Arbor Coda Splitboard Test in Tetons | Photo Mike Hardaker Mountain Weekly News
One of the better freeride splitboards with plenty of freestyle fun comes to us from Arbor Snowboards. The Arbor Coda Splitboard is not new, we have reviewed it before along with it’s predecessor the Coda Split. Year after year there is one board I’m always excited to mount up, and usually, the first one of the season is the Arbor Coda Splitboard. Find out why in the review below.
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Hows does it Ride?
Let’s start with why this snowboards rocks. The Arbor Coda split offers the most familiar like ride of any Splitboard out there. It’s the sort of board you strap into and within seconds know you’re back in touch with an old best friend.
Why is this? Most likely due to the board’s friendly rocker profile which is possibly the best design for going downhill. Unlike other brands, Arbor makes either rocker or camber boards. No blends here and both ride and tour extremely different.
Touring
The Arbor Coda Rocker Splitboard is lightweight and uber playful vs the Arbor Bryan Iguchi Splitboard that comes Camber which is stiffer and a bit heavier. The hiccup becomes camber actually tours better on the skin track yet most snowboarders as of late prefer rocker or a blend for riding on the way down.
Arbor has been listening along with some other brands in the Splitboard market by making rockered profiles that are a little more forgiving on the skin track. What they have found is by mellowing out the amount of rocker toward the rear you get more skin to skin contact. That is great in all, however, my skins for the most part always fail at the tip.
Moving forward brands really need to be making skins or partnering with companies as these profiles that are fun and super rad to ride can be a pain in the ass on the skin track. With the Coda one of the problems is sliding backward a tiny bit on the skin track. If you keep this up for hours and hours your skins are guaranteed to fail and make you work way harder on the way up then needed. Efficiency is key with splitboarding.
I used both the Spark R&D Arc Pros and the Union Expedition Bindings on this board. Both setups worked great as where this board really shines is on the way down. On the way up I preferred to use Spark R&D bindings as they’re lighter and offer more adjustments on the fly.
For durability, Arbor has been making some solid boards as of late. You might and most likely will scratch the top sheet, maybe even peel off some of that fancy looking wood. However, the tips and tails are strong on this board an area that in splitboarding should always be reinforced. Arbor uses stainless steel tip and tail protectors on the Coda Splitboard.
Arbor Coda Splitboard Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Offers familiar ride like an old best friend
- Lightweight & uber playful for enjoyable riding
- Durable stainless steel tip and tail protectors
Cons:
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- Sliding backward on skin track
- Skins may fail on the tip
- Efficiency on the way up
Overall Impression
After 30+ days on this board, it seems as poppy and lively as it was out of the wrapper thanks to the use of carbon strips that run from the tip to the tail. Honestly, there is no better board out there for sending jumps in the backcountry. Like to hit pillows and go video game snowboarding in the backcountry, there is only one Splitboard you need and that’s the Arbor Coda Splitboard ($749.99).
Last but not least the board’s tip and tail shapes are unique, Arbor calls them Thunderhead tips that keep the board from catching while riding in deep snow and look pretty darn cool as well.
Quiver Builder
Splitboarding shouldn’t break the bank. We’ve ranked the most affordable rippers in our [latest best splitboards feature].
Mike,
Reviving this rock-solid review for a question.
Thinking about purchasing this board. But have some concerns on the waist width.
I am a size 11 boot – will the 25.XX waist be too narrow, in your opinion?
Muchas Gracias for the input.
Tom,
Great board, and great question. What angles do you run typically? I wear a 10.5 and was able to use the 161. How tall are you?
Mike,
Thanks for the quick reply.
I am 5’11 – 165 lbs.
Typically, I am around +18 +3 (depending).
I think the 161 may be where it’s at, but just feel borderline in the standard width.
Saw a screaming off-season deal on a 158 – but believe that will def be too small?
Thanks again, really appreciate your engagement with the users.
Thanks!
Tom spot on. The 161 seems to be the “money” size for most of us. Although I was able to have a blast on the Jones Mtn Twin split in the 157 size last year. I appreciate the comments.
Mike your reviews are solid.
This is up there on my picks for a new split. I got mountain collective for next season so need a board that can reach out. I’d say I’m 30% steeps and 30% laying down on carves post-steeps 20% tree runs and 20% freestyle. I was looking at the venture zelix, prior Bc / AMF, and the arbor coda split. Curious after having ridden some of these what your top split is with my style in consideration.
Thanks for the feedback, it truly helps on our end. It’s been a while since I was last on a Venture Splitboard. They were planning to send one out for our test, fingers crossed. They have in the past been a bit heavier and burlier more for the big mountain dude riding over rocks and such, they can take a beating and keep on shredding. I like the Arbor Coda overall, I would say its the #1 or #2 splitboard currently available on the market that is well rounded, meaning it can handle all the terrain you mentioned above and some.
The Prior splits are great at carving, if you can demo one of those vs the Coda it will give you two great choices. Also we are almost done with our splitboard test for 2018 splitboards. So be sure to keep an eye on the site as we talk about next years boards as well.