUNT OF REVERSE CAMBER AS YOU MOVE TOWARD THE TIPS, KEEPING THE OUTSIDE CONTACT POINTS CLOSER TO THE SNOW, WHICH ALLOWS THEM TO ENGAGE WHEN MORE EDGE IS NEEDED.  THE PARABOLIC DESIGN, WHEN COMBINED WITH GRIP TECH, DELIVERS MORE CONTROL THAN CAMBER/ROCKER/CAMBER SHAPES, AND DOES IT WITHOUT SACRIFICING ANY OF THE SPIN, BUTTER, PRESS, TURN, OR RELEASE BENEFITS OF A TRUE ROCKER DESIGN. (JIB, PARK & MOUNTAIN SYSTEMS)

Rocker Flex: a rocker specific flex pattern designed to address how riders experience board flex when shredding a de-cambered design. (JIB, PARK & MOUNTAIN SYSTEMS)
 
Power Spine: a structural tapered spine of wood that counters the effect of de-cambering by re-building board pop, while maintaining the maximum rocker benefits of easier turning, spins, slides, presses, and butters. (JIB SYSTEM)

Power Ply: a structural ply of wood or bamboo that counters the effect of de-cambering by signifigantly improving return, while maintaining the rocker benefits of easier turning, spins, slides, presses, and butters. (PARK & MOUNTAIN SYSTEMS)

True-Twin: a twin-tip shape that encourages riders to equalize their stance and more effectively activate the Grip-Tech contact points and Street Rocker design. (JIB & PARK SYSTEMS)

Directional-Twin: a directional-twin shape that encourages riders to equalize their stance and more effectively activate the Grip-Tech contact points and Street Rocker design, with some added nose for riding deeper snow. (MOUNTAIN SYSTEM)

Robusto Tips: a wider, blunt shape and flat kick design that meets the needs of a rocker nose and tail’s more specialized role as platforms for presses and butters. (JIB SYSTEM)
Corona-Tips: a wider, slightly less blunt shape and flat kick design that meets the needs of a rocker nose and tail’s role as platforms for presses and butters, with some added nose length for riding deeper snow. (PARK SYSTEM)

Toro-Tips: a wider, more drawn out design that meets the needs of a rocker nose and tail’s role as platforms for presses and butters, with the most amount of added nose length for riding the deepest powder. (MOUNTAIN SYSTEM)
  
Sumo-Stance: an insert design that delivers increased stance range, allowing riders to access smaller boards and maintain street and park oriented rocker-performance – max stance: 25.2″/64cm. (JIB & PARK SYSTEMS)

Bella-Stance: a women’s specific insert design that delivers increased stance range, allowing riders to access smaller boards for park oriented rocker-performance – max stance: 23.1″/59cm. (PARK SYSTEM)

Mountain-Stance: an insert design that delivers increased stance range, allowing riders to access smaller boards for versatile rocker-performance, without the need to sacrifice set-back options for powder – max stance: 24.4″/62cm. (MOUNTAIN SYSTEM)

Bronze Edges: softer edges that deliver less catchy performance on rails, boxes, and jibs; balances the active edge performance created by the Parabolic Rocker and Grip Tech designs. (JIB SYSTEM)

Steel Edges: harder steel edges that add to the active edge performance created by the Parabolic Rocker and Grip Tech designs; helps further improve edge control for on mountain rocker shredding. (PARK & MOUNTAIN SYSTEMS)

The Benefits of Bamboo

Posted on: July 27, 2009 by admin

 

We’re Green!

For us, time spent riding provides a direct understanding of what’s at stake. Protecting the planet is about the environments we utilize everyday. We need clean air to skate, clean water to surf, and snow to ride. For 14 years, Arbor has built on this understanding, replacing environmentally harmful materials with natural alternatives.  The goal is to create a higher level of function, relevance, and style in the most responsible way possible. To that end, 98% of our apparel is made with bamboo-based fabrics. We believe that bamboo is the most environmentally friendly fabric available, providing a unique combination of ecological and performance benefits that make it today’s most promising alternative.

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ECOLOGICAL BENEFITS

Total Renewability

100% sustainably grown

Minimal water/land footprint

Absorbs more carbon dioxide

Releases more oxygen

Prevents erosion

Improves soil

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PERFORMANCE BENEFITS

Softer

More breathable

Better uv protection

Helps regulate body temp

Wicks moisture – dries fast

Naturally hypo- allergenic

BRENT OFTENDAL

Posted on: July 22, 2009 by admin

FULL NAME: Brentwood Madison Oftedal IV

HOMETOWN: Roseville, CA

HOME MOUNTAIN: No one needs a resort…

YEARS SNOWBOARDING: Fo Eva Eva

SETUP: Goofy, +17; -12, 153 Westmark

ARBOR PREFERRED QUIVER: I just finished school…don’t test my vocabulary.

OTHER SPONSORS: 686, Vonzipper, Flux Bindings

FACEBOOK PAGE

WEBSITE

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE ON EARTH TO RIDE? On Amped 2. I’m a way better snowboarder while hooked up to a controller.

IF YOU COULD PICK FOUR RIDERS (alive or dead) TO SNOWBOARD WITH, WHO WOULD THEY BE AND WHERE WOULD YOU GO?
Nick Visconti, Sammy Spiteri, Jason Robinson and ________; We would go to the furthest backcountry zone from Tahoe that still has cell service, I got a girl I need to always be available for…I know, I know.

WORST LIE YOU EVER TOLD YOUR MOM? It wasn’t me.

WORST LIE YOUR MOM EVER TOLD YOU? I am so disappointed in you.

MAC OR PC? Icomputer.

WOULD YOU RATHER BE SMART & UGLY OR DUMB & BEAUTIFUL? Smart and Ugly; once you made a ton of money because you were so smart, you could go under the knife and get yourself fixed up.

WHAT’S YOUR WORST HABIT? Not saying yes to every opportunity.

SUMMER TIME: SKATE, SURF, OR RIDE? I RIDE my SKATE everyday through the double overhead cement SURF.