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PAST REVIEWS OF THE STANDARD
Hello and welcome to my YES Standard snowboard review
In this review, I will take a look at the Standard as an all-mountain snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Standard a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other all-mountain snowboards.
Overall Rating
Board: YES Standard
Price: $549 (USD recommended retail)
Style: All-Mountain
Flex Rating: Medium-Stiff (7/10 on YES’s flex scale)
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium (6/10)
Rating Score: 91.0/100
Compared to other Men’s All-Mountain Boards
Out of the 37 men’s all-mountain snowboards that I rated:
- The average score was 83.0/100
- The highest score was 91.0/100
- The lowest score was 71.7/100
- The average price was $542 (USD)
- The Standard ranked 1st out of 37!
Overview of the Standard’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Standard’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | All Mountain |
Price: | $549 |
Ability Level: |  |
Flex: |  |
Feel: |  |
Turn Initiation: | Medium-Fast |
Edge-hold: |  |
Camber Profile: | Hybrid Camber (3-4-3 Rocker-Camber-Rocker) |
Shape: | |
Setback Stance: | Centered (with slam back stance option) |
Base: | Sintered |
Weight: | Normal |
Sizing
LENGTH (cm) | Waist Width (mm) | Rec Rider Weight (lb) | Rec Rider Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
149 | 245 | 120-160 | 54-73 |
151 | 248 | 120-180 | 54-82 |
153 | 253 | 130-190 | 59-86 |
156 | 258 | 150-200 | 68-91 |
159 | 263 | 160-210 | 73-95 |
162 | 268 | 180-220+ | 82-100+ |
167 | 266 | 180-220+ | 82-100+ |
Who is the Standard Most Suited To?
The Standard is the board for anyone that likes to do a bit of everything but only wants one board to do it all on and not have the hassle of switching boards depending on the situation.
So, if you want to be able to ride the powder, ride the park and ride groomers and ride them in any style that you like, then the Standard is worth checking out.
Not ideally suited for a beginner (but not the worst either) but great for anyone who is intermediate or up.
The Standard in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Standard is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: YES Standard 2019, 156cm (258mm waist)
Date: March 15, 2018
Conditions: Icy in a lot of places, especially first thing but even first thing there were some softer patches. Icy patches decreased and soft patches increased as the day went on. Sunny as! Clear blue skies. So, goes without saying 100% vis.
Bindings angles: +15/-15
Stance width: 545mm (21.5“)
Stance Setback: Centered
Width at Inserts: 270mm (10.6“)
Weight: 2880grams (6lb 5.6oz)
Weight per cm: 18.46grams/cm
Average Weight per cm: 18.21grams/cm* (so it’s really close to average)
*based on a small sample size of 24 boards that I weighed.
Given the width of the board, it’s quite light for per cm.
Powder
Even when centered, this board rides the powder well. This is mostly based on the 2018 model, when I had more powder to test in.
If you were to set it back (and it has some extra “slam back” inserts where you can setup with a decent setback if you want) it would be even better. But I was too lazy to do it, even though I had plenty of fresh powder to play with. The reason? It was good enough in powder when it was centered so I didn’t feel the need.
Now, I was also demoing for other characteristics and I wanted to test it in it’s normal stance, which is centered, but if you had a powder day you could slam it back and it would be worth it if you were going to be surfing the powder all day.
It has a good bit of rocker in tip and tail (so riding the pow switch is also fine) and it’s also has something that YES call a “directional volume twin” – which means it’s essentially a true twin except that the tail has a little less material in there (it’s the same width and length as the nose). You notice this in powder but not on groomers – so it’s essentially a true twin on groomers.
Carving & Turning
Even though there is plenty of rocker in the tip and tail of this board, it drives a carve nicely.
And for basic turns it’s nice and it’s quite forgiving. You can definitely get away with skidded turns and it’s not catchy at all.
Flex-wise YES rate this a 7/10 but I’d say more like 6/10.
Let’s Break up this text with a Video
Speed
This board can handle the speed and it feels stable even when bombing. It’s not going to be the speed demon that a freeride board is – but it’s certainly no slouch, especially for a twin.
Uneven Terrain
As with pretty much everything this board tries to do, it is good in uneven terrain.
Jumps
This board is super fun on jumps and doing spins. It’s got that camber between the feet that really helps with pop and it’s got great stability for landings.
It’s got an even swing feel and with that centered stance feels really comfortable with spins.
And now that it has a lighter core (new for the 2019 model), it makes it even snappier and easier to pop and spin.
Switch
It’s basically a true twin and that shows when you’re riding switch. It wouldn’t be as comfortable riding switch in the slam back stance position but centered it’s a great board for riding and landing switch.
Jibbing/Buttering
Definitely doable – it’s not going to match it with freestyle or jib specialist boards or get close to them, but it can jib OK. It’s not something that frightened the daylights out of me when approaching jibs like some boards can (or make me skip the jib line altogether!)
Actually a really easy/nice board to butter. Easier than I expected with the flex that it has. It's perhaps a little softer tip and tail than it is in the middle.
Pipe
Though I didn’t ride it in a pipe I think it would be a really good pipe board. It’s got enough stiffness, has good edge hold in hard snow and has a decent amount of camber between the feet to help drive between the walls. It’s also centered and virtually a true twin with a good swing feel.
Changes from the 2023 Model
The 2024 YES Standard, from what I can tell is the same as the 2023 model, bar the graphic.
Changes from the 2022 Model
The 2023 YES Standard, from what I can tell is the same as the 2022 model, bar the graphic.
Changes from the 2021 Model
The 2022 YES Standard, from what I can tell is the same as the 2021 model, bar the graphic.
Changes from the 2020 Model
The 2021 YES Standard, from what I can tell is the same as the 2020 model, bar the graphic.
Changes from the 2019 Model
The 2020 YES Standard, from what I can see is the same as the 2019 model. Only change is that there is the new size. It now comes in a 167.
Changes from the 2018 Model
The 2018 and 2019 are mostly the same. The one change is that the 2019 model has a lighter core. Otherwise it's the same but this is a nice improvement. There were more major changes between the 2017 and 2018 models (see below).
Changes from the 2017 Model
There were a few changes between the 2017 & 2018 model.
Firstly, the sizings changed. There are no longer any wide sizes but the regular sizes are wider.
It now comes in a 149, 151, 153, 156 and 159. The 2017 model came in a 152, 154, 156, 158, 156W, 159W, 161W. But with that wider waist width, you can ride a shorter board if you want.
In terms of waist width the 156cm that I rode in the 2018 model had a 258mm waist width and the 2017 model 156cm had a 250mm waist width – so this increased quite a bit. The 159 now has a 263mm waist – which is wider than the 2017 159W, which had a 258mm waist.
The sidecuts and effective edges also changed for the 2018 model.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
POWDER | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
CARVING | 3.5 | 7/10 |
TURNS/SLASHING | 4.0 | 8/10 |
SPEED | 4.0 | 8/10 |
CRUD/CHUNDER | 3.5 | 7/10 |
TREES/BUMPS | 4.0 | 8/10 |
SWITCH | 4.0 | 8/10 |
JUMPS | 4.0 | 8/10 |
SPINS | 4.0 | 4/5 |
BUTTERS | 4.0 | 4/5 |
JIBBING | 3.0 | 3/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 91.0/100 |
The Standard is on the top of the list for me, as far as do-it-all, one-board-quiver boards out there go. As well as performing really well across all the categories I test for, it's also just got that X factor that's hard to describe.
2018 Standard Review
This review was for the 2018 model of the Standard. For the most recent review see the main review above.
In this review, I will take a look at the Standard as an all-mountain snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Standard a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other all-mountain snowboards.
Overall Rating
Board: YES Standard 2018
Price: $499 (USD recommended retail)
Style: All-Mountain
Flex Rating: Medium-Stiff (4.5/5 on YES’s flex scale)
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium (6/10)
Rating Score: 92.1/100
Compared to other Men’s All-Mountain Boards
Out of the 27 men’s all-mountain snowboards that I rated:
- The average score was 80.9/100
- The highest score was 92.1/100
- The lowest score was 63.4/100
- The average price was $490
- The Standard ranked 1st out of 27!
Overview of the Standard’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Standard’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
| Style | All-Mountain | Flex | Medium (6 out of 10) |
| Ability Level | Intermediate to Expert | Feel | Stable |
| Weight | Normal | Turn Initiation | Fast |
| Camber Profile | Hybrid Camber | Shape | Directional Twin |
| Stance Setback | Centered (with slamback stance options) | Edge-hold | Hard snow |
| Price | $499 (USD) | Base | Sintered |
Sizing
2018 Sizing
| Size (Length) | 149 | 151 | 153 | 156 | 159 |
| Waist Width (mm) | 245 | 248 | 253 | 258 | 263 |
| Weight Range (lbs) | 115-155 | 125-165 | 135-175 | 145-185 | 155-195 |
| Weight Range (kgs) | 50-70 | 55-75 | 60-80 | 65-85 | 70-90 |
2017 Sizing
| Size (Length) | 152 | 154 | 156 | 156W | 158 | 159W | 161W |
| Waist Width (mm) | 248 | 249 | 250 | 256 | 252 | 258 | 260 |
| Weight Range (lbs) | 125-165 | 135-175 | 135-175 | 145-185 | 145-185 | 155-200 | 175-220 |
| Weight Range (kgs) | 57-75 | 61-79 | 61-79 | 66-84 | 66-84 | 70-91 | 79-100 |
Who is the Standard Most Suited to?
The Standard is the board for anyone that likes to do a bit of everything but only wants one board to do it all on and not have the hassle of switching boards depending on the situation.
So, if you want to be able to ride the powder, ride the park and ride groomers and ride them in any style that you like, then the Standard is worth checking out.
Not ideally suited for a beginner (but not the worst either) but great for anyone who has their basic turns mastered and are intermediate or up.
If you’re intermediate or approaching that level, and aren’t sure what you’re style will be or if you’re style includes a bit of everything, then an all-mountain board is the way to go – and the Standard is one of the better ones out there.
The Standard in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Standard is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: YES Standard 2018, 156cm (258mm waist)
Date: March 9, 2017
Conditions: Plenty of fresh snow overnight! The norm for the season really – so much snow! The groomers were freshly groomed and there was a nice layer of fresh snow off piste. Visibility was decent but not perfect.
Bindings angles: +15/-9
Stance width: 560mm (22“)
Powder
Even when centered, this board rides the powder well.
If you were to set it back (and it has some extra “slam back” inserts where you can setup with a decent setback if you want) it would be even better. But I was too lazy to do it, even though I had plenty of fresh powder to play with. The reason? It was good enough in powder when it was centered so I didn’t feel the need.
Now, I was also demoing for other characteristics and I wanted to test it in it’s normal stance, which is centered, but if you had a powder day you could slam it back and it would be worth it if you were going to be surfing the powder all day.
It has a good bit of rocker in tip and tail (so riding the pow switch is also fine) and it’s also has something that YES call a “directional volume twin” – which means it’s essentially a true twin except that the tail has a little less material in there (it’s the same width and length as the nose). You notice this in powder but not on groomers – so it’s essentially a true twin on groomers (except when you’re buttering).
Carving & Turning
Even though there is plenty of rocker in the tip and tail of this board, it drives a carve nicely.
And for basic turns it’s nice and it’s quite forgiving. You can definitely get away with skidded turns and it’s not catchy at all.
Flex-wise YES rate this a 4.5/5 but I’ll never understand their flex ratings. Firstly, because to me that seems like it translates to 9/10 (which is definitely not the case with the Standard!) and secondly that’s the same rating they give to the PYL, which is, IMO, definitely stiffer.
Anyway, I would say a 6/10 flex rating would be more accurate for this board. And it butters nicely with that rocker in the tip and tail, so I’d say feels softer again buttering-wise.
Speed
This board can handle the speed and it feels stable even when bombing. It’s not going to be the speed demon that a freeride board is – but it’s certainly no slouch, especially for a twin.
Uneven Terrain
As with pretty much everything this board tries to do, it is pretty good in uneven terrain. I had pretty much perfect snow on and off groomer but overall it could handle any terrain I threw at it well – something any good all-mountain should.
Jumps
This board is super fun on jumps and doing spins. It’s got that camber between the feet that really helps with pop and it’s got great stability for landings.
It’s got an even swing feel and with that centered stance feels really comfortable with spins.
Switch
It’s basically a true twin and that shows when you’re riding switch. It wouldn’t be as comfortable riding switch in the slam back stance position but centered it’s a great board for riding and landing switch.
Jibbing
Definitely doable – it’s not going to match it with freestyle or jib specialist boards or get close to them, but it can jib OK. It’s not something that frightened the daylights out of me when approaching jibs like some boards can (or make me skip the jib line altogether!)
Pipe
Though I didn’t ride it in a pipe I think it would be a really good pipe board. It’s got enough stiffness, has good edge hold in hard snow and has a decent amount of camber between the feet to help drive between the walls. It’s also centered and virtually a true twin with a good swing feel.
Changes from the 2017 Model
There are a few changes from the 2017 model.
Firstly, the sizings have changed. There are no longer any wide sizes but the regular sizes are wider.
It now comes in a 149, 151, 153, 156 and 159. The 2017 model came in a 152, 154, 156, 158, 156W, 159W, 161W. But with that wider waist width, you can ride a shorter board if you want.
In terms of waist width the 156cm that I rode this year had a 258mm waist width and the 2017 model 156cm had a 250mm waist width – so this has increased quite a bit. The 159 now has a 263mm waist – which is wider than the 2017 159W, which had a 258mm waist.
The sidecuts and effective edges have also changed for the 2018 model.
So, there have been quite a few changes – and I think these tweaks have improved this board. I really enjoyed riding this years model even more than the 2017 model.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Powder: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Carving: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Speed: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Uneven Terrain: | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
| Switch: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| Jumps: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| Jibbing: | 2.5 | 5/10 |
| Pipe: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 92.1/100 |
Overall the new YES Standard 2018 is, IMO, an improvement on the old model. A few things have changed but it’s essentially the same great board with a few tweaks to make it even better.
It’s on the top of the list for me, as far as do-it-all, one-board-quiver boards out there go.
This review is for the the YES Standard 2017 model.
This will be a briefer overview of the 2017 YES Standard. A more detailed review of the latest model can be found above.
The Ideal Rider for the YES Standard
The Standard has changed a bit over the years. From 2016 to 2017 there was quite a big change. The 2016 model was a more aggressive ride – to the point that I would have categorized it as aggressive all mountain. The 2017 model is a more versatile, more forgiving true all-mountain ride.
The ideal rider for the Standard for the 2017 model, is anyone who wants one board that can do a bit of everything. From powder to groomers to park to pipe and however you want to ride when you’re in those places.
This board is at home as much with jumps, spins and tricks as it is with riding in powder and laying down a hard carve.
Overall Rating
Board: YES Standard 2017
Price: $499 (USD MSRP)
Style: All-Mountain
Flex Rating: Medium-Stiff (4.5/5 according to YES’s flex scale)
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium (6/10)
Rating Score: 87.2/100
Compared to other Men’s All-Mountain Boards
Out of the 26 men’s all-mountain snowboards that I rated:
- The average price was $510 (USD)
- The average score was 81.8/100
- The highest score was 90.9/100
- The lowest score was 65.2/100
- The Standard ranked 8th out of 26
Overview of the 2017 Standard’s Specs
Check out the tables for the 2017 Standard’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
| Style | All-Mountain | Flex | Medium (6 out of 10) |
| Ability Level | Intermediate to Expert | Feel | Stable |
| Weight | Normal | Turn Initiation | Fast |
| Camber Profile | Hybrid Camber | Shape | Directional Twin |
| Stance Setback | Centered (with slamback stance options) | Edge-hold | Hard snow |
| Price | $499 (USD) | Base | Sintered |
Sizing
| Size (Length) | 152 | 154 | 156 | 156W | 158 | 159W | 161W |
| Waist Width (mm) | 248 | 249 | 250 | 256 | 252 | 258 | 260 |
| Weight Range (lbs) | 125-165 | 135-175 | 135-175 | 145-185 | 145-185 | 155-200 | 175-220 |
| Weight Range (kgs) | 57-75 | 61-79 | 61-79 | 66-84 | 66-84 | 70-91 | 79-100 |
Note: The sizings have changed for the 2018 model, so these sizes only apply to the 2017 model.
The Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Powder: | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
| Carving: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Speed: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Uneven Terrain: | 3.0 | 9/15 |
| Switch: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| Jumps: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| Jibbing: | 2.0 | 4/10 |
| Pipe: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 87.2/100 |
Overall, this is one of the better all-mountain, do-it-all boards going around, and I definitely like the direction change that this board took for 2017.
But I like the 2018 model even more!
So, they have taken an already great board and seem to be constantly improving it.
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