The YES Greats XTRM is extremely great (sorry.... really sorry. I had to go there!)
But seriously, after riding this thing, there weren't words to describe how much I enjoyed my time on it. I will try with the words below and hopefully can paint a picture, but was literally smiling the whole time I was testing it.
In this review, I will take a look at the Greats XTRM as an all-mountain-freestyle snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Greats XTRM a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other all-mountain-freestyle snowboards.
Overall Rating
Board: YES Greats XTRM 2026
Price: $749
Style: All-Mountain-Freestyle
Flex Rating: Medium-Stiff (4/5)
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium (6/10)
Rating Score: 95.6/100
Compared to other Men’s All-Mountain-Freestyle Boards
Of the 33 current model all-mountain-freestyle snowboards that we tested:
❄️ The Greats XTRM ranked 1st out of 33
Overview of the Greats XTRM’ Specs
Check out the tables for the Greats XTRM’s specs and available sizes.
STYLE:
All-Mountain-freestyle
PRICE:
$749 - BUYING OPTIONS
Ability Level:
flex:
feel:
DAMPNESS:
SMOOTH /SNAPPY:
Playful /aggressive:
EDGE-HOLD:
camber profile:
HYBRID CAMBER
HYBRID CAMBer - YES's "Camrock 2-5-2"
SHAPE:
setback stance:
CENTERED
BASE:
Sintered
weight:
FELT LIGHT
Camber Height:
5mm
Sizing
LENGTH (cm) | Waist Width (mm) | Rec Rider Weight (lb) | Rec Rider Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
154 | 256 | 150 - 200 | 68-91 |
156 | 259 | 160 - 220 | 73-100 |
159 | 262 | 170 - 250 | 77-113 |
Who is the Greats XTRM Most Suited To?
The Greats XTRM is for a wide range of riders. It's an easy riding board, but it has high level performance at the same time. Particularly well suited to those who ride icy conditions regularly or from time-to-time.
The one thing it doesn't do that well is deeper powder. So, if you do see deeper powder regularly, it may not be a one-board quiver, but it would be the perfect compliment to a powder board in a 2 board quiver. And for those that only see shallow powder or not much regularly, then could definitely be a one-board quiver.
It's not quite beginner friendly, but it should be fine for most intermediate riders.
TEST/REVIEW DetailS FOR THE Greats XTRM
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Greats XTRM is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: YES Greats XTRM 2026, 156cm (259mm waist width)
Date: February 26, 2025
Powder
About the only thing this board isn't great at is powder. While we didn't have any deep powder on the testing day, there was a little bit. It did fine in the shallower powder but would likely not be amazing in deeper powder, based on my experience with the regular Greats and based on specs.
Carving
I found the Greats XTRM a lot of fun to carve with. It might not hold up to some stiffer boards in terms of really high speed carving, but for moderate to moderately fast carves, it feels really good.
Turning
Ease of Turning/Slashing: Super easy to initiate a turn on this board. For how good this board carves, it was surprising that it felt even better to slash than the regular Greats - it might be it's lightness and extra snap/spring has something to do with it.
Maneuverability at slow speeds: I found it really agile when riding slow. Again, even more so than the regular greats and that's not slouch as it is.
Catchiness: I couldn't detect any catchiness in this board. It might not be as catch-free as a beginner board or one with a lot of uplift in the base, but for a board with this kind of performance it's one of the least catchy going around.
Speed
I wouldn't call it a bomber or anything, but it can handle a decent amount of speed really well and remain stable. As good as the regular - this is one area where I thought its lightness might go against it, but it felt just as stable at speed.
Felt average in terms of base glide and overall speed.
Uneven Terrain
Crud/Chunder: Like with stability at speed, I expected its lightness to make it feel a little less stable in crud/chunder/chowder than it's regular counterpart, but it somehow felt at least as good and no more chattery.
Trees/Bumps: While it wouldn't be as good in deeper pow, in the trees we had on the day, it was so much fun. So agile and light and easy to whip around. Would go great on a firmer day too. In deep powder, it would be hard work for the back leg.
Jumps
So sick for jumps, side-hits - anything that requires getting air. The lightness and extra pop it has vs the regular Greats really shines here, making it an even better option for getting some separation between the base and the snow.
Pop: Even easier to access its pop than the regular (which is already really easy) and more total pop. If I have any complaints about the regular (and its my daily driver and my go-to board) it's that it could be lighter and poppier. The XTRM fills those holes perfectly.
Approach: A great mix of being stable but also really easy to make adjustments when needed.
Landing: Also finds a really good balance here. Feels nice and solid when hitting that landing well, but is also pretty forgiving of bad landings and allows you to make any quick adjustments/speed checks you might need after landing.
Side-hits: It's about as good as it gets, IMO. This board was a side-hit beast!
Small jumps/Big jumps: Everything. It's stable enough for larger jumps, but it does really well on smaller jumps too. I don't go to XL, so I don't know if it can tackle those as well, but for everything else, it's sick!
Switch
Again, about as good as it gets. I love that asym sidecut for riding in switch and transitions are a breeze.
Spins
Again, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, it doesn't get much better than this. It's got everything I look for in spins - it's light, has easy pop, it's not catchy, it feels really good to setup and land switch, it's easy to finish an under-rotation on the ground and it doesn't over-spin. All the spin boxes - check!
Jibbing
Now I'm not a strong jibber, but the Greats XTRM was a board that I felt confident hitting boxes/rails on - more so than a lot of boards. It's not jib-ideal, but definitely not something that would discourage from hitting the jib-line in the park.
Butters
Nice and easy to butter and lock in presses. I couldn't over power it for a press and just in general felt really good for pressing and buttering.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
| FACTOR | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Jumps | 5 | 20/20 |
| Carving | 4 | 8/10 |
| Turns | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| Switch | 5 | 10/10 |
| Speed | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Spins | 5 | 10/10 |
| Butters | 4 | 8/10 |
| Jibbing | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
| Crud etc | 4 | 4/5 |
| Trees | 4 | 4/5 |
| Pow | 2.5 | 2.5/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 95.6/100 |
There aren't enough superlatives in the dictionary to describe the Greats XTRM, from my experience.
It just felt so good. I shouldn't be surprised, given the regular 2019 Greats is still my go to, but dang!
If you've ridden the regular Greats, there's a super simple way to describe this board, and that's to simply say it's a lighter, poppies greats.
But what that doesn't describe is what the lightness and pop does for it. It makes it an even quicker slow speed turner but at the same time an even better carver. It's even better to butter because of that lightness and spring and it's easier to ollie and with more total ollie power.
Perhaps even more surprising is that you'd think that extra lightness would mean more instability at speed and chatter in crud, but its at least as good or maybe even a small improvement on those things!
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
To learn more about the Greats XTRM, or if you're ready to buy, or if you just want to research prices and availability, check out the links below.
To check out some other all-mountain-freestyle snowboard options, or to see how the Greats XTRM compares to others, check out our top rated all-mountain-freestyle snowboards by clicking the button below.
Hi Nate, I’m trying buy a board from evo on their discount sale. I have been looking at all kinds of reviews and found a lot of helpful reviews from your website. I ride east coast ice, really no good resorts, just local hills and the once a year trip. I have been riding my Burton custom Flying V for over a decade and antique at this point. I how ever enjoy playing with switch and doing butters not really into big jumps or rails because I’m turning 40 and never got into that stuff. I like the Rome warden just but I’ve been riding for so long I wanted something that maybe a little more advance. I was looking for something that the graphics of the board appealed a little more to me. Unfortunately I’m not finding that in what I want. The warden appeals to me graphics wise but I feel this would be a better board for my style of riding.
I’m 6’2” 195lbs 12boot size. My current board is 159W. What would you recommend me for the YES great XTRM
Hi Brett, thanks for your message.
For the Greats XTRM for you, I would go with the 159. I would put your “typical all-mountain” length at around 161/162 but this is a board you want to size down a bit for. With 12s, you don’t need to size down as much as you’d want to if you had smaller feet, but a little sizing down on this board is still a good idea, IMO.
Hope this helps with your decision
Hey man thanks for such a detailed review, I was wondering your insight on what size I should go for. 6’3 180lbs and 11.5 boot size. Appreciate your help here
Hi Dalton, thanks for your message.
I would go with the 159 for you. I would put your “typical all-mountain” size at around 161/162 and while this is a board to size down for, there’s less need to do that with bigger fit, with one of the reasons for sizing down being the width. The effective edge is also reason to size down for it, but with your foot size, going down to 159 is enough, IMO. If you were getting it to treat as a dedicated freestyle/park board, then I’d think about the 156, but as an all rounder size, I’d go 159 for you.
Hope this helps with your decision
Hi Nate,
I’ve been diving deep into your review of the YES Greats XTRM.
I’m 65kg (143 lbs) with a 24.5cm boot (US Men’s 6.5). I noticed the Greats Xtrm starts at 154cm with a 256mm waist.
Given that my boots are quite small for a 256mm waist, and considering the MidBite tech (which narrows the waist but keeps it wide underfoot), do you think the 154 would feel too ‘clunky’ or slow edge-to-edge for someone of my weight and boot size?
Specifically, I’m worried that I won’t have enough leverage to drive the edges effectively. Would you recommend I stick with the 154 Xtrm, or look for the standard Greats in a 151 (253mm waist) or 149 (245 mm waist) instead?
Thanks for the killer reviews!
Hi Scott, thanks for your message.
I would say the 154 is likely going to feel too big for you and either the 151 or 149 regular Greats would be a better bet, IMO. While weight and foot size are more important than height for sizing, IMO, I still like to take height into account, for the leverage factor, so whether to go 149 or 151 would depend on your height. If somewhere around 5’4″ to 5’8″, then I’d go 149. If 5’10” or up, then I’d say 151. If 5’9, then it’s a coin toss, but I’d probably be just erring towards the 149, in that case.
Hope this helps with your decision
Hey Nate
I’ve been eyeing this board for a while.
I am relatively new to snowboarding but can ride most terrain fine. I would guess I’m intermediate at this point and am fairly comfortable going fast if it’s not too bumpy, but can’t help but feeling that my board is holding me back.
I was gifted a custom x 162 (2023), but I’m roughly 82kg and will drop to around 75kg potentially. 178cm and size 10. I enjoy riding it but really have a hard time making quick snappy turns in choppy crud and Chunder, especially at speed.
I was looking at the greats xtrm as a replacement for my custom x so I can have something more versatile, snappy, but still damp. I mostly ride groomers which usually have choppy hard or mildly soft snow. I’m starting to plan to take trips for snowboarding in better conditions, like Japan and France this year.
Do you think this would be a good board for me? I haven’t had the chance to try rails or jumps or buttering. But want something I can grow with and have fun knowing I have agency to try.
Also wondering what size would be good for me. I’m looking at the 156.
I also considered other boards like the endeavor archetype because I want something snappy and quick to turn but stable and damp. And being good in powder would let me get away with just having one board.
Thanks!
Hi Evan, thanks for your message.
I think the Greats XTRM would work well for what you’re looking for. Not surprised you find the Custom X hard to make quick snappy turns on, particularly in the 162. As you’ve eluded to, the only thing that you may find the Greats XTRM lacking for, in your case, will be when you find yourself in deep powder. For everything else, you should have a great time with this board. Size-wise, I agree that the 156 would be your best bet.
Nate,
I was wondering if I should go with the 156 or 159. I’m 6ft, 185lbs, and size 11 boot. From reading your other comments it sounds like you’d probably suggest a 156? I’m just a little concerned about toe drag from a size 11 boot on a 156. The 159 would be a bit wider, and maybe prevent that? What are your thoughts? Thanks 🙂
Hi Squid, thanks for your message.
For a lot of boards, I would likely say 159 and often 159W, but for the Greats XTRM, I think 156 is your best bet. Width-wise, you shouldn’t have any issues. While another board with a 259mm waist might be borderline for 11s, this board is wider at the inserts than the waist width would suggest. The average difference between waist and width at inserts is around 10mm, assuming a roughly 22″ (560mm waist width) which would typically mean a 269mm width at inserts on a 259 waist width board. That could be wide enough for 11s, depennding on a few things like binding angles, how low profile the boots are and how deep you like to carve, but it could be borderline.
The Greats XTRM measured 277mm at the inserts, so quite a bit above average. That was at a 22.8″ (580mm) stance width, but even at a 22″ (560mm) stance width that would still be around 276mm or at narrowest 275mm. Those width at inserts numbers are wider than a lot of boards that are labelled as wide boards, and it would be very unlikely you’d have any issues with those width-at-inserts (aka width-under-foot) numbers.
Hope this helps with your decision
Hey Nate, been reading through all your reviews all thanksgiving weekend…all of them, takes about 8 hours of couch time to really hit it all if you wanted to know
Well, on your suggestion and yours alone (pretty much because no one else is talking about this board like you do) I just bought me one of these greats XTRM. The only place I could find one was eBay out of Canada…had 2 to choose from 156 and 159. and went with the 156 (6’,185lbs,11.5us) planning to use it a bit more freestyle when I’m riding with my 3 boys (8,10,12) give me a chance to work on the slower turns, bigger carves, butters, and ground trucks and side hits..try to keep up with them, haha…so I’m hoping it fits that list…(I’m too old for the park so that was never a factor) we do get into some blasting groomers too…but here’s the question, what would be the perfect 2 board quiver to compliment this board for when it’s just me or me and a few buddy’s. Some pretty hard free-riding, splitting trees, I don’t get into big jumps or really any jumps, but like powder and trees, dip out to the groomed and love to spray the woods, and just point down hill and fly….something for when I leave the kids with the wife for the day…i know you say this is about as good as it gets to handle almost anything..but what if a guy wants something that does all the things this won’t…a little reverse psychology, you always talk about what a board can do…well, what board does what this won’t? I got some ideas but wanted to see what you think.
Hey Michael, thanks for the message and great question.
Firstly, I think this was a great choice in the 156 for all the things you want to work on when you’re with your kids.
For the board that does the things that this won’t and to suit what you do when away from the family, I think the biggest things you’ll want is more stability at speed and better float in powder, which are the weakest parts of the Greats XTRM, IMO. But given you’re also riding trees, you’ll want some good performance in terms of sharp turns as well, I would assume. Given all of this, I would look at:
Never Summer Valhalla
YES PYL
Burton Sketch Artist
GNU Banked Country
More options, if you want to sacrifice a little in terms of quick slower speed turns, but I chose those as they’re still decent riding in tight trees at slower speeds. If you’re still bombing when in trees, let me know and I can open up some more options.
Hope this helps
Hi Nate,
What would be the best size in your opinion for 5’11 ft, 160-165 lbs, size 11 US for a slightly freestyle, all mountain focus? Thanks for the review!
Hi Josh, thanks for your message.
I would say its a close call between the 154 and 156. I would put your “typical all-mountain” length at around 158, but with this board it’s one to size down on, IMO. With size 11 boots you wouldn’t need to size down as much as someone with smaller boots, but I would go down to at least the 156. As purely all-mountain size, I think 156 would be right on the money. With the “slightly freestyle” in there, the 154 does come into play, which makes it a close call.
For more perspective, I would personally go 156 for myself as a purely all-mountain size and 154 if I wanted a more freestyle oriented size. I have some weight on you, but smaller feet. I’m 6’0″, 180lbs, with 9.5-10 boot size.
So, I don’t think either size would be wrong and if it was pure all-mountain, I’d say 156 and I’m probably still leaning 156, due to the “slightly” part of the freestyle, but the 154 certainly wouldn’t be a bad or wrong choice or anything, IMO.
Hope this helps with your decision
Hi Nate,
Love your reviews, I’m a big fan! I’m really interested in this board, wondering if you can give me some suggestions. I’m 180cm tall and 76kg, 8.5US. I guess 154 will be the best for me?
Also I’m wondering how much better it is comparing with the old greats uninc? This xterm is a pricy board for students, I saw there’s a 2024 version greats uninc is on huge discount like 40% off. Or if you think the xtrem is good enough to purchase with no discount?
Hi Raf, thanks for your message.
Both are really good boards and if budget is tight, the Greats Uninc is still a really good board, IMO. Has been my go-to for most occasions for the last few seasons. The Greats XTRM is definitely an improvement, but it is overall a very similar feel of board to the Greats Uninc. The main things that I noticed it differing for are that it’s noticeably lighter and has better pop. If you’re good with not having those things, then the Greats Uninc at 40% off is really good value-for-money, in comparison, IMO.
Size-wise, I would put your “typical all-mountain” length at around 158, but this is a board I would size down for. The 156 would be in range, but given your boot size and the width of the board, I agree that the 154 would be your best bet. To give it a bit of perspective, I would typically ride a 158/159 as an all-mountain board, but I really like the 156 Greats as an all-mountain size and even the 154 didn’t feel small to me – more of a freestyle sizing, but definitely didn’t feel as small as other 154s would feel for me. I’m 182cm, 81kg, size 9.5-10 boots, so I think the 154 will feel for you similar to how the 156 feels for me.
Hope this helps with your decision
Hi Nate
I’m thinking about buying a Yes snowboard rights now but cant decide between greats and greats xtrm. I have US 9.5 boot size Weight 58 kg and 173 cm tall. I know i fit great in 151 cm greats but id rather get the xtrm but i dont know if this will be overkill. What do you think?
Thanks
Hi Adam, thanks for your message.
Yeah, I think the 154 would be too big for you and since that’s the shortest they have the XTRM in, I would go for the regular Greats. You could go either 149 or 151. It’s a close call between them. If you could let me know a bit about your style of riding and ability level, then I could narrow down what I think would be best between the 149 and 151. The 149 could be borderline width-wise, depending on a few factors, like your stance width, binding angles and your boot profile, so if you know those things too, that would also be helpful.
Hi Nate,
I’m 190cm (6’3), 100kg (225lb) and 12.5 us boot. Do think the greats XTRM 159 would work for me? Y have high end weight listed as 113kg but on theirs website I found it to be 95 kg and I’m not sure if I will be too heavy or not. ( I can also reduce my weight for the season). Another aspect is if u could tell me if u felt it was riding shorter or longer then its actual length? I’m worried it will be to short for me. Can give me some recommendations as to if it will work for me or if u have another boards that could work out for me ( I would love to get this board or something as similar as it).
Hi Wiktor, thanks for your message (and apologies for the slow reply – have been crazy busy!)
Definitely a board that rides longer than it is, IMO. And it seems like YES has changed (lowered) most of their weight recommendations. What I have here is based on what the ’25 Greats Uninc was (when I published this review the Greats XTRM wasn’t up on YES’ website yet and their catalog didn’t show weight recommendations) – and I’ve left it like this as I actually think they are the better weight recommendations for this board. It feels like to me like they’ve rejigged the weight recommendations this year to as if it was a board that rode typical for its length, rather than feeling longer, whereas I think they had it better for previous year’s. Now, I have no idea if there are other reasons they did – but the regular Greats has also been lowered, so I’m not sure.
Generally speaking I would put your “typical all-mountain” length at around 164, but for this board, I think the 159 could work for sure. It might be a little on the more playful/smaller feeling side than I felt the 156 (I’m 6’0″, 180lbs, size 10 boots) but I’ve ridden the Greats Uninc in the 154 before and that didn’t feel overly small for me – and typically a 154 would feel small for me.
Hope this helps, if it didn’t come too late
Hey Nate,
I’m a fan from Taiwan, with your reviewing I cannot wait to get xtrm for this year. Samiliar to some of questions above, I’m 5’7 (169cm)/ 154lb (70kg)/ boot size 8.5, struggling between greats 151cm or greats xtrm 154cm, I’d to get the xtrm version but worry that’s too long to me, any suggestion?
Hi Allen, thanks for your message.
Yeah, unfortunately I feel like the 154 is a little too big to be optimal for you. Enough so that I think the regular Greats in 151 would be the better bet for you.
Hope this helps with your decision
Hi Nate,
I am 5,11 and 90KG with US 13 boots, what size YES greats XTRM would you recommended for me.
I am leaning toward the 159 due to the boot size and the XTRM possible been better in the powder.
Hi Kevin, thanks for your message.
I agree with 159 for you, for this board. I would put your “typical all-mountain” length at around 161 and while you don’t need to size down at all for width, with 13s, this is still a board that’s good to size down a touch on, IMO, because of its effective edge versus overall length. But since you have 13s, I wouldn’t size down as much as I would if you had smaller feet.
Hope this helps with your decision
Considering pairing this with my PYL uninc (59). I also have a volume shifted chiller ride (K2 almanac). Ride mostly in Tahoe with some rockies trips thrown in.
I’m 5’11” 180 10.5 boots, 156?
Hi Extreme (I know that’s not your name, but I like to include the name as it helps me keep track of comments!)
Yeah, I think the 156 would be your best bet – and that the Greats XTRM would be a really good (great even!) compliment to your quiver.
