Arbor’s Whiskey and Element snowboards are some of their best priced all-mountain freestyle boards. Both boards are directional twins with a medium flex and will set you back $450.
The Whiskey is for simple shredders looking to improve their abilities and confidence on their rails, in the park and in powder. The Element is a versatile one-board-quiver all-mountain board for the masses. It will serve you well in the park, pipe, groomers and in backcountry powder.
The Element is available in a rocker or camber profile while the Whiskey is only made as a rocker. So, which board fares best between the two?
See the Arbor Whiskey or the Arbor Element Camber on Evo
| Key features | Arbor Whiskey | Arbor Element |
| Style | All-mountain, freestyle. Directional twin | All-mountain. Directional twin |
| Price | $450 | $450 |
| Stiffness | Medium Flex | Medium flex |
| Profile | System rocker | System rocker OR traditional camber |
| Rider level | Beginner – advanced | Intermediate – advanced |
| Size | 148, 152, 155, 158, 159MW, 161, 162MW | 153, 155, 157, 158MW, 159, 161 |
Arbor Whiskey vs Element: who are these boards for?
The Whiskey is designed for upper-beginner and intermediate riders who are looking for a playful and forgiving all-mountain ride. That said, it’s also great for more advanced riders looking to improve in the park while saving money on a one-quiver board.
The ideal Whiskey snowboarder enjoys spending their day between backcountry tree runs, groomers and the park, while jibbing off everything in their path.
The rocker profile is similar to the design of a surfboard and has a floaty feel. It has a centered stance with a slightly longer nose than tail, giving the board a set back feeling and keeping it afloat in powder.
The Element is slightly more technical and is made for intermediate to advanced riders looking to expand their big-mountain horizon, while not shying away from the park, pipe, powder and tree lines.
With a medium flex rating, it isn’t the most aggressive board but is solid for those with powerful legs on hard-charging groomer days. This is for those who are always stoked to ride, come rain, sludge or shine.
The rocker Element model has a classic rocker profile with a smooth downward curve and less edge contact with the snow. Rocker boards in general float better in powder and are easy to pivot, slide and jib in the park.
The Element rocker is stiffest under feet and gets progressively softer towards the tip and tail, giving it a good torsional balance between responsiveness and stability..
Aside for being well-suited for a tight budget, both these snowboards are a great stepping-stone for those looking to develop their skills in the park, on powder and on groomers.
See the Arbor Whiskey or the Arbor Element Camber on Evo
Arbor Whiskey vs Element: riding in powder
With its centered stance and only marginally longer nose, the Whiskey is not designed for deep powder. However, with a bit of effort it will easily float over shallow pockets and fresh snow.
While not a pure powder machine, the Whiskey is a decent option for intermediates wanting to improve their confidence in soft snow.
The Element rocker profile gives the board a surfy feel on powder. The nose seems to seamlessly pop and glide over fluffy snow and doesn’t seem to want to catch an edge.
In contrast, the camber model isn’t floaty at all. The only thing going for this board in powder is its slightly longer nose, though it’s so subtle that it still feels easy to dig.
Of the two snowboards, the Element rocker is probably the most optimal for powder, a good option for newbie riders looking to spend more time in powder without splurging on a separate board.
Arbor Whiskey vs Element: carving
The Whiskey isn’t the best carver in the business and while it feels easy going from edge to edge, it can be tricky to find a secure edge-hold. On the softer side of a medium flex, it feels easy to bend and to wash out when you ride too fast.
If you’re used to riding rocker profile boards you’ll be pleasantly surprised with how it carves, but if you’re accustomed to hybrid or camber boards you’ll be sure to feel the shortfalls when leaning into a hard carve.
Arbor has designed the Whiskey with a Tri-Radial sidecut mechanism under the heel and toe contact points, giving a more ergonomic grip onto the snow for when extra control is needed.
This grip technology edge-hold helps to dig the edges for rail to rail carves and is useful for hard-pack and uneven snow. However, it loses control quickly the faster you drive the board.
Carving on the Element
The Element rocker has great control and outperforms many on high-speed carves. It feels stable and doesn’t tend to wash out when riding fast, doing well for the Arbor carver name.
Any camber board is going to be catchier than a rocker board. While it will usually carve more seamlessly on hard-pack snow, the Element camber does not carve with the precision and edge-hold one might expect.
Overall, the Element fares better for more advanced, powerful and controlled carves.
See the Arbor Whiskey or the Arbor Element Camber on Evo
Arbor Whiskey vs Element: turning
While the Whiskey isn’t a great carver, it shines in quick turning. The board has fast turn initiation and is super quick between rail to rail on short to medium radius turns.
