Curated Snowboard Expert Everett Pelkey got his hands on the 2023 Arbor Bryan Iguchi Pro this spring and put it to the test at Powder Mountain in Utah. Check out how it performed in the carving, freestyle, and freeride categories, but consider the fact that each and every rider is different; if you have any questions about the Bryan Iguchi Pro or need recommendations on which board would be best for you, reach out to a Snowboard Expert here on Curated.

Before we get started, it's worth noting that Curated Experts are not sponsored by any brands. All of these reviews are completely unbiased.

Brand Claims

What does Arbor claim about this board? As a pro model for Bryan Iguchi, this board is amazing when it comes to doing, what it does best, mimicking his riding style. It is a freeride god in the sense that it's a legendary rider with a legendary board. You are able to take those mellow rhythmic turns and those wide open spaces anywhere in the backcountry. When you're going to take your own turns on your own time with no one else there, this is the board you're going to want underneath your feet.

Overall Impressions

What is your overall impression of this board? Overall, my impression of this board, is it was super fun, but it is very much for the classic generation who just wants to get after turning on a snowboard. You want to get out into those soft snow days. You want to find those open patches and really just open up and make the most of those fields. This board will do it for you. One of the craziest parts I did experience was riding this switch as a true twin, it was insane. It felt exactly the same switch as it did regular and there's not many boards that can pull that off almost perfectly.

Carving

How does it turn? This was super fun carving. This is a torsionally stiffer board, but it didn't feel like it overpowered me. So it was really great getting on edge to edge control. It was a decently quick transition, but I wouldn't say it's overly nimble. You are able to lay it and get up on a high edge depending on the conditions. It is definitely that true freeride, softer snow kind of board that's really just for those backcountry soul turns.

What about dampness? Any chatter in the board? I would say this board is very good at dampening, but you still feel the chatter. With that, I mean that it's going to soften a lot of the blows, but still felt like I was getting bucked a bit the way down. It tends to be a similarity in a lot of Arbor boards that I've ran into. But it's still, overall, a good board for uneven conditions.

Freestyle

Could you speak about playfulness and pop? So as a freestyle ripper, this board, I wouldn't say, is the most specific one. It's for the more mature rider that wants to get air on their own terms. I wouldn't force pop out of this board. It's not really there. But if you want to hit something like a big cliff, or a giant wind lip, you can do it on a board like this and know you're going to land it and ride out smooth. The undertow just where it bevels out gives you that extra traction and control that I felt the entire time I was riding this. There was always control. Never felt loose. I just felt confident, good and enjoyed my entire time on this board.

Freeride

What kind of terrain would it perform well on? I wouldn't take it into the trees or bumps or moguls or anything like that. You just find that good open field and just rip those mellow turns you want. Do it for you. This board will open up the fun and rhythm that you want to make on that entire mountain without exerting too much out of it. If you want to go pop a side hit, you can pop a side hit. But if you just want to make a big slash in the deepest of powder, this can still do that. It's not going to be the most insane float you'll ever get, but that's not the point of this board. It's to make the just fun, mellow, great turns.

Recommendations

Who would you recommend this board to? I would totally recommend this board for more the higher-end advanced rider, not for someone who's super aggressive in the riding, but someone who is very sound in their abilities. And if they know that this is within their wheelhouse of what they're trying to get into, this board will open it up and then some for them.

Who should avoid this board, there are better options for them out there? On the beginner-end side, I wouldn't recommend someone for that or even an intermediate rider. They're not going to feel the excitement that they would get on other boards. And they're not going to see the reasoning on why this board is generally in a lineup. But for someone who is out there, understands snowboards and really just wants to snowboard for their own fun and some good feeling turns, this is the board you're going to want.

There are hundreds of snowboards out there in different variations and finding the right one for you can be super tough. Contact Everett or another Snowboard Expert here on Curated and they can help get you on the best setup. Note that the 2024 version of the Arbor Bryan Iguchi Pro Camber is linked below - same tech, just different graphic: