Hello and welcome to my YES Optimistic Review.
In this review I will take a look at the Optimistic as a Freeride snowboard, though you could probably put it into a separate short/wide category, but I don’t have one of those at the moment and this is the closest category, IMO, and it’s closer to a freeride board than other short/wides, which are often surfier than the Optimistic.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Optimistic a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and also see how it compares with other Freeride snowboards.
Overall Rating
Board: YES Optimistic 2019
Price: $669 (USD recommended retail)
Style: Freeride (Short/Wide)
Flex Rating: Stiff (9/10 on YES’s flex scale)
Flex Feel: Stiff (8.5/10)
Rating Score: 80.4/100
Compared to other Men’s Freeride Boards
Out of the 39 Men’s Freeride snowboards that I rated:
Overview of the Optimistic’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Optimistic’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | Freeride |
Price: | $599 |
Ability Level: |  |
Flex: |  |
Feel: |  |
Turn Initiation: | Medium |
Edge-hold: |  |
Camber Profile: | Traditional Camber (modern camber - a small amount of rocker before contact points) |
Shape: | |
Setback Stance: | Centered (on effective edge) |
Base: | Sintered |
Weight: | Normal |
Sizing
LENGTH (cm) | Waist Width (mm) | Rec Rider Weight (lb) | Rec Rider Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
151 | 256 | 130-180 | 59-82 |
154 | 262 | 150-200 | 68-91 |
157 | 266 | 180-220+ | 82-100+ |
161 | 268 | 180-220+ | 82-100+ |
Who is the Optimistic Most Suited To?
The Optimistic is great for anyone looking for a really stiff ride and mostly wants to carve hard, bomb down and find fresh powder whenever it's available.
Being short/wide it sets itself up to be a tree riding contender, but it wasn't nimble enough, particularly at slower speed, to be a great tree board for me. Most likely those who enjoy banked slaloms would love this board though.
Certainly not for the beginner - far too stiff and aggressive, and unlikely that an intermediate ride would enjoy it either.
The Optimistic in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Optimistic is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: YES Optimistic 2019, 157cm, 266mm waist width
Date: March 16, 2018
Conditions: Sunny as! So yeah, perfect vis. Snow was pretty soft on groomer – mustn’t have been cold enough in the morning to ice up. But pretty crunchy/icy off groomer. As close to zero wind as you can get.
Bindings angles: +18/-6
Stance width: 585mm (23”)
Stance Setback: Centered (on effective edge)
I measured 570mm (22.4″) from the center of the front binding to the nose and 405mm (15.9″) from the center of the back binding to the tail. So although it’s centered on the effective edge, you are quite setback over the overall length of the board. This isn’t surprising given the nose length is published as 320mm (12.6″) and the tail length just 160mm (6.3″).
Width at Inserts: 272mm (10.71″) at the back insert and 274mm (10.79″) at the front insert
Weight: 2900grams (6lb 6oz)
Weight per cm: 18.47grams/cm
Average Weight per cm: 18.21grams/cm*
*based on a small sample size of 24 boards that I weighed. So pretty much bang on the average of the boards I weighed. And given how wide this board is, it’s pretty light for it’s overall surface area.
Powder
Didn’t have any fresh snow to speak of but given the feel of this board and it’s specs, I would say it rides very well in powder.
Even though it’s technically a centered stance along the effective edge – the nose is twice the length of the tail! Which gives it a 160mm (6.3″) overall setback along the overall length of the board on the 157 (which is really quite a lot!). The nose is also wider than the tail (a 6mm taper) and there is oodles of surface area, with the width of this board. There’s very little in the way of rocker – it’s pretty much all camber, so that detracts a little but overall very well suited to riding powder.
Carving and Turning
Unsurprisingly, the Optimistic is a great carver. And that’s not surprising given it’s stiffness and camber.
It’s certainly an aggressive carver and it’s something that you really need to get up on edge and something that you need to take control of – or it will take control of you.
Edge-to-edge it’s a little slower than I would have liked – it has tight radius turns for sure, but initiating those turns was relatively slow, I found.