Short radius turns feel snappy and responsive and have an easy going and forgiving feel to them. Wider S-turns are neither exceptional nor disappointing but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of spring and pop for these long turns.
The Whiskey’s rocker mellows out towards the tips and tails, creating low profiles which make sure the outside contact points engage with the snow for more secure turns and carves.
The Element is equally good in the turning department. The rocker allows for catch-free tracking over snow and buttery turns, skids and pivots.
Turn initiation on the rocker profile is medium to fast and feels so stable that it can sometimes even feel locked-in. It’s a great option for those who like to do a bit of everything, from short to medium to long radius turns.
The Element camber profile has great edge-hold on hard snow but cuts out on ice. While it balances good edge-hold without being too catchy, it isn’t ideal for skidded turns.
Once again, the Element rocker is the better option for a wider variety of turns. The Whiskey is great for short radius turns but washes out when too much pressure is applied.
Arbor Whiskey vs Element: trees and slow sections
As mentioned above, the Whiskey has great turn initiation and is quick edge-to-edge on short radius turns. It’s a super agile sled made to cruise seamlessly between tight trees and unexpected lines.
The Element snowboards, for their part, are crafted with mixed gloss lamination, giving them extra durability for dicey tree sections.
The Element camber is also a great option for those who enjoy the solitude of a tree line. It is highly agile at slower speeds and has a great balance between smooth and snappy for unpredictable lines.
The Whiskey and Element camber are both agile options for those wanting to enter tree lines. In general, the Whiskey prefers to ride slowly and is ideal for intermediates starting out in the trees.
See the Arbor Whiskey or the Arbor Element Camber on Evo
Arbor Whiskey vs Element: fast riding
The Whiskey is by essence, not a speeder. It doesn’t feel stable when riding too fast and is a lot better for slower cruisers.
Generally, rocker profiles aren’t made for speed because of the extra base contact and resistance with the snow. That said, for a rocker board, it isn’t the slowest option out there.
The Whiskey can hold a good edge at moderate speeds thanks to its grip technology, but the board falls short of the mark if you seek to really open it up for damage.
Though it feels damper than the Element, the protruding base isn’t ideal for maintaining speed on flat sections and cat tracks.
The Element camber feels smooth and stable when riding fast. It’s the fastest and most responsive of the two snowboards.
Arbor Whiskey vs Element: rugged terrain
When it comes to choppy terrain, the Whiskey outshines the Element. It handles chop with grace and absorbs undulations and vibrations well.
The dampness of the base combined with a durable wooden core handles bumps well at slow and fast speeds. The damp base absorbs a lot of the chatter before it has a chance to pass into your legs.
The directional shape of both the Whiskey and Element, with a slightly longer nose than tail, give both boards extra control on rugged terrain. The long nose rides over bumps with ease, smoothing out the path for the rest of the snowboard.
While both are great for uneven terrain, the Whiskey seems to absorb chatter a bit better.
Arbor Whiskey vs Element: jumps and tricks
With its soft flex feel, the Whiskey is poised to have good pop potential. Rocker profiles generally have a skate-like pop feeling, great for hopping, ollieing, buttering and spinning. That said, the Whiskey doesn’t feel as poppy as you might expect.
The rocker profile and agile turning ability make both snowboards solid for approaching kickers. The Whiskey works best small to medium kickers and side hits and isn’t stable enough at speed for big kickers.
While not a pro jibbing machine, the Whiskey is forgiving enough at slow speeds for those looking for a playful deck to practice on. More advanced riders need to load it up a lot to get some true pop out of a jib.
Without camber, the Whiskey is a great beginner pipe board. It isn’t the easiest to drive from wall to wall but is forgiving enough to explore the pipe walls.
It’s also ideal for butters because of its soft flex and rocker profile, which naturally has a lot of rebound in it.
The Element camber has a stable approach and landing for jumps and decent pop and flex to ollie into the air. It’s responsive for jumps and handles bigger kickers better than the Whiskey.
In general, both rocker boards are good options for first time park riders and have decent pop and flex. The Element is a bit of a step-up from the Whiskey and can handle bigger jumps better.
See the Arbor Whiskey or the Arbor Element Camber on Evo
Riding experience: switch riding
Both boards are directional twins and have an insignificant set-back and longer nose, making them equally easy to ride switch. They are both easy going switch sleds for switch riding learners.
Final words
The Whiskey is a top-notch intermediate resort board if you want to further your skills by practicing in the park, in backcountry trees and in powder. While it may not excel in any one field, it’s a great basic all-rounder for the versatile rider.
The Element is a step up from the Whiskey and is a solid all-round performer. It’s a better option if you crave a bit more speed in your carves and are looking to spend more time practicing in powder and on steep lines than on groomers.
While neither are top of the range, both snowboards are excellent budget options for developing riders.