What a fantastic review!
I had a greats 156W, maybe 2020 and loved it until my kid stole off me and took it to Europe.
I saw this pop up a few months ago here in Australia and took a gamble as there were basically no reviews on them so I’m stoked to read this. I bought the 156cm as I am 187 pounds and 5’11. There was only 1 available at the time and they are still very rare.
You guys do a great job, i’m excited to try it in Japan next year even more now 🙂
Thanks Bill. Hope you have a great time with it Japan. Those kids are always stealing everything! 🤣
Hi Nate, thanks for the awesome review !!!!
After watching this I’m super interested in the Greats XTRM and love the graphics too
Do you think it’s good for an early intermediate rider? I’m hoping to get something I can grow into and start working on my carving.
I usually ride in Vancouver BC
Hi Alan, thanks for your message.
Yeah, I think it would work for you. It’s not an overly demanding board, in my experience. I’d say it will be a bit of a challenge as an early intermediate rider to begin with, but not so much of a stretch that it will be too much, IMO.
Hope this gives you more to go off for your decision
Hi Nate, I really like your review. After reading it, I am considering to buy a Yes Great XTRM as my second board, but I am uncertain to choose 154 or 156 sizes. I am an intermediate level rider (2-3 years experience), 6ft, 200lbs, us9 boot. Currently based in Pennsylvania, probably icy condition most of the time I guess. Most of the time I ride on grommer, and I wanna try a little bit of trees and park next year. My main concern is that 156 board might be too wide for me, as I have small foot, so turns could be hard for me. However, 154 might be too small for my weight. My first board was Burton’s Custom X wide 162(this was the only board left on discount at the shop). Riding on it as a beginner was an awful experience for me, and I really got the PTSD of snowboard’s width and length since then. Base on these info, what size of Great Xtrm would you recommend?
Hi Haohan, thanks for your message.
I definitely understand the wide board thing, when you don’t have big feet. However, I’ve never felt the Greats in previous models to feel as wide as it is and the Greats XTRM was no exception. As mentioned in my reply to Daryl below, I think this is due to the mid-bite which makes it almost like a regular width board in the center and wide boards from just before the inserts and outwards.
For your specs, I would go 156. I personally really like that size (6’0″, 180lbs, US10 boot (sometimes US 9.5, depending on the boot)). The 154 wouldn’t be completely wrong or anything (which it might be for other boards, but this is a board you can size down for), but I think the 156 would be the more optimal size for you.
Hope this helps with your decision
I am about 160lbs 5’10” and a 10 boot size. Would the 156 be too small or should I go for the 159. I just dont want to have to worry about boot overhang.
Hi Will, thanks for your message.
Should be no issues with boot drag, IMO. Yes, you will have some overhang, but that’s pretty much always the case. If you had no overhang, then the board is likely too wide for you and will be slow to turn and physically taxing to turn. With 10s I can’t see you having boot drag issues, unless you have really bulky boots a really flat back binding angle and rail really high angle athletic carves. In a large majority of scenarios you should be good though. This board is wider at the inserts than the waist will suggest. Essentially its regular width at the waist and wide at the inserts.
tldr; you should be all good width-wise, IMO and could even go 154 if you wanted.
Hope this helps with your decision
Hi Nate,
Thanks so much for this review. I would like to ask if you feel any torsional flex difference between the regular Greats vs. this XTRM Greats. I like my boards to have a bit of torsional flex and not a full on stiff plank.
I am deciding between this XTRM and the Greats and your review seems awesome! However, I am worried that you demo’ed the demo version and the production ‘MAY’ be a little stiffer (Would this be factual?).
Nevertheless, would this board in 154cm be too much for my specs and goals:
– US9.0 Boots
– 88kg (Bulking, cutting to mid 70s kg by January to start my season).
– 5’9″
– Mid-to High Intermediate rider. (Wanting to perfect my switch riding as well)
– Live in a non-winter country and therefore need a 1-board-do-it-all for easy travels.
Never ridden a Greats, nor a wide board before. Last I rode a “semi-wide/bordering-wide/Not-really wide” was the Capita Mercury and also rented the K2 Almanac for a few days (couldn’t get used to it).
Thanks again and amazing work and review as always!
Hi Daryl, thanks for your message.
I found the XTRM had very similar torsional flex to last year’s Greats Uninc. While the production model can be a little difference, it’s been my experience that they are only ever subtly different. From what I understand the only reason the Greats XTRM might be a little stiffer when you get it new, compared to what I felt it at is that it had already had a few days ridden on it before I rode it. In that case the production model may take a few days riding on it to feel like it did for me. But this would only be a subtle difference I imagine.
I’ve never felt the Greats (or the Standard) like I do other wide boards – I’m guessing it’s because its still relatively normal at the waist and that extra width only starts when getting closer to the inserts. And it’s a board you size down for, so that helps too.
Size-wise, I would put your “typical all-mountain” length at around 159, but with the Greats, I’d size that down to the 156. The 154 would be doable if you wanted your ride more mellow. That’s based on 88kg. Based on 75kg, I’d put your “typical” length more at 157, in which case the 154 would be your better bet.
Hope this gives you more to go off for your decision
Hi Nate – Huge fan of the Greats Uninc but curious why they didnt go down to 151 at least. I ride a 149 greats uninc and feel the 154 would be a bit too much for size 8 boots and being only 140lbs. What’s your thoughts. I may just go with the regular greats or stick to my 23 greats uninc 149 if it hasn’t changed much.
