"That's a great looking board," comments my chairlift partner as we do the loping shuffle to the front of the lift line. It's my first day and first run on a beautiful new Arbor board, and the evocation of this response is exactly what I was looking for. With my wool sweater and monotone outfit, I was the essence of cool. Well, at least I could look the part.

You're no doubt familiar with Arbor Snowboards, as they become increasingly popular - and the toast of many a lifestyles magazine. Their beautiful impregnated wood decks make a fashion statement on the slopes, but are melded to a sweet board that can definitely hold its own in the performance department.

Part of the reason for Arbor's aesthetic appeal is the fact that a large contingent of riders (including yours truly) are repelled by the garish and kooky graphics foisted upon us by so many board manufacturers. As if we 30-something old-school types are going to be proud of rave/goth graphics on deck. Some companies just don't get it.

Arbor does, with a (don't say it) retro longboard look inspired by their company's Malibu locale and surf culture. Their boards are, in a word, sweet. Using genuine woods such as Hawaiian Koa as structural elements of the boards' construction, they have achieved a singular look that evokes vintage surfboards and woodie station wagons - along with snowboarding's long-lost image from the '40s. . . if only snowboarding went back that far.

But these thoroughly modern snowboards are not just eye-candy. Beneath their good looks lurk as much technology as any other company - keeping them on par technologically while slicing out their own niche visually. Take the board tested by MountainZone - the S-Series 162cm. One of Arbor's four series', the S-Series is "the ultimate freeride machine," according to the company.

Designed to be stiff and responsive on hard-carving turns, the S-Series felt solid and alive beneath our boots. We gave it a hard weekend of turns on Mammoth Mountain's avalanche chutes in two feet of fresh powder, and I was impressed with the board's ability to float my 185 lbs. through the light stuff, making graceful turns no matter what the the slope. The board was bombproof as well over stray rocks - and felt stable from Cornice to the base lodge.

The S-Series features a full-length wood topsheet (1/46th of an inch thick) that combines a center stripe of Walnut, two Maple stringers, and Hawaiian Koa rails, and is the top layer of its sandwich construction. This method is used to increase durability, while providing the "maximum amount of edge control and energy transfer by more directly connecting your feet to the rail" and reducing chatter. The layers are mounted on a die-cut graphite base that Arbor dubs Durasurf 4001.

Other technologies worth nothing include carbon fiber torsion rods to increase flex without decreasing turn initiation. Arbor also uses T6 aluminum tip and tail protectors, along with full-length wood cores, rubber dampening foil, and hardened steel edges.

But all of this technology aside, the most noticeable feature is, of course, the wood veneer - onto which you'll be loath to place even one skull and cross-bones sticker. We had a great weekend on Arbor's board, and just may have to get back into a skateboarding - so we can try out their other line of decks.

msrp: US $470
www.arborsports.com // 310-656-3263

Special thanks to Mammoth Mountain for hosting the MountainZone testing team for this review. Contact them at 800-MAMMOTH or www.mammoth-mtn.com for your next Sierra visit.

— Reviewed & Written by Ari Cheren, MountainZone.com Gear & News Editor