About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the board which I purchased with my own money in March of 2022.

My take

The Hel Yes is an all-around quiver killer. It is the perfect board for an aggressive all-mountain female rider. It carves hard, plows through powder, and even has enough pop to be really fun on jumps. It might be a little stiff for a beginner, but an intermediate and up rider will never tire of this board.

About the gear

• Model: Yes. Hel Yes. 2023
• Size: 149

About me

• Height: 5’7”
• Weight: 130 lb
• Experience: 23+ years

Test conditions

• When I bought these: March 2022
• Days tested: 3
• Mount position: +15/-15
• Boots: Ride Sage
• Boot Size: 9
• Bindings: Now Brigade
• Where I’ve used it: Washington
• Terrain: Groomers, Park, Icy conditions, choppy snow

How it performs

What I was looking for

I was on the hunt for a one-quiver board that was really fun to carve on, pretty aggressive, and fun to hit jumps with. I already loved the Jones Stratos, but I was now looking for slightly more of a twin-shaped board. I wanted a board to replace my Burton Feelgood that was not quite as stiff, and would be the board I’d take on an airplane to Europe if I couldn’t take all of my boards.

Why I chose this gear

I was able to test a few boards I was interested in, and the Hel Yes stood out above all others. The moment I first rode it, I realized the only limit to speed was me, not the board, and I hadn’t had so much fun carving in a long time. It was also way poppier than I expected for a board with a pretty stiff rating, so it was extremely fun on kickers too.

I was interested in the Capita Equalizer or the GNU Asym Ladies Choice if I went slightly more freestyle. I chose the Hel Yes because it was the perfect balance between these two boards and seemed to do everything better. (Except maybe park, the GNU rocked at the park!)

What I love about it

• Speed: I have not found the limit on speed with this board. I feel like I can stay in great control while flying down groomers, without any fear of skidding out or having a lot of chatter underfoot. It is a very responsive and fast board.
• Edge hold: The UnderBite technology that Yes. uses really shines when it comes to edge hold. It’s actually designed to re-distribute the rider’s weight for the most grip possible. Even on pretty icy runs, I didn’t skid out like I would on other boards, and I felt like I could really dig in and stick.
• Turns: Turning is fantastic on this board. Both larger swooping carves and tighter turns feel effortless. The faster I went, the easier it was to turn, but even riding at slower speeds with friends I didn’t feel like it was so stiff that it took much effort to turn.
• Groomers: I usually get bored on groomers, but this board is really fun. It’s right there with the Jones Stratos for being a board that just wants to carve. It feels very stable and fast on groomers.
• Powder: I have not had a chance to ride this yet in deep powder, but from everything I hear, it does amazing. In a few inches, it was smooth and buttery. It has slam-backs so I can set my stance back, providing more pressure on the back of the board so the front will float.
• Trees: This is truly an all-mountain board, and it did not disappoint in trees. I like to go fast through trees, but I can only do that if I’m feeling confident in the board I’m riding and my ability to control it. This board will turn on a dime and is stiff enough to go fast, yet nimble enough to turn quickly.
• Park: I was amazed at how fun this board was on medium-sized park jumps. I felt really stable going into the jumps, it had great pop, and then the landing felt very stable again. I would definitely use this board for a groomer day with some laps through the park hitting jumps. That being said, it is not the greatest with rails and boxes. The sintered base is pretty high-end so I wouldn’t want to do a lot of rails with it, plus it is a bit stiff for true ‘park rat’ status.
• Durability: I haven’t had this board long enough to know how durable it will prove to be. It feels solid, and the base seems very durable. Some boards I own have high-quality textured top sheets that are very hard to chip, and the Hel Yes does not have this, so I hope it doesn’t chip over time.
• Weight: I found this board to be very lightweight. Yes replaces 30% of the poplar with paulownia which they say makes it lighter. They also run bamboo stringers through it to maintain the pop and responsiveness, and I would say this board is noticeably light and poppy.
• Switch riding: This board isn’t quite as good as a true twin would be, but being a directional twin board it can still hold its own going switch, especially if I don’t have my stance set back all the way. I would say it is high-average for a freeride board in this category.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Moguls: Moguls are so-so with this board. It is better than a lot boards because it turns quickly, but it is still stiff enough that it doesn’t flow smoothly through tight moguls. A slightly softer flexing board might be a little more maneuverable, but if I really power into the turns, the Hel Yes will keep up.
• Backcountry: My biggest complaint with this board is how it feels going over uneven icy terrain, wind-blown terrain, or heavy tracked-out powder. It is not as solid as some boards I have ridden, and I think it's partly because I often ride boards with a wider waist width than this one. On groomers, it is one of the most stable rides, but going through chunder, I could feel a lot of chatter underfoot and it wasn’t the most stable. Being a splitboarder as well, that is the terrain I often meet unexpectedly in the backcountry, so this wouldn’t be the first board I’d take hiking or want to be turned into a splitboard.
• Stability: This board shines in its stability on groomers, but lacks stability going over uneven terrain. It isn’t the dampest board and can get chattery on bumpy terrain. It has great pop and is surprisingly fun to butter though!

Favorite moment with this gear

My favorite moment was when I first hit three park jumps in a row with this board. I already knew it could carve amazingly, keep up with any speed I wanted to go, and plow through powder, but I did not expect it to be so fun on jumps. The amount of pop this board has is amazing. It was my first time night skiing in many years too, so we felt like we had the place to ourselves and it was a beautiful evening to ride!

Value for the money vs. other options

Overall I think this board is worth every penny. It’s not the cheapest board out there and comes in a little higher MSRP than the Never Summer Lady West or the Capita Equalizer, but I do think the Hel Yes is top-of-the-line and will not disappoint.

Final verdict

For a high intermediate to advanced female rider looking to shred hard, this board could very well be the quiver-killer. It loves to carve, will go as fast as it's pushed, has tons of pop, and does amazing in powder. This versatile board is well worth the cost.