Thanks,
Darren
Hey Darren, I’m with you! Wish they’d offered the same sizes in this as the regular Greats. But my guess is that they are testing the waters in not offering too many sizes, which appears to be the case quite often with new boards. If the board does well for them, then they tend to add sizes in year 2 of its existence. Hopefully that will be the case. 154 would be too big for you, IMO. I’d hold onto your ’23 Greats Uninc. At least for now. If they bring out a 151 and/or 149 for the ’27 model of the Greats XTRM, I’d re-explore it then.
Hope this helps with your decision
Thanks – much appreciated as always! Literally such a great board.
Hey Darren. I see what you did there! 🤣 But yes, a great board for sure.
Hi! Always a pleasure to read your reviews; just found it curious, that you drive the greats xtrm with +18/-9 because you seem to use +15/-15 often (also for the older model) and I thought especially the greats is better ridden symmetrically; what’s your experience?
I`ve got an old greats (the pink one with no edge tech, yes, I’m getting older too); still like it a lot, grips quite well in hard snow (way better than my HTH, which carves better, but not in hard stuff), but is a bit narrow for my boot size (MP 28), so I’m thinking about an update; don´t like +15/-15 so much, but thought that´s kind of obligate with this board? I never was a park guy, but if there ins`t much snow, i think the greats is a good choice and super versatile;
thx, jan
Hi Jan, thanks for your message.
Yeah, I used to test at +15/-15 but decided last winter for testing the ’26 models that I’d move to the +18/-9, so that it’s a better balance between freestyle and freeride boards (I like to keep the angles the same for every board I test). I used to recommend only going +15/-15 for asymmetrical boards like the Greats, and while its still the best for riding switch with them, naturally, I’ve softened my stance on using other angles with asyms. Mostly because I’ve ridden my 2019 Greats Uninc with different angles and got on fine. I still wouldn’t go with anything too crazy, like +21/+3 or something like that, but it’s worked well for me in a semi duck stance like +18/-9.
Hope this helps
hey Nate hi!!
I own the 2022-2023-2024 and 2025 Yes The Greats Unic. I change boards every year, and my choice always falls on the Yes The Greats Unic (I do 40-50 rides a season and change boards every year).
I’m an all-mountain freestyle rider. I like to push but above all play on the whole mountain and in the park. I fell in love with the Yes The Greats Unic because it can be an aggressive board for a freestyle board with a lot of stability, but it can also be very playful thanks to the soft and super-beatable tips. In my opinion, it’s the perfect mix of flex for overall fun. Now this year they’ve changed and added the Yes The Greats and The Greats Xrtm models, and I’m confused about the new purchase. I noticed that they removed the bamboo and added carbon fiber strips to the tip and tail of the standard The Greats model (I think the board changes). I’d like the new purchase I have to choose between the two to be as similar as possible to the old The Greats Uninc model. Which between The Greats and The Greats XTRM is more similar? Customer service tells me that the new The Greats is the one most similar to the old The Greats Uninc… but I have doubts! I wanted to know if the new The Greats XTRM remains a similar board to the Greats Uninc and above all if it remains playful in torsion and on the tips, fun and easy to use for buttering and progressing like the Uninc without being too stiff and demanding as the website indicates (yes, it has a flex of 9). I’m asking all this because you know the board very well as The Greats Uninc is your everyday board.
Thank you so much!!!
Hi Jeff, thanks for your message.
I found the Greats XTRM to be just as playful torsionally and tip/tail as the Greats Uninc. The biggest difference for me to the Greats Uninc was it being lighter and with a bit more pop. And yes, they have overstated the flex by quite a bit, IMO. The Greats XTRM still feels like a 6/10 overall to me, like the Greats Uninc and still softer tip/tail than through the rest of the board as its been for a long time.
Hope this helps with your decision
Thanks, Nate.
Perfect, so it seems like the XTRM is similar to the Uninc 2025.
Have you ever tried the Greats 2026 or heard of it? How does it compare to the Uninc 2025?
Hey Jeff, didn’t get on the ’26 Greats, but it looks to be very similar to the ’25 Uninc, but probably a small downgrade from it, with the XTRM being an upgrade.
Main differences I can see between the ’26 Greats and ’25 Greats (Uninc) is the glassing and the core.
The ’26 Greats has biax glassing as opposed to the ’25, which had triax. This likely makes it feel a little softer flexing overall and with pop being a little easier to extract, but with less overall total pop.
It’s also changed to their stiffy core from the ’25’s Poplar Paulownia Bamboo core. My understanding is that the stiffy core will be lighter than the ’25 Uninc’s core, but likely a little stiffer. However, it’s my understanding from what I heard, that it’s a very similar overall flex feel to the ’25 Uninc – likely the softer glassing offsets the stiffer core. The YES rep told me that he found the ’26 Greats and Greats XTRM to be very similar flex-wise, and I found the Greats XTRM to be very similar flex-wise to the ’25 Greats Uninc, so the ’26 Greats and ’25 Greats Uninc are likely to be very similar flex-wise.
My guess, and what I’ve been told, is that the ’26 Greats is very similar to the ’25 Greats Uninc, but so is the Greats XTRM, but I’d say its not as similar, but not in any way that makes it harder to ride or greatly alters the overall personality. Just lighter and poppier, in my experience.
Hi Nate,
I’m 5’7” tall and 80kg with relatively strong lower body, as a daily driver should I buy greats or greats xtrm? and does 154cm works for me?
Regards,
Hi Patrick, thanks for your message.
There aren’t any downsides to the Greats XTRM (apart from price, of course!), IMO. A lot of the time the “Plus” or “Pro” model of a board is stiffer, but in this case they have the same flex feel (from my experience) and I felt the Greats XTRM had all the good points of the Greats plus some additional things that were improvements on it (lightness and pop being the biggest things, IMO).
154 is probably a good bet, but if you could also let me know your boot size, that would help to determine it as well.
Hi Nate,
Thanks for the reply, my boot size is US 9.5. Looks like xtrm is a good fit, I’m going forward with that. Truelly appreciate for the review XD.
Hi Patrick. Yeah, I’d say the 154 is a good bet. You could do 156 as well, but I think 154 would be a touch more optimal. For reference I rode the 156 and I’m pretty much the same weight and boot size as you, but a little taller.
Hey Nate- shout-out from a fellow Nate, always love your reviews! I ride a small quiver (Yes Standard Uninc for freeride, superpig for deeper days) and last year I added a Twinpig for some more fun/freestyle when I’m on the mountain with friends and family. I ride switch a lot and really love the asym twin profile but do find it sacrificed a bit of control on steeps and got chattery at speed. I think I can sell the twinpig for a good price, do you think the Greats Xtreme would be a good upgrade? Sounds like much better at speed and better for jumps but don’t want to sacrifice the play/butter-ability too much if that makes sense.
Also wondering about size? I’m 5’9″ ~160-165. Currently on a 151 for the Twinpig and 156 for the Standard
Hey fellow Nate! Thanks for your message.
Yeah, I think the Greats XTRM could work for your 3rd deck, for sure. And yeah, better for jumps and speed but also still nice and buttery, in my experience.
I would say the 154 is likely the best bet for you and keeping in mind the rest of your quiver. But if you could also let me know your boot size, that would be great.
Hope this helps
That is super helpful, thank you!
Boot size is 8, so I’m lucky to not have to worry about toe/heel drag on most boards.
Hey Nate, thanks for the extra info.
Good not to have to worry about drag for sure. But boards can also be too wide for your feet, which can make them harder to maneuver and/or slow to change edges, unless you’re sizing down the length to compensate for it. But with 8s, I think you’re good in terms of sizing down enough going to the 154 to balance out the extra width.
Hi Nate
Thank you so much for all the great reviews. After reading your reviews im looking at this board and the Slasher ATV as my 3rd bord. I have Lib tech orca and Lib tech skate banana, which one would you reconmend? Im 5’10, 160, size 8 boots.
Thank you 🙂
Hi Ann-Christin, thanks for your message.
Both would certainly fill a spot in your quiver well, in between the Orca and Skate Banana in terms of the freestyle-powder spectrum. And neither would be a bad choice. Both sick boards in my experience. The thing that I would think about in deciding between them is how aggressive you like to ride. While the ATV isn’t ultra aggressive (as in you don’t have to be super aggressive all the time to ride it), it can take a more aggressive approach better than the Greats XTRM can. On the other hand, the Greats XTRM is a little better at being playful. Both have the ability to handle both playful and aggressive riding, but their optimal zones have the Greats XTRM slightly closer to the playful side of the spectrum and the ATV closer to the aggressive side of the Spectrum, if that makes sense.
Also, I’d say that if speed and carving are the most important things you want out of this board, then the ATV would be the way to go. If jumps, side-hits etc are what you want to optimize (but still something that’s good for carving, turning, speed etc), then the Greats would be your better option, in my opinion.
Hope this gives you more to go off
Hi Nate,
Thank you so much for the reply, that was very helpful, exactly the infomation i needed 🙂
Have a great weekend!
Hi Nate, really good to have this review so soon!
I have owned several greats during the years.
Is it worth ditching my greats 2022 for this year’s XTRM? What are the main differences? I saw in the specs that the camber is now 2-5-2, and of course, the carbon layout.
I’m 177cm and 75kg. My feet are similar to yours, but I always wear size 9 US (Ride Fuse and K2 Orton).
Sizing, please, for this year´s model?
Thanks.
Hi Javier, thanks for your message.
Lighter and poppier are the biggest differences for the XTRM model, in my experience. It’s not any stiffer, which I was happy about, but it’s just livelier. Gives back more energy with less effort. Whether its worth it for you is hard for me to say for sure without knowing your exact situation. But you would notice the difference, IMO and very likely to like the differences.
Size-wise, I would say the 156 for you, assuming it was to be your one board and you had a lot of variety in how you ride. If you ride more freestyle than anything else or if this was to be your freestyle deck to compliment a quiver, then I’d go 154 for you.
Hope this helps with your decision
Many thanks for the fast answer.
Sorry to ask you again, this is my quiver:
YES Hybrid 153, trees pow
YES Standard 156, daily driver all mountain, freestyle and rock board.
Stranda Descender 161, Charger & Freeride.
Ive been riding the 154 and the 151 yes greats since I used to do more park and I was concerned about the width and the effective edge in the 156.
