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.
NOTE: This review is for the 2018 Model. For the review of the most recent model, check out the link below.
>>YES Standard Snowboard Review (latest model)
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.
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 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.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you’re interested in learning more about the Standard, are ready to buy or would like to check out current prices and availability, check out the links below.
If you want to see how the Standard compared to other all-mountain boards or want to check out some other options check out the next link.
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