YES 2020 2016-2024 Snowboard Review

The Yes 2020 has a unique design and ride.  It’s one of the few powder twins we came across because it has a massive lift in the middle of the tip/tail but then has the edges touching the snow just like a camber board.  For those looking to ride powder switch/fakie as much as they ride good foot forward this is a great choice.  It’s also not bad on groomers either.

Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews.  We do make money from the “Where To Buy” links, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average riders’ perspective.

Not much changed from 2016 to 2018 except it seems the reference stance is a little more narrow with 2018 compared to the 2016-2017 models.

Size: 146, 150
Days: 8+
Conditions: about 1.5-2 feet of thick heavy powder with rain only a few hundred feet down below. Other days were more groomer and leftover powder days.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-195lbs), Jimbo (Size 11, 5’11” 160lbs), Peter (Size 8, 5’11” 185lbs)
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV, Burton SLX, Salomon F3.0, Burton Fiend LTD,
Bindings: Union Atlas, Union Superpro, Burton Cartel, Salomon Defender
Insoles: Sandsole Custom Insoles,  Footprint Insole Technology Gameghangers Low Profile
Set Up: 22-22.5” Centered 15 front -15 back

Approximate Weight: Felt light but it’s also really small.

Flex: The Yes 20/20 is a bit Unique flex wise and you would expect that with those hulls in the middle and then the sides kind of acting like camber ribs.  It feels a little bit med/stiff in the middle and then a little softer in the tip/tail.

Sizing: 150 felt about our size and it worked pretty well for me but the 154 would probably work too. It’s so wide.

On Snow Feel: So most unique hybrid camber boards lift the sides but this lifted Hybrid camber lifts the middle like a catamaran.  It’s hard to describe but it feels like a hollow version of mostly camber.  It’s all about riding switch a lot and not setting it back with the minimal stance options, but hey, it’s a twin.  It’s very short and wide so it has a very stable platform underfoot but that hollow feeling in the tip/tail give you a feeling like it isn’t as stable as it is.  It’s a hard board to describe. The Yes 2020 does feel a bit locked in and it’s not super easy to skid turns compared to many Yes hybrid camber boards.  It has a mostly camber feel in that aspect, flat bases well, one foots well and requires you to be on your game when skidding a turn.

Edge Hold:  Seems kind of normal but we had almost all soft snow and very little hard spots to test it. It held on the few we did hit rather well. I don’t think it has the same grip that underbite tech does but it’s fine for what you will ride this in.

Turn Initiation:  In the past riding the 146 we rode felt pretty quick but the 150 we rode wasn’t as quick and it’s a little slow edge to edge on groomers.  It gets faster in powder but it’s short/fat design isn’t quite the tree cheetah.

Turning Experience: The Yes 2020 is a pretty wide board but given the volume from toe to heel it’s still an interesting board to turn. It’s nothing to call mom about but it’s pretty fun for a powder twin.

Carving:  Having full camber along the edges makes carving pretty good on softer snow but it’s not quite like normal camber.  Hard to put a finger on but it does turn different. Still, it’s way better than lifted sides when it comes to carving.

Speed: The Yes 2020 didn’t have the bomber personality but for a short fat 150 it did well enough.  There is a little chatter in the tip/tail but I thought there would be more for how little of the board is interacting in the snow there.

Uneven Terrain:  It seemed good in the uneven snow and tree runs we had but it can be a touch bucky.  Pretty easy although it did seem to buck me around a little bit in uneven bumpy steep tree runs and it flipped me around to switch which was a surprise for me.  It rides switch practically perfect so it wasn’t a nightmare but it was a surprise.

Powder: With the ugly thick stormy powder we had on a past demo were able to find some fresh stashes midday. The center lifted tech really does float well for a small wide twin and it lives up to its name as a powder twin. It is a unique feel though and you can feel the edges of the board in the powder give it a locked in kind of feel that is exactly the opposite of the lifted sides you see on a lot of boards out there today. It is really weird. It acts like a camber board is defying logic and instead of sending you cartwheeling it is easily floating you in powder.

Buttering: The Yes 2020 is a weird board to butter and you can feel the thin camber ribs and the rest of the board missing. It’s something you can get used to but it’s a bit different than almost any other board I’ve ever tried to butter.

Switch:  Practically perfect in every way because this is a centered twin.

Jumps: The Yes 2020 has a decent pop to it for its ribbed camber sides near the tip/tail

Jibbing: Didn’t jib but not really sure how this will play out.

Pipe: No pipe but it might be ok.  Wouldn’t be my first choice. It just feels too wide and slow when climbing walls for my ability level.

So with the more time I get on the Yes 2020 the more, it’s still unique to me. I’ve been riding this for a few days every few seasons and it’s a hard board to recommend.  It’s not a bad board at all but it’s just the kind of board that calls to a unique type of rider.

2016 Yes 2020 Review