The idea with the greats is to replace the Standard since I lack pop and some edge hold while carving on it. I want to do all mountain with it (not powder and not rails) enjoying carving and still be able to butter it like I get it on the standard and the concessional park lap in the small-med line.
If you think the width of the 156 greats is manageable and it still will be nimble for some slow speed tricks and the small hills of Sweden where I usually ride, then I will get the 156 xtrm.
Thanks again
Hey Javier, thanks for the extra info.
If you’re replacing the Standard and want something to feel about the equivalent size as the 156, then I would say that would be the 154. The 156 in the Greats will likely feel a little bigger than the Standard does in the 156, based on my experience with them (and based on specs). So assuming you want a size equivalent, then I’d go 154. The 156 would still definitely work for what you’re looking for, but would likely feel bigger than your 156 Standard feels.
Hey Nate,
I’m having a tough time deciding between regular greats and xtrm. I’m 5’9 140lbs and boot size 10, being a skinner guy I’m wondering if the smallest 154 xtrm would be just a little too big for me or if the 151 regular greats would be a better fit.
Thanks!
Hi Mitchell, thanks for your message.
The 154 a bit big for your specs for that particular board, IMO, so I would go 151 in the regular Greats, if it was me.
Hope this helps with your decision
Hi Nate,
Thanks for all the reviews! I’m looking at grabbing the Greats XTRM as a two board quiver with my 154 Salomon Dancehaul. What size would you recommend? 154 or 156? I’m 185cm (6ft1), about 81kg and US10.5 boots. I live in Australia so I mainly ride there and Japan when I can get there.
Cheers
Hi Ray, good to hear from you.
I would go 156, if I was you. Your specs are pretty similar to mine and I found the 156 just right as an all-rounder. If you were going to predominantly use it for freestyle/park, the 154 would definitely work, but as your daily driver, with the Dancehaul for pow days and trees, I would go 156.
Hope this helps with your decision
Thanks again Nate,
You definitely have a glowing review of the XTRM which has me with a finger on the trigger… I’m hesitating only because I’m thinking of just culling down to a one board quiver… rather than a two as mentioned above. Sell the Dancehaul and pick up something more “versatile” like the Yes Standard as my only board (which you also rate highly). How do you compare the Standard vs Greats XTRM? Based on your rating system the Greats XTRM does everything a little better than the Standard. I know Greats is more “freestyle” and Standard is “all-mountain” but they both seem extremely versatile boards that can be used just about everywhere. Thanks
Hi Ray, yeah, I’d say the Greats XTRM either equal or better for everything except powder – that’s the one area where the Standard is better and makes it slightly more versatile, otherwise the Greats XTRM is really versatile, IMO.
Your review of the regular Greats lead to it being my main board for 4-5 years! Now I can’t wait to get on the XTRM version!!
Thanks
Hi Vyacheslav
It really was a sick ride. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Hey! Great review, I want to buy this board!
I noticed your sizing chart doesn’t match what’s on the website for the Greats XTRM.
I’m 177cm, 190lbs, with a size 12 boot, and torn between the 156 and the 159. I want to get the 156 for quicker turns and maneuverability, but I’m worried it will become a noodle at speed. I’m just above Yes’s recommended weight range for the 156 but well within the range you posted for the 156. The underfoot width of the 156 is the same as my current board, so I’m not worried about booting out on either of them.
What would you recommend? I’m an ice coast rider and the mountain is my playground. I’m always looking for side hits and love hard charging and carving, and riding switch. I’ll do Park laps occasionally but it’s never my main focus
Thanks for your help!
Hi Dana, thanks for your message.
It’s a close call and I understand why you’re debating between them. I would put your “typical all-mountain” length at around 159, which, for me, would be a definite to go to the 156, if you had size a 10.5 or under boot size. With 12s it muddies the waters a little. I don’t think the 159 would be a bad call for you, and it would be more stable for when you’re charging, but I would be leaning 156 in this case. But this is one of those case that if you go against that and go 159, I wouldn’t say you’re getting the wrong size, it’s a close call. But I don’t think you’ll find the 156 a noodle at speed.
I rode the 156 and we are similar height/weight specs (I’m 182cm, 180lbs). I personally wouldn’t even consider the 159 for this board for me, but if I had 12s, I would. But I don’t think your foot size should affect how you feel it at speed, except that it could make changing edge feel a little more on the twitchy side when riding fast, perhaps, but I don’t think it would make a huge difference there. While stability at speed wasn’t it’s best quality, it was still really decent. I would say just a touch less stable than the Greats Uninc was, and I think that’s mostly down to weight, but very little difference. I always debated giving the Greats Uninc a 4/5 for speed, it was really close. But if I was to narrow those numbers down a little further, then I’d say the Greats Uninc was like a 3.7/5 for speed – not enough to round to 4, but close and the Greats XTRM is more a solid 3.5/5 or at worst 3.4/5, kind of thing, if that makes sense.
Hope this gives you more to go off for your decision
Hi Nate, great review.
I’m 172cm, 160lbs with boot size US8. Will 154 Great XTRM good for me? Or I should go for 151 regular Great?
Tha k you for your help!
Hi Alex, thanks for your message.
For you, I would go regular Greats in the 151. While I would put your typical “all-mountain” length at around 156, I would size down by more than 2cm for this board with US8 boots. I think the 151 would be a really good size for you.
Hope this helps with your decision