30 Years of Sustainable Speed: Inside the Arbor Snowboards and Milosport Connection

When Bob Carlson and Chris Jensen launched Arbor Collective in Venice, California back in 1995, the snowboarding industry didn't really get it. Brands were chasing flashy, aggressive neon graphics and a lot heavy plastics, while Arbor, from the beginning was trying to save forests. As the very first action sports brand founded to focus on sustainability, they faced a massive uphill battle in a market that prioritized hype over the planet. People called them a hippy brand that couldn't survive.  How wrong they were!

Arbor was born out of a raw desire to protect the environment and community where snowboarding takes place. The founders got their start after Jensen secured a supply of sustainably harvested Hawaiian Koa wood, which they used to build their very first line of snowboards. They completely revolutionized the industry by replacing standard plastic topsheets with responsibly sourced wood veneers, proving that eco conscious production and high performance snowboarding could coexist. By using renewable materials like bamboo and cedar, along with bio plastics, they drastically reduced their carbon footprint, and the reliance on petroleum based products.

Over the decades, that recognizable, natural wood grain aesthetic caught on, and Arbor evolved into a broader Collective Brand, expanding into skateboards and apparel. In 2021, Arbor celebrated their milestone journey by releasing Crossing the Grain, a documentary chronicling the challenges of surviving as an independent, eco minded brand.

For Milo, supporting a brand like Arbor is second nature. The relationship runs deep because both Milo and Arbor share the exact same values: keeping the culture authentic, supporting the best riders, and fiercely protecting our mountain playgrounds. Today, Arbor's snowboard manufacturing facility is powered entirely by solar energy. Arbor also tunes their decks with non fluoro wax, and they stay dedicated to the cornerstone legacy of the Returning Roots program. By donating a portion of every sale to the Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative, they have helped plant hundreds of thousands of native Koa trees, giving back to the very environment that birthed surf, skate, and snow culture.

Fine Art on Real Wood: The Artists Behind the Decks

What makes an Arbor board instantly recognizable on the rack or in the lift line isn’t just the natural wood grain, it’s how they treat the Snowboard top sheet like a premium art canvas. Over the last three decades, Arbor has cultivated a deep network of fine artists, tattooers, and illustrators, blending subculture aesthetics seamlessly with their signature wood veneers.

For the 2027 collection, Arbor has given their team and guest creators total freedom to express themselves, creating a striking contrast between raw wood textures and bold creative visions:

• Estelle Pensiero: Stepping in to design the visuals for the women's Swoon and Swoon Decon, bringing a deeply intentional, fluid aesthetic that complements the board's mountain-moving shape.

• Melodie Perrault: Bringing her raw, signature illustrative edge to the Cadence, matching the board's playful freestyle personality.

• Jake Price & 500 Motors: Teaming up on the heavy-hitting Metal Machine and Metal Machine Decon to deliver a gritty, fast-paced look inspired by classic custom garage culture.

• Danny Kass & Red Gerard: Infusing personal stories directly into the gear—Danny went for a custom charcuterie board inspired graphic, while Red’s pro model pays beautiful homage to his original roots in Cleveland.

• Other guest artists like Aaron James Draplin, Sylvia Ji and Connor Getzlaff continue to contribute to Arbor.

Decoding the Tech: System Camber vs. System Rocker

Before diving into the individual decks, you need to understand Arbor's principal design platform: The System. Instead of smashing rocker and camber into a compromised hybrid shape, Arbor builds true camber and true rocker versions of their shapes, optimizing each with two proprietary technologies: Parabolic Profiling (progressively mellowing the profile toward the tips so it doesn't catch) and Grip Tech (adding extra contact points under your feet for insane edge hold).

Here is how you choose your deck:

System Camber

Built for riders who want a poppy, highly responsive ride with crisp, fully engaged performance.

• The Tech: It uses an upward arc underfoot for maximum energy reflection and stability at high speeds.

• The Twist: Arbor adds Up Rise Fenders to their camber decks, beveling the outside contact zones up by 3 degrees. This means you get all the aggressive snap and carving power of traditional camber, but it feels smooth and significantly less catchy when initiating turns or spinning off jumps.

System Rocker

Built for riders who want a surfy, playful ride with effortless turn initiation and natural float in deep snow.

• The Tech: It uses a reverse camber arc that naturally lifts the tip and tail contact points off the snow.

• The Twist: While standard rocker shapes tend to slide out on ice, Arbor’s System Rocker utilizes Grip Tech unblended sidecuts to create unshakeable edge hold right under your bindings, meaning you can confidently carve even on hard pack.

Standout Decks for 2027

The Cosmic Shift: Bryan Iguchi’s Astrowaste

Arbor teamed up with snowboarding royalty Bryan "Guch" Iguchi to unleash the Astrowaste. This advanced directional board introduces a specialized version of the System, utilizing 3D Pow Fenders that pull the outside contact points way up off the snow. It delivers a loose, surfy, catch free feel while buttering, but locks in instantly like a rail the second you lay it over on an edge.

Pure Park Progression: The Red Gerard Pro

If you have watched Red Gerard spin with his signature smooth style, you know his gear has to handle massive impact. The all new Red Gerard Pro twin is a System Camber deck built for high velocity freestyle control. It swaps a standard plastic topsheet for a real wood Powerply to add natural rebound, structural snap, and bulletproof durability for heavy park features.

Return of a Legend: The Next Gen A-Frame

For riders who live to dig trenches and hunt deep powder, the iconic A Frame has been completely reincarnated into a surf inspired swallowtail design. As part of Arbor's elite Founders Collection, this directional powerhouse couples a heavy setback System Camber profile with a rear wheel drive carbon layout for deep, back foot dominant power.

Whether you are looking to get loose on a System Rocker setup or want the high speed snap of a System Camber deck, the 2027 line shows exactly why Arbor and Milo have stood together for decades. Stop by the shop to flex these in person and find your perfect match.