The Hemlock is perfect for park laps, urban assaults, and all-skill-level resort shredding.
https://www.arborcollective.com/
Intended Use: Snowboarding mainly park and all mountain use
Recommended for: any rider level looking for a soft, yet responsive binding at a reasonable price point.
Review Date: December 2019 – March 2020 in Colorado
Hemlock Test Binding info:
- Size: Medium/Large
- Color: Black
- Baseplate Tech: designed to enhance the interaction between the rider and their snowboard, these bindings feel like an extension of your body connecting you to your snowboard utilizing Arbors X-drive () and outsole (dampening) technologies.
- 2X4 Mini Disc, less surface area equates to a more organic snowboard flex underfoot.
- Bow Strap Adjuster: Allows straps to easily swing out of the way when not buckled.
- Fiberglass reinforcement for a softer and more forgiving ride
- Adjustable aluminum heelcups
- Cast aluminum buckles (new for 2019)
- Asymmetrical Highbacks 5 degrees of pre-rotation for a more ergonomic feel and movement.
Review:
Over the last few years we’ve been very interested in Arbor Snowboards binding line, the line has come a long way since their debut in 2016-2017. The Hemlock has always caught my eye as being a park and all mountain binding I’d want to use on any board I was using at my local resort. The Arbor hemlock black bindings have a matte black finish and are ready to mount right out of the box, the 2X4 mini disc system is easy to install on any board I tried it on from Arbor, Lib Tec, Never Summer, and Nitro. These bindings have a solid universal fit on most any snowboard.
I felt the flex of the binding was very comfortable and soft on the lesser side of medium so they were great for riding park and pressing on rails. The hemlock black also provides a really fun and organic feel on snow while popping ollies and buttering. As advertised they just feel natural underfoot, I had no pressure point issues and the toe straps never slipped off my toes at all, something I’ve experienced with other bindings.
The adjustable aluminum heelcups are slightly cumbersome to adjust as the screws are smaller and proved to be difficult to remove and line up to a new position. If Arbor can adjust the size of the screw to the other standard sizes on the binding and enhance the ease of adjustment I would be even more happy than I am today with these bindings. The bolts did not loosen up much from several days of riding, so they stay locked into your board easily and I didn’t have to tighten the hardware much at all. I always do a check the night before riding to make sure, I was very impressed that they stayed tight.
I don’t use forward lean much, but the Hemlock system would be easy to adjust on hill if you want to add a little to keep you locked in while carving. The asymmetrical highback is very flexible, with a true freestyle feel, you can really tweak out tricks with these I felt like I was back in the 90s! The baseplate was cushioned and damp enough that I felt comfortable on small to large jumps, they really make landings feel solid and smooth especially paired with a well cushioned boot (Adidas Tactical ADV).
Over the course of the winter, even though it was cut short this year, these bindings have held up extremely well, from the ratchets to the rest of the hardware, I’m sure the hemlock black will hold up for several seasons of abuse in the park and all over the mountain.
Overall impressions:
If you enjoy a soft freestyle binding for riding park and ripping around the mountain at your local resort, the Arbor hemlock bindings are a great option for you. With high end ratchets and hardware at a reasonable price these bindings will provide you several season of use.
Arbor made this binding to feel like an extension of your body to your board, a more organic experience, and I feel they hit the mark with the hemlock, I absolutely love the responsive feeling underfoot and it truly feels like I’m connected to my board. This binding hits all the marks for a freestyle binding!
Pros:
- Organic feel underfoot
- Freestyle Binding that can be used all over the mountain
- Flexible and playful highback that you can use for carving too
- durable longlasting hardware
- Universal 2X4 system works well with most any brand of snowboard.
Cons:
- Adjustable heelcups can be difficult to adjust
| Price: |  (4.5 / 5) |
| Performance: |  (4.8 / 5) |
| Design: | (4.5 / 5) |
| Overall: |  (4.6 / 5) |