Curated Snowboard Expert Matthew Kaminski got his hands on the 2023 Yes Standard this spring and put it to the test at Powder Mountain in Utah. Check out how it performed in the carving, freestyle, and freeride categories, but consider the fact that each and every rider is different; if you have any questions about the Yes Standard or need recommendations on which board would be best for you, reach out to a Snowboard Expert here on Curated.

Before we get started, it's worth noting that Curated Experts are not sponsored by any brands so all of these reviews are completely unbiased.

Brand Claims

What does Yes. claim about this board? One thing the brand likes to claim with this product is that it is a directional twin, but volume-shifted. So, it's not like the rest of your volume-shifted boards, where you might be riding it shorter and wider. You do want to ride this board true to size, but it does typically come in a wider model than you would find with the rest of your snowboards.

Overall Impressions

What is your overall impression of this board? When I first got on this board, I was a little intimidated by its width. After taking it down the groomers, I really discovered that it carved like any other board that is volume-shifted. Super wide, super strong edge hold, which I personally look for in a freeride/freestyle board. I really consider this a perfect board for any rider who's looking for an all-mountain true twin, but still has that volume-shifted feel. It can be ridden switch, it's got plenty of taper in the tail.

Carving

How does it turn? From edge to edge, this board turns fantastically. Definitely one of the wider boards that we're riding today. So, with that being said, it's going to have that really good edge-to-edge transfer. When holding an edge on the steeper stuff, it did great. Even on that traverse, we were able to cut it all the way across the whole face and I didn't feel any washiness or like the board was going to slide off of me. It held really well when we were cutting to the spots that we wanted to get to. So, overall, great on the edge, a perfect board for carving.

How does it perform at speed? You know, one thing that I look for in a board is something that's going to handle high speeds. This board wants to go fast. It's not meant for the rider that's going to be kind of taking their time getting down the mountain. This board is designed for someone who wants to ride fast, carve fast, and be able to hit jumps going fast. It's meant for speed.

Is it stable? With this board, I was able to charge straight down the groomer and come to a complete stop. For stability, it ate up all the chatter and the crusty snow underneath us, so being able to ride something at high speeds is always an important factor when it comes to looking for a snowboard.

This board would definitely handle hard-charging, it would be able to eat up anything that is bumpy underneath you. Definitely a great all-mountain/freeride board that can handle some hard and rough terrain.

How about dampness? It's pretty solid. I didn't feel too much squigglyness. I didn't feel too much dampness underneath the board. It's overall super flat-feeling when you're riding. You could really charge over any buff or any peace of groomer without really having it kick back at you or feel like it's going to noodle away. It wants to go fast, it wants to go straight down the mountain.

So, really getting it on the edges and laying into the rails, you're going to be able to control this board like nothing else.

Freestyle

Could you speak about playfulness and pop? Coming onto this board, I expected it to be a little bit more playful, but it actually didn't have the most amount of pop. And I think that's partially due to its width and the volume-shifted design. It's kind of more focused on carving and being a freeride stable board. When it comes to popping, I found that it didn't want to boost me as high as some of the other boards that I've checked out, so if you're looking to ride freestyle or park, this might not be the best option. But, if you're looking to this big mountain and a lot of freeride and have a lot of control, this is going to be the right option. The one place you're not going to want to take this is the terrain park. It might do right on some jumps, but trying to lay into some rails, you're going to have a little bit of trouble getting the presses down and getting the butters in. It will handle some park. You will be able to send it off the biggest jump there, but when it comes to jibs and rails, it's not going to be the most ideal board.

What about riding switch? This board handled perfectly riding switch. I was able to carve and do back 180s, get on my heel edge and toe edge both on the switch. I was doing some transitions going from regular to switch riding, and it felt super fluid and felt very clean being able to go from one edge to the other.

How does it perform off jumps? It's definitely one of my more favorite boards that I've ridden for just getting in the air, and I prefer something that's going to be solid and stable when I land. The one thing that it doesn't do well on jumps is obviously pop, and I think we touched a little bit about that earlier, but when it comes to going big in the air, this thing is going to be able to stop a landing, and that's what it's really about. You want to be able to pop, but if you can take off the jump correctly, you're going to be able to go as big as you want to go. Being able to have that control when you land, this is the right option.

Freeride

What kind of terrain does it perform well on? This board is going to show its true colors on some steep high Alpine terrain. That's personally my favorite type of riding. If you can put me anywhere on the mountain, I will be at the top shredding the biggest line. I can see this board handling a huge line up there, but it could also be an awesome daily driver. If you are a freerider and you want a board that can pretty much get you through every type of condition, be stable and be able to handle most of the things that you want to throw at it, this is the right board. Ideal for an intermediate to an advanced rider. We did a nice traverse getting over to a good feature today, and this thing handled up that chundery and choppy snow like a champion. I couldn't believe how well it just cut across. Then when we got to that feature, we were able to ride on some ungroomed terrain and it handled the hard packed snow melt really well. It was able to go over any little jump I wanted to, it was able to hit any feature I wanted to. Overall, I'd say this board, I would give it an 8 out of 10 for its all-mountain-freeriding, 6 out of 10 for its playfulness, and a solid 7 out of 10 overall, for being just a fun board.

How does it do in the trees? I thought this thing would've been a little bit more challenging riding through the trees, but it actually was super easy to maneuver. Getting on the edges was a dream and being able to navigate through the aspens was super easy on this board. Going off a freeride board, I might think that it would be a little bit more difficult, especially with the control, but I would not mind riding this thing in the trees any day.

How would it perform in powder? I didn't get the chance to ride this board in powder today, but I can tell you that it's going to perform well. It's made up by the folks in British Columbia. They ride a lot of powder up there. They know what they're doing. I can only see this thing floating and cutting through some fresh powder, especially as a free rider. I would love to be able to take this thing off some cliffs and be able to send it into some fresh snow. I think that's where it will show its true colors, even though we're riding some hard packed snow today, it's still, it's giving me an idea of what it would do in the fresh snow, and I know this thing will be able to handle.

Recommendations

Who would you recommend this board to?

If I had to recommend this board to anyone, I would pick the freerider that loves to send it. Someone who wants stability underneath their feet. Someone who wants some freestyle, but still wants something that can charge hard.

Who should avoid this board, are there better options for them out there? I wouldn't put a beginner on this thing. It's a little too stiff for someone who's just learning to connect their turns. Overall though, I'd say any intermediate rider that is comfortable riding a stiffer board and wants something that's going to be super responsive and carve well, this would be a great all-mountain option.

If you want help finding the right snowboard for you, feel free to reach out to Matthew or any other Snowboard Expert here at Curated. We'll make sure to find you the perfect board for your winter season. Note that the 2024 version of the Yes. Standard is linked below - same tech, just different graphic: