Arbor Swoon Rocker Review

Updated Swoon Rocker

Along with new graphics, Arbor gave the Swoon Rocker a few tweaks this year. The flex has been adjusted for easier pop and better turning ability, and the weight has been reduced significantly via lighter weight Palouwnia wood used in the core. See the latest Swoon Rocker board in the first photo, followed up by the model we tested previously.

We're linking to the latest version of the board, but until we can test it out, the review below only chronicles our experience with the previous model.

Hands-On Review of the Swoon Rocker

Edge Hold

The Swoon Rocker got off to an alright start in our edge hold metric, which is responsible for 25% of its final score. To test this out, we pushed the Swoon Rocker to the limits on all sorts of snow conditions, seeing if it ever washed out from under us when doing a toeside or heelside turn. It did fairly well.

While the Swoon has fancy edge technology — Arbor's Grip-Tech edge with a tri-radial sidecut — we didn't think this matched the edge hold of some other manufacturer's serrated edged.

The tri-radial sidecut is supposed to provide more effective heel and toe contact points, but we found it to be disconcertingly bouncy on uneven terrain. It gives this board a surfy ride, but we wouldn't be super comfortable carving with the Swoon on steep icy terrain at higher speeds.

Powder Performance

The Rocker improved its performance a bit in our powder metric. We waited until there were some good powder stashes on the mountain, then took the Swoon out to see how much it floated and how easy it is to turn in the deep stuff. Overall, these tests are responsible for 20% of the final score for the Swoon.

This is a mountain twin board with a shorter tail than a nose, giving it a setback stance that provides considerable flotation. The thunderhead tip — whatever that means — allegedly lifts the nose and adds to the float and we will agree that we didn't have any issues with the nose sinking when riding freshies with the Swoon. It is quite easy to turn in powder and very versatile, giving it a fun and freestyle approach to riding deep snow.

Stability

Unfortunately, the Swoon Rocker didn't do well in our next metric. We took this board down the steepest slopes in all conditions, rating and scoring how stable it felt, how comfortable we were carving at top speed, and if it ever started to wobble or chatter, which also accounts for 20% of the total score. If you are someone who likes carving at high speeds, we would dissuade you from swooning for the Swoon.

We found it to get chattery at higher speeds and it doesn't instill a ton of confidence. It also gets bouncy on uneven terrain and feels quite shaky on steep icy terrain.

Playfulness

We took the Swoon all around the resort for this, seeing how it handled and maneuvered, as well as how it did in terrain parks, boardercross courses, and off natural features, which account for 20% of the final score. The Arbor Swoon did quite a bit better in this metric, earning an above-average score.

This board is an all-mountain freestyle board that is quite fun to ride. It's a soft medium board that is very flexy and bouncy. Its twin shape gives it a surfy and fun ride and also feels quite natural to ride switch. It's an absolute blast in the park and excelled off natural features and in the trees.

Pop and Jumping

The Swoon Rocker finished out with a solid showing in our last series of tests, which constitute the remainder of its overall score — 15%. We ollied and jumped with the Rocker, scoring it on how much pop it has and how springy it is, as well as how it willing it was to soar. It did very well.

This board is one of the lightest of the group and it has tons and tons of pop. It's super springy with great ollie potential, letting you launch over practically anything. It's a good little freestyle board, but it is a little soft for stomping the landings of the biggest kickers or for the superpipe.

Value

The Arbor Swoon is a so-so value. It's a super fun playful board that sells at a middle-of-the-road price, but you can also get a top-of-the-line board for roughly the same price.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a fun and playful board, the Swoon is a great option. It's an all-mountain freestyle board that has tons of pop, but other boards are just as much fun in our minds and more stable with better edge hold than the Arbor Swoon Rocker. This flexible and fun board is great for butter, presses, and ollies, but it can get quite squirrely in steeper or icy terrain.