Construction
The shape and equipment of the board can easily keep up with all the features of a modern freeride board. In addition to the Paulownia wood core, which provides a good amount of pop, vibration reduction and control, the long nose rocker, the camber under the binding and the shortened, tapered tail rocker enable perfect float in powder. The sidecut with the additional contact points, called "dual waves" at Borealis, offers grip on ice and hard snow. "Carbon Power Beams" enable increased pop and precision, the "Powder Paw" made of Kevlar and carbon makes the board very responsive and fiberglass ensures the best torsional stiffness. Last but not least, Karakorum clips and hooks are also included.
First impression
"Rigid and light" is how Borealis would describe its Arcane in an elevator pitch. At first glance, this is immediately confirmed. The flex is hard and the board feels surprisingly light - it literally smells of fresh snow crystals paired with a lot of snow dust. The workmanship is rock solid and the design of the Arcane is also very successful - a real eye-catcher.
Riding characteristics
With a new, Big Mountain Award-winning board under my feet, I was first interested in the downhill performance of the Arcane. In its main area of use, the splitboard left nothing to be desired - quite honestly, it even surprised me in a very positive way. The long rocker helps to save energy on deep snow descents. The board has good flotation, is maneuverable and lets you enjoy the powder in a playful way. The American would say "A Plus", but that was just the "duty"... now for the "freestyle".
The bigger challenge for a splitboard is mastering less good snow conditions. But the Arcane also mastered hard or icy snow conditions with flying colors. Thanks to the hard flex and the "dual wave" sidecut, the edges of the splitboard cut through the terrain with such confidence that I couldn't tell any difference to a classic snowboard. The board always gives you the feeling that you have everything under control and allows you to resolve any situation in a controlled manner.
On the piste, you can also have a lot of fun with the Arcane. The splitboard offers the rider an intuitive, flowing transition between carved and drifted turns.
Ascent
The Arcane feels very stable on the ascent. Its construction also provides good edge hold uphill, which is particularly advantageous on traverses. The binding is well placed in the ascent position and allows the splitboard halves to work well on hairpin turns. The two splitboard halves are also not too wide and fit well in every ascent track. The low weight and the good camber of the board make tracking in deeper snow (almost) child's play. The only point of criticism could be the Karakoram connecting buckles / elements that are exposed to the outside. I've been asked a few times by other ski tourers whether I have any problems with them, but to date I haven't got stuck on any trees or rocks.
