Arbor's New Kelly Slater Series Skateboard

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TreeHugger has been a fan of Arbor since they launched a few years ago, designing snowboards and skateboards out of bamboo and other sustainable materials. But when we got a sneak peek at their new Slater skateboard, we couldn't help but take it for a test ride down Main Street. The Slater Series, Arbor's first signature skate, is designed to honor acclaimed surfer and eight-time world champion Kelly Slater. The long, carving board is perfect for cruising and is loosely based on the chopped down mini guns that Kelly surfs at Pipe in Hawaii. It's built around four plys of sustainably sourced Canadian Hardrock Maple, sandwiched between two layers of procured fiberglass (this is essentially what makes it long-lasting and flexible). And one of its best features is something we haven't seen on an Arbor skateboard before. Its deck is finished with an ecologically accessed ply of Hawaiian Koa wood, which creates improved durability and response time. Since Koa's color and grain patterns widely vary, this ensures that each Slater skate is unique. And here's a neat fact about Koa: According to Arbor, it was first used 1,000 years ago by the Ancient Hawaiians to build the original surfboards and create the world of surfing.

Bob Carlson, President of Arbor, states: "The Slater Series is built with a unique blend of materials that deliver a powerful combination of attributes, including: carve-oriented performance; solid downhill style; the right amount of surf heritage; and most importantly, respect for the environment. In the end, it's the environment that makes a life of surf, skate and snow possible."

Although we love tearing the slopes up with Arbor's Cadence, we sure can't wait to cruise to the beach this coming summer on this totally rad, one-of-a-kind deck. ::Arbor