Definitely not one to skid your turns on. Needs good technique and prefers to carve over everything else.
Learn more about the Optimistic in the Video Below
Speed
Really stable at speed, without being an out and out bomber. But yeah takes a lot to get it wobbling that’s for sure.
Uneven Terrain
Wasn’t nimble enough in bumps to be that fun going between them – and going over them wasn’t the most fun either. I preferred it in well groomed flat terrain (and it would be great in fresh powder too).
In trees it’s not quite as good as I was hoping – with that short tail, I was looking forward to getting it in there, but it’s just not nimble enough for my liking in trees. Of course would be better in trees if there powder in there!
Jumps
There’s certainly some pop in there – but it’s hard to extract – you’ve got to really load it up to get it out.
Landings are really stable and solid, and that’s not surprise given the camber, the width and the flex.
Approaches to large jumps is good but for approaches to side hits, it’s not nimble enough for my liking.
For spins it’s not great, given that landing and taking off switch isn’t amazing, the pop is difficult to extract and the torsional flex felt quite stiff. Took some effort to get it around.
Switch
Even though it’s centered on the effective edge, it still feels weird to ride switch – and with that taper and the really long nose – even if it’s not making contact with the snow – it just doesn’t do it for me riding switch – but certainly doable.
Edge-Hold
Felt very good in hard/icy snow, which is typical of a lot of YES boards, I’ve found.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | Contribution to Final Score | |
|---|---|---|
CARVING | 4.5 | 27/30 |
POWDER | 4.0 | 16/20 |
SPEED | 4.0 | 16/20 |
UNEVEN TERRAIN | 2.5 | 7.5/15 |
JUMPS | 2.5 | 5/10 |
SWITCH | 2.5 | 2.5/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 80.4/100 |
It's not often that I don't rave about a YES board - and for good reason, I usually get excited on them. But the Optimistic didn't push my buttons as much as most YES boards do.
It's just a little too stiff for my tastes - and that with being relatively slow edge-to-edge, makes it not the best in the trees for me, which is what I would likely get this board for mostly.
That's not to say that it's a bad ride in the slightest. It's fun to carve and would work a treat for a banked slalom most likely (I didn't take it in one), is good at speed, and would most likely float really well in open terrain powder. But it's just not a board that would serve a purpose in my particular quiver, and not one that got me excited like a lot of YES boards do.
The 154 is likely the better size for me, but in saying that I recently rode the 2020 YES Y (which is like a slightly softer Optimistic, with a bit of rocker in there) in the 154, and whilst I preferred it, I still didn't get excited about it, in the same way that I do for the PYL or the new 2020 Hybird (which I will release my review for soon) which I absolutely loved.
Not sure what it is about it, but it didn't push my buttons the same way that it obviously has for others, or in the same way other YES boards do.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
Check out the links below for more info on the Optimistic, where to buy or if you are researching prices or available sizes.
If your keen to check out some other Freeride options or to see how the Optimistic compares to other freeride decks check out the link below.
Hey nate,
They have a hybrid on sale here in NZ. 157. Quick few questions. Fast edge to edge? Great for trees and deep light snow? I want something for japan. Also lay a rewarding carve on groomers? Need responsive bindings for it?
Sorry to jump the gun before you have the review.
Many thanks
Tim
Hi Tim
Thanks for your message.
If the 157 is a suitable size for you, then I think the Hybrid would work really well for what you’re describing.
I didn’t get any powder to test it in, but based on the specs (nose is longer and wider, setback 40mm on effective edge, wider too for good amount of surface area) and based on how the PYL rides (which has some similar characteristics to the Hybrid), I would say that it would float great. It’s nice and nimble whether riding at slow speeds or riding faster – so that’s also in it’s favor for riding trees. But you would want to be sizing down a little from your regular size – as it’s a shorter/wider shape, you’d want to take off some length. The 157 felt just right for me (6’0″, 185lbs, US10 boots). Ordinarily I would be looking more like 159-161 in terms of length, for this type of board – if it was regular width. So, it would really depend on your specs. If 157 isn’t sizing down for you and you don’t have bigger boots, then it won’t be as nimble feeling.
It carves pretty well. Word for word from my notes “not a hard carve master but still very good on a carve – a surfier rather than aggressive feel”. So yeah I don’t think it will leave you wanting on a carve on the groomers. Thought it wasn’t quite as good as the PYL on a carve, but I rate the PYL as a carver.
I rode it with Burton Malavitas – so not the most responsive bindings in the world. I wouldn’t go any less responsive than that. I would rate it a 6/10 in terms of flex. So anything with around a 6/10, 7/10 flex would be the best match, IMO.
So yeah, I think it would be a great option for what you’re describing – so long as the 157 is a suitable size for your specs. If you let me know your height, weight and boot size, I would be happy to give you my opinion on size suitability.
Hope this helps with your decision
Hey nate I can tell you a couple of things why you might not have liked it.
1. you def should be on a 154 or even a 151. It’s a lot of board
2. When I first took my 154 out I had malavitas in it and found it a lot of work and didn’t like it.
Threw some now drives on and wow what a difference. You def have to put some responsive bindings on it to get it humming.
I’ve bought some falcors to throw on it so hope they work because of changing binding size.
I also think a 151 could work for me.
Anyway try a smaller size!
Cheers nate!
Hi Tim
Thanks for your message.
Yeah, I was looking to get on the 154 for sure but only had the 157 to test. And I agree that more responsive bindings would be a better bet for this board. I did ride the YES Y (new for 2020) in the 154 though, and thought I would like that a little more. Granted I was on Malavitas then too. The Y is a slightly less aggressive, slightly softer variation on the Optimistic, so I thought that, and being 154 would work with the Malavitas. However, I did prefer the 154 Y over the 157 Optimistic, just not quite as much as I thought I would. I know a lot of people who do love the Optimistic though, and I definitely want to get on a smaller size, and get some more responsive bindings on it and see how it goes then.
On a side note, I also rode the 154 Jones Ultra Mind Expander – talking about a lot of board for its size! Wow!
Thanks for your input. Always appreciated.
How was the Y? Fun board or not really? Looking for something interesting to rip around the small resort.
Hi Jarod.
The Y was OK, but not my favorite YES board. I preferred and definitely got more excited about the new YES Hybird. That’s a super fun board – and something a little different – YES call it a cross between the PYL and the 420. That was my preference personally. The Y is a slightly toned down (not as stiff, not as aggressive in the camber profile) Optimistic, but it’s not that toned down. Very subtly. Still quite an aggressive, stiffer feeling board. I would personally find the Hybrid more fun for a small resort.
Hope this helps
Hey Time & Nate,
What’s your weight and height?
I’m 5’10” and 185lbs.
I’m thinking a 154 would be good for me, but wondering if even a 151 would be better.
Thoughts?
Hi Fred
Thanks for your message.
I’m 6’0″, 185lbs – size 10 boot. You could probably get away with the 151, if you’re looking to make it a bit more nimble and a little less aggressive, depending on boot size.
My boot size is 10.5.
The 151cm is harder to find at a good price right now.
You think the 154cm would be good?
Hi Fred
154 is what I would probably usually recommend for you for this board. It’s probably something that you could ride at 151, just because of how much board it is. But if you want to get the full experience of it, 154 would be the best size for your specs, IMO. Like I say in the review, I wasn’t the biggest fan of it, but I think 154 would have been a better size for me. Both the 151 and 154 should be wide enough for your boots. The 151 would actually be what I would consider a “good width” for your boots – which in this case possibly isn’t the best thing. The Optimistic is designed to be wider – and that’s why you ride it shorter. But if you went with the 151 you would be sizing down without having that extra width – the 154 would still be sizing down, but is a wider board for your boots – so sizing down makes more sense. So yeah, I think 154 is better suited – but if you were looking to tone the board down a bit in terms of aggressiveness and to make it more nimble the 151 would do that.