REASONS TO BUY
Tons of pop
Super playful
REASONS TO AVOID
Doesn’t have the best edge hold
Could be more stable
Arbor Swoon Rocker Review
This flexy, playful all-mountain board has a ton of bounce but is a little soft for aggressive riders
Credit: Arbor
By Marissa Fox ⋅ Review Editor ⋅ September 30, 2022
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Our Verdict
The Arbor Swoon Rocker is a solid, all-around mountain board. It offers a smooth, bouncy ride that is playful across the mountain. Its got decent float in powder and is a great option for anyone who wants a mellow ride with plenty of bounce. However, this also means that it doesn't have the best edge hold and is a little squirrely at high speeds, so it isn't the best bet for more aggressive boarders who like to ride fast and hard.
Editor's Note: This article was updated on September 30, 2022, sharing information on what has changed since we last tested the Arbor Swoon Rocker.
Our Analysis and Test Results
Along with new graphics, Arbor gave the Swoon Rocker a few tweaks since our test period. 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. Above, compared the Swoon we tested (left) next to the latest version (right).
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.
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
The Swoon Rocker didn't hold up to the competition for edge hold.
Credit: David Wise
Edge Hold
The Swoon Rocker got off to an alright start in our edge hold metric. 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.
The Swoon Rocker is a fun all around board, but not our favorite for stability or edge hold.
Credit: David Wise
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 Swoon Rocker features a thunderhead tip, giving this board superior float in powder.
Credit: David Wise
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.
The Swoon Rocker is soft and playful, but we weren't enamored with its edge hold at high speeds.
Credit: David Wise
Powder Performance
The Rocker improved its performance a bit in our powder metric. 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.
We were impressed by the Swoon Rocker's fun and freestyle approach to riding deep snow.
Credit: David Wise
Stability
Unfortunately, the Swoon Rocker isn't the most stable. If you are someone who likes carving at high speeds, we would dissuade you from swooning for the Swoon.
While the Swoon Rocker is a blast in powder, we wouldn't recommend it for icy steeps.
Credit: David Wise
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.
The Swoon Rocker features a soft to medium flex and a twin shape that gives it a surfy and fun ride.
Credit: David Wise
Playfulness
We took the Swoon all around the resort, and it handled pretty well in terrain parks and natural features.
The Swoon Rocker is an all-mountain freestyle board that is a blast to ride.
Credit: David Wise
It 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 excels off natural features and in the trees.
The Swoon Rocker is one of the lightest boards we tested and we're impressed by its playfulness and pop.
Credit: David Wise
Pop and Jumping
The Swoon Rocker finished out with a solid showing in our last series of tests. 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.
—Marissa Fox
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