Arbor Snowboards joins forces with Meadowlark
Some news from a little further down the road than the Bighorns. Arbor Snowboards — the Venice, California brand that has built boards from sustainable materials since 1995 — is bringing its snowboarding program back in-house, and in doing so has merged with Mas Alpha Securities, the firm that acquired Meadowlark in May. The two businesses now share an owner, a long view, and a plan that puts this mountain at the centre of how Arbor builds and tests its boards.
Here is what was announced on October 7, and what it means for Meadowlark.
What Arbor announced
After years of operating under a licensing structure, Arbor is taking day-to-day operation of its snowboarding program back in-house. The aim is to reconnect the brand with its founding while strengthening the business through an integrated structure that brings ownership and operation back together.
To fund that chapter, Arbor’s founder, Bob Carlson, has merged the company with Mas Alpha Securities, converting a large portion of his stock into the combined business. Mas Alpha Securities, led by Jose Mas Jr., is a privately held investment firm backed by members of the Mas family and a close circle of partners and friends — many of them lifelong snowboarders. Arbor stays private, with Carlson in place as president and a key member of the ownership group.
A few years back we set out to prepare Arbor for a changing industry. We strengthened the management team, bolstered the athlete roster, and began the process of refining and broadening our product offering. Today we have completed the transformation by significantly strengthening the ownership of the business, while keeping it grounded in our founding. — Bob Carlson, Arbor
Mas Alpha Securities is spearheaded by the next generation of the Mas family, who bring branding, operational, financial, sports and athlete-marketing expertise to Arbor. The family are owners of Inter Miami CF, the 2025 MLS Cup champions, and have spent generations building MasTec, a leader in clean energy, EV, civil and communications infrastructure.
What it means for Meadowlark
The merger comes on the heels of Mas Alpha Securities’ acquisition of Meadowlark in May. The firm is transforming the lodge, the snowboard and ski area and the surrounding property into a unique all-season base camp for exploring the Bighorn National Forest — and Arbor is now part of that.
The two share the same goals: better access to the outdoors, a higher-quality experience for the people who come here, and a serious attempt at the affordability problem felt across the industry. In practice, the partnership means:
- An R&D lab on the hill. Meadowlark becomes Arbor’s research and development lab and official test center. Boards will be ridden, tuned and torn apart on this mountain before they reach anyone else.
- A content hub. Arbor’s riders, films and photography will have a home base in the Bighorns, and Meadowlark will become an important content-creation hub for the brand.
- Shared operations. The two businesses will combine key back-end operations and a range of content and sponsorship efforts — a highly collaborative, first-of-its-kind partnership between a board company and a mountain.
We aren’t building this for the next five years. We are building it for the next 50. We want Arbor and Meadowlark to become agents of change in the outdoor world. We want our team, our guests, and our communities to feel the passion behind what we are creating. We are just getting started. — Jose Mas Jr., Mas Alpha Securities
The timeline
Arbor’s snowboarding product license with Kent Outdoors ends on January 31, 2027, when day-to-day operation transfers back to Arbor. Arbor has thanked Kent Outdoors for twelve years of partnership and friendship, under which the brand saw expanded awareness and market penetration.
For Meadowlark, the first visible signs will come this winter: Arbor boards in the rental fleet and the demo center, Arbor riders on the hill, and more to announce as opening day gets closer. Watch this page.
Check out the Arbor Rental Fleet!
About the companies
About Arbor. Since 1995, Arbor’s mission has been simple and unchanged: blend innovative design with a steadfast commitment to sustainable materials and construction methods. Arbor sees this as the best way to deliver the performance and quality required for a lifelong pursuit of snowboarding, skateboarding, and the good times that happen along the way. For 31 years, Arbor has been proud to highlight the athletes and artists who support this approach. More at arborcollective.com.
About Mas Alpha Securities. Mas Alpha Securities is focused on acquiring and building irreplaceable businesses and real assets. Through its growing portfolio, the firm seeks to partner with founders and operators to build enduring businesses designed to be owned for generations rather than investment cycles. More at masalphasecurities.com.