Arbor Powerply: Beauty, function, sustainability

The wooden topsheet has been one of the hallmarks of Arbor snowboards for over two decades. What are the benefits of Powerply technology for the board's properties and how does it fit into the brand's philosophy?

"There is many ways of judging the value of life. Money is one of them, making things you love is definitely another..."

For over 25 years, Arbor Snowboards have been built using real wood topsheets. It looks great and makes the beauty of a purely natural material stand out. But the technology known as Powerply has several other benefits. First of all, it increases the performance and longevity of the snowboard. Powerply acts as the third composite layer, whose natural and naturally degradable fibers help reduce the weight of snowboards and reduce the dependence of production on petroleum resins, man-made fibers and solvents.

Since day one, Arbor’s partner in the development and production of Powerply Tops has been Ohio based M.Bohlke Veneer Corp. This family owned business has been supplying veneer to the wood products world for 55 years and, in cooperation with Arbor, tirelessly supports the development team in finding the most suitable types of sustainably obtained wood veneers for each snowboard model. The cooperation with Bohlke makes it possible to constantly improve the process of transforming wood veneer into Arbor Powerply. Their knowledge of the unique, intrinsic value of each species, and their direct connection to the environmentally friendly harvesting practices of the landowners they work with is essential to our overall mission, and our ability to confidently endorse the sustainability of our Powerplys.

The mission of the Arbor brand has remained unchanged since its founding – deliver responsible progression by blending forward thinking design and craftsmanship with sustainable material and production methods. Working alongside the three generations of the Bohlke family laid the groundwork for this mission. Wood ties together the cornerstones of the Arbor brand: craftsmanship and sustainability. Bohlke stands at that intersection proving year-in and year-out that people make the difference.

See the full range of Arbor snowboard equipment.