The 2023 Marhar Archaic Snowboard Review
Board: Marhar Archaic
Size: 154
Camber Option: Hybrid Camber. Flat in the middle, camber underfoot, and rocker in the tips.
Bindings: Rome Black Label
Stance: 21.5 Wide 15 Negative 12 Goofy
Boots: K2 Thraxis Size 10
My Weight: 200lbs
Resort: Copper Mountain
Conditions: High visibility overcast graybird, fog, wet snow, lumpy snow, ice, chop, chunder, and firm fast frozen groomers.
Flex: This boards slightly below a middle of the road all mountain freestyle flex. This gives it more play than most in this category. You have a lot of flex in the tips, stiffer underfoot, and then softer again between the feet with a ton of torsional flex.
Stability: This board is highly lively which means you feel everything. The tips flap at speed and that resonates back underfoot. In choppy terrain this board can get bucked around so keep your knees bent to absorb it or prepare for the consequences of your life choices.
Ollies: This board is super easy to engage the snap of. You load the rear camber section up and roll back onto that rocker and it just springs. It’s not the snappiest deck, but more feels like a board you’ve ridden a 100 days and is broken in so you know what you’re getting.
Pop On Jumps: Be lazy and let the lip throw you or be more aggressive and load up and pop. When you do load up you get a little more air time but not much it’s just not overly snappy. Small to medium jumps are really its strong suit.
Butterability: That rocker section in the tips is super playful and it just works in conjunction with the camber section. So get your weight outside the bindings and lean into it and you’ll be doing any butter variation you want with ease.
Jibbing: This board locks into presses and just holds. That camber section under each foot gives independent pop so if you’re on the nose expect it to snap out of a press as well as on the tail. When you get sideways this board just locks in and hugs the feature to the point you’re enveloped around it.
Carving: This board steers 100% right underfoot. It rolls from edge to edge fluidly but isn’t overly quick just consistent. You can feel it Dual Arc Edges engages and lock in underfoot. This makes it easy to ankle steer the board, when you do drive it aggressively the tail sometimes washes out as it’s just a hair too soft for a real hard push into it. I’d say medium carves and set up turns are its real strong suit but you can lay it over when you need to.
Rider in Mind: All mountain freestyle guy with more emphasis on freestyle.
Personal Thoughts: They tweaked the core this year and you can feel it, it’s gotten a bit more playful. This makes it easier to butter but sacrifices a little snap and power when you drive it. It still retains that characteristic damper ride that Marhars have but isn’t dead. Overall I think for the right rider this is probably a great option but as my tastes have changed this isn’t it for me.
Comparable Boards:
Lib Terrain Wrecker: https://bit.ly/3ET9Det
Niche Aether: https://bit.ly/3V9FRYm
Nidecker Escape: https://bit.ly/3Ouyrgj
Binding Recommendations:
Rome Vice: https://bit.ly/3tRjRG1
Ride C-6: https://bit.ly/3ADSfbj
Now Pilot: https://bit.ly/3AxlSuP