Curated Experts Everett Pelkey and Mike Leighton got their hands on the 2023 Yes. Warca and put it to the test at Powder Mountain in Utah this spring. Check out how it performed in the carving, freestyle, and freeride categories, but don’t forget, every rider is unique; if you have any questions on the Warca or would like recommendations on what board would be ideal for your needs, reach out to a Snowboard Expert here on Curated.

Before we jump in, a quick note that Curated Experts are not sponsored by any brands, all of these reviews are completely unbiased.

Brand Claims

What does Yes. claim about this board? [Everett] So Yes. is the brand that brought around the short, stubby ride. The Warca is the culmination of seeing what it's become and bringing it back around full circle.

[Mike] Warca is an interesting name, right? Well, Yes. made the 420. The 420 was one of the first boards in the short and much wider snowboard category. Since then, there have been the Orca and the Warpig. If you combine Warpig and the Orca, you get Warca. So for 2023, Yes. decided to bring back the 420-inspired design with a little help from their friends..

Overall Impressions

What's your overall impression of the board? [Everett] It's a super unique shape. I haven't seen too many things like it. The tip and tail features a very similar resemblance to the Lib Tech Orca: it's going to have a little rounded-out nose in the top and then a short, stubby swallow tail in the back to make sure you get that lift and float in powder; and it will sit back to make sure you're staying on top every turn you make. The MidBite section is going to add a narrower waist width underneath, in-between your feet. This makes it more softer and nimble for turning, carving, and just instant initiation in the board, which was super beneficial for many situations I ran into.

[Mike] Yes. made a Cambridge snowboard and introduced their mid-bite outline. And this allows a narrower waist width, which improves the edge-to-edge mobility of this board. And, honestly, it delivers. Though I didn't know when I looked at it, because it's a little unnerving when you see that cut back. And with its wider profile, it eats up chop and chunder. It's kind of one of those boards, it just does a bit of everything really, really well. And it's really exciting that I got to ride it.

Carving

How does it turn? [Everett] This board was super fun to carve on. It took me a second to get used to because that MidBite did try to catch a little bit. But I felt I could turn faster than I expected on a board like this. I was able to twist the board a lot sooner than expected and made it feel much lighter under feet that for such a big board I was still able to get into tighter sections, quicker turns, and really just throw it around as I felt, wherever I wanted to go. It made it a lot more fun than I expected.

How is its edge hold? [Everett] That extra midsection taper allowed me to be a lot quicker and lighter on my feet while having that radio side cut on this was still giving me a higher edge than I needed to, so I could feel comfortable going into turns.

[Mike] Once you get on the board, it is quick edge to edge. The mid-bite really helps with that nimbleness. With its cambered profile, it holds an edge really well. So this board is really easy to carve on.

How is stability in turns? [Mike] I will say that at higher edge angles, depending on where your weight is, you might get a little chatter on your hillside edge. But once you kind of ride the board, and feel it out a bit, you're going to figure it out. It is a breeze to carve.

Freestyle

How is its pop? [Everett] The pop factor is really what got me. Once I found the right spot loaded up on the tip or tail, that made it a lot of fun, and I could really send rollers, cliffs, jumps, you name it.

[Mike] It does have a ton of pop with the mid-bite outline. You can really set an edge, get some pop, and spin it.

How is it riding switch? [Mike] In the realm of freestyle, you can ride it switch, you can press it forward, you can play with it, you can spin it around. But it's not going to be a jib board.

How is the board on jumps and how is its stability on landings? [Everett] Freestyle is definitely not the main point of this board, but it still was able to hit side hits, cliff drops, and really just conducive for having a good-old time on the entire mountain. I felt super stable on every landing.

[Mike] Overall, this is going to be a side-hit machine. Cliff drops, landing in powder with that wide shape; it's able to play all over the mountain. I think that's kind of what the Yes. guys have always wanted to do with every board they design.

Freeride

How would it be in powder? [Everett] I wouldn't say initially this would be the hardest-charging, deep-trenching laying board, but that's not what it's meant to do. It's really meant to slay pow, push your limits out in the backcountry, and then rip wherever else you're going. Freeride is definitely its bread and butter. That is where this board wants to live. That minimal taper gives you the nimbleness on the shorter-sized board that you should be riding. But it has float, width, tip and tail, so it's going to keep you above the snow no matter how deep the conditions get.

How is it riding in the trees? [Mike] Again, with the mid bite outline it's really quick edge-to-edge in the trees.

To sum up, what terrain is this board ideal for? [Everett] The steeper the variable terrain goes, the more this board starts to come alive. You're able to hit those tight trees, maneuver through them, but also lay out big, wide-open turns. Once I figured out the MidBite and its usefulness, it excelled in a wide variety of terrain.

Recommendations

Who would you recommend this board to? [Everett] I would recommend this board for the more advanced rider who is looking for something that is way more of a freeride, off-resort ripper. That's where you're going to start to really open up this style of board. It can handle groomers. It can handle the trees. It's going to be good on the resort. But once you start getting through more of those untracked areas, and when it starts really dumping more, that's where this board really wants to take off and show you what it can really do. So I wouldn't consider this the most friendly East Coast board, but for those days that it does fill in, that's when you're going to want to bust this thing out.

[Mike] I would say this is a good board for upper-level-intermediate through expert-level riders, especially guys with bigger feet who are looking for an alternative option and don't necessarily want to be riding something that's giant and super long. Intermediate and up will be comfortable on this board because it's quick edge to edge and it's at-home anywhere you're going to take it at the resort.

Who should avoid this board, are there better options for them out there? [Everett] This is definitely not a beginner-friendly board. It takes a while to get used to the shape and the unique features on it. So, once you get to a point that you kind of understand where and what kind of a rider you want to be, if this lines up for what you're looking for, this board will make sure you get there, and then some.

[Mike] I wouldn't recommend this board necessarily to a true beginner because of the camber profile and the mid-bite outline. The mid bite does help make it easier edge to edge, but it does take a little bit of getting used to. Or, if you're spending a lot of time in the park, this is not going to be your board. I would suggest a more park-specific twin, instead. This is fine for the occasional park lot, but where this board really shines is going to be fresh snow and resort riding.

Snowboards work differently for different types of riders. If you want help finding the right board for you, reach out to Everett, Mike, or any other Snowboard Expert here on Curated. Note that the 2024 version of the Yes. Warca is linked below - same tech, just different graphic: