Expert Review: Arbor Poparazzi Camber

About this review This review is my own honest opinion of the snowboard, which I tested in January 2021.

My take

The Arbor Poparazzi Camber snowboard is a surprisingly fun deck for the intermediate level lady looking to progress her skills all over the mountain. It truly shines on groomers with strong edge hold and a lot of pop for a relatively soft and forgiving board.

About the gear

• Model: 2021 Arbor Poparazzi Camber
• Size: 144cm

About me

• Height: 5’2”
• Weight: 128 lbs
• Boots: Burton Emerald
• Boot Size: 5.5
• Bindings: Arbor Sequoia
• Experience: 16 years

Test conditions

• When did you ride it: January 2021
• Days tested: 1
• Where I’ve used it: Keystone Resort, Colorado
• Terrain: Groomed terrain, a little new snow, and some bumps

How it performs

What I was looking for

Since I typically ride a hybrid profile that serves as a jack-of-all-trades for me, the Poparazzi Camber was a new experience with full parabolic camber. Considering the Poparazzi is softer in flex than what I typically ride, I wasn’t expecting drastic changes but I was definitely surprised by the amount of pop and stability this board offers.

Why I chose this gear

This board is extremely popular among my customers and a huge seller and I wanted to get my feet onto it and see how well it did on some resort riding.

Given its softer flex, it was an easy way for me to try a full camber profile without feeling overpowered with a stiffer flex.

What I love about it

• Speed: This board is poppy and comes alive at a moderate speed. It can handle going slow and being playful but is also stable at higher speeds on blue groomers. The board does develop a bit of chatter when flying down steeper terrain such as black diamond trails but I think for the intermediate rider it does fine.
• Edge hold: The Poparazzi has Arbor’s grip-tech which really helped me lock in, especially when I was carving. However, as I approached higher speeds on steeper terrain such as black diamonds, it did feel slightly less stable.
• Turns: Turning was a breeze and I was even able to get into some carves. This board really locks in and wants to cruise which makes it super fun.
• Groomers: Groomed terrain is where this board wants to live plus all the side hits are SUPER fun on this poppy board!
• Trees: The forgiving and more playful flex, in my opinion, made for easy maneuvering in and out of the trees.
• Moguls: Just like riding in the trees, the Poparazzi’s playful flex made riding bumps easy, smooth, and so much fun!!
• Durability: Since I only rode the Poparazzi for one day, I can’t 100% talk to its durability but in general Arbor Snowboards are extremely well made and will hold up for multiple seasons.
• Weight: This board was very lightweight and didn’t feel like anything out of the ordinary.
• Switch riding: As a directional twin, this board is a great option to learn how to ride switch or continue to gain confidence riding switch.
• Snowboard stability: Overall, the Poparazzi falls right in the middle of the dampness scale. At slower speeds, it is more damp than at higher speeds and there was a little bit of chatter as I approached steeper terrain like black runs. Its softer flex allows for pressability and smooth butters but its camber profile gives it pop that is TONS of fun on some jumps and side-hits.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Powder: This board has a slight directional shape which allowed for some fun laps through the fresh stuff on top. However, I wouldn’t choose this as my go-to powder board because in my opinion, for a powder board, I’d want something with a bit of taper and a more directional shape with a setback stance to give me a lot of float.
• Backcountry: I’d look towards a splitboard before considering this as a backcountry board.

Value for the money vs. other options

This board is well worth the affordable price that it comes in at for the rider looking for a directional twin softer flexing all mountain board.

Final verdict

This board truly comes alive on green and blue groomed terrain but can be brought into the trees, bumps and even some softer snow when it’s available. It’s an extremely versatile board for the intermediate rider looking to get to that next level in their snowboarding and have fun all over the mountain. It was so easy to ride and such a great way to ease into a more “aggressive” snowboard profile.