YES Ghost 2011-2021 Snowboard Review

The YES Ghost 2020 is the same board as the 2019 in all ways except one. It now has the same setback inserts (Slamback) as the YES Standard. This one little change to the inserts makes it a much better one board quiver. If you want a mid/wide-ish one board quiver ride like the Yes Standard but want more camber the YES Ghost should do the trick. Just don’t get mini-disc bindings with this as you won’t be able to use the Full-Size Disc only slam back inserts.

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.

How This Review Happened:  We borrowed this for an extended demo and then returned it.
Size: 156
Days: 3
Conditions: Mainly good mid-winter snow.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-195lbs),Grant (Size 11 6’ 160lbs),
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV
Insoles: Sandsole Custom Insoles,  Footprint Insole Technology Gameghangers Low Profile
Bindings: Union Atlas

Similar Boards (but not the same) That We Compared This To: YES Standard, Yes Not So Basic, Korua Otto, Lib Tech Terrain Wrecker,  Loaded Algernon,

Set-Up: 22” Wide. 15 front -15 back.  Centered.

Approximate Weight: Feels normal. Nice balance of being sturdy vs. not too heavy.

Sizing: The Yes Ghost sits on the mid/wide side of things when you are looking at the middle sizes but as you get bigger they can fit a pretty big foot. With the Mid-Bite tech, the waist width is not as wide as the rest of the board so it’s generally wider than many other boards over the bindings where it counts. So it is a very competent wide in the bigger sizes.  For me, with a size 9 boot the 153 is a better fit but the 156 is a better fit with my 185lbs. For Grant with size 11 boots and about 165lbs, the 156 was a great fit.

Flex/Buttering: In the shop, the flex of the Ghost might feel the same as The Standard but on snow, it feels a lot stiffer when trying to butter. Still, overall it doesn’t feel like a 7 out of 10 but instead more like a 5 or 6.  This is common with all Yes boards. It’s rated consistently when comparing boards in Yes’s line but not in comparison to other lines in the industry. So if you want to ask me “are you sure it’s not that stiff??” ……you have your answer here…..it’s not that stiff. It feels like YES boards can flex more than other boards, almost feeling a little rubbery, while still having some pop.

On Snow Feel/Ability Level/Skidded Turns: This Modern Camber profile has a good semi-locked in feel to it but it’s nothing like full camber.  In comparison to the Standard it goes a bit further past the binding inserts but still has a good bit of early rise before the nose/tail. There is more consequence skidding turns if you get off your game than the Camrock Yes Standard but it’s not as bad as full camber.  It has a somewhat directional look with the different surface area in the tail but when centered up it feels very much like a twin. It one foots and flat bases well. There is a very consistent personality underfoot with the Ghost from hard to soft snow. It always feels on the border of being stable and semi-locked in. Best for advanced to expert riders that want less consequence than full camber.

Edge Hold: The Mid-Bite tech gives extra grip right where you need it on the board and it definitely improves the edge hold in harder to icy snow without making it grab much in powder.

Turn Initiation: For me, it was slow and on one day I compared it to the Yes Not So Basic. The difference was massive. The weight I had to put into a moderate turn on the Ghost would have been a pretty hard carve. For Grant’s size 11’s it was just right and turned quickly. So if you are like my specs, it’s slow and for Grant, Med/Fast.

Turning Experience/Carving: In comparison to the Yes Standard which has the exact same shape/flex, the YES Ghost has a pretty big difference when making turns and it’s the choice if you want to carve. It comes at the expense of butterability and being forgiving so it’s all about what is more important to you. It’s pretty powerful for a directional twin and probably the most fun I’ve had on a Yes board other than the Optimistic.

Powder: So the Standard, with the extra rocker does better but now that the Yes Ghost has slam back inserts it’s much closer than it used to be.  Both have a good bit of set back on board for an All Mountain/One Board Quiver ride. it’s 4.5″ difference between nose and tail or 2.25″ back from center at a 21.5″ stance width when using the slam back inserts. It’s very fun to ride powder in this if you set it all the way back. The thing is that you need full-sized discs like you find on NOW, Jones, Burton, Salomon, Some Union Bindings, etc. MiniDisc bindings won’t work on this kind of set back inserts. I wish these were mini-disc compatible so you had more binding and stance width options in powder but it’s still way better than nothing.

Speed: The Yes Ghost is very stable and fast for a directional twin.

Uneven Terrain: The kind of rubbery feel is great for being damp when powering over micro bumpy hard groomers as well as smacking through tracked up powder to get to the good stuff. It’s also great in all kinds of chunder. If your boot size matches the width well the Yes Ghost will turn through bumps well.

Switch: Very good switch and you almost don’t notice the difference in surface area in the tail taking it fakie.

Jumps: If you like going big or just a good board when it comes to getting air the Ghost is the call. You can feel the difference in spring on an ollie compared to the YES Standard with less camber but it does require more strength to make it pop. Very stable on approach and landings and there is a pretty wide platform under your feet in comparison to the waist width.

Jibbing: Not a super friendly jib board but it can do it in a pinch. The Standard is a better call here.

Pipe: For me, this felt too wide and awkward but for Grant with the right boot size it felt great. The 153 for me would be a lot of fun. The Yes Ghost can drive hard wall to wall and it’s a very recommendable pipe board if the width works for your boots.

So if you want more camber than the Standard, you have the YES Ghost. The addition of the Slam Back inserts really rounded out the Ghost as great one board quiver for almost all conditions you want to or might have to ride.

The Yes Ghost is pretty much the evolution of the TDF and parallels the Standard in shape but not in camber profile. It’s still hybrid camber but has a little more camber before going to rocker. The demo model didn’t have the slam backs like the 2018 model did but it’s still a great board for those that like to make good turns, want good edge hold, like to carve and want good float for a centered stance board.

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.

Size: 156 
Days:  3
Conditions:  Mainly good snow but some hard patches.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-195lbs),
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV, Adidas Acerra,
Insoles: Sandsole Custom Insoles,  Footprint Insole Technology Gameghangers Low Profile
Bindings: Union Atlas
Set Up: 22.5” Centered 12 front -12 back

Approximate Weight: Feels pretty normal for its volume which is a bit more than most 156’s.

Flex: On the medium/stiff side of medium.

Sizing: The 156 feels like it’s a little slow for my size 9’s but the rest of the board feels like it matches my weight well. I’d be curious to see if the 153 would be more suitable for my boot size and not feel too small/chattery.  It might work with the extra volume but I’m not 100% sure.

On Snow Feel: Very stable and bordering on being semi-locked in. It’s definitely a little more locked in than the Yes Standard and there feels like there is more consequence to the Yes Ghost.  It tracks well though without being as catchy as camber, one foots easy and flat bases like a champ. It’s very consistent underfoot in any kind of snow and never starts to feel loose or want to auto spin on you.

Edge Hold: The Mid-Bite tech helps it grip more than you would think and it feels almost on par with Underbite’s grip. The Yes Ghost also doesn’t grab too hard in softer snow making it a great all conditions ride.

Turn Initiation:  Kind of slow and not very quick edge to edge for my specs. I couldn’t get the Yes Ghost and the Yes Standard where I wanted them when I wanted them to be there.

Turning Experience: Despite the slow edge to edge transitioning the overall turning experience is really fun once you have that side cut engaged and the Yes Ghost is more fun than the Standard here for sure.

Carving: The Yes Ghost is really fun to carve and springs well from edge to edge. It’s a super fun board to carve and really shines here over the Standard.

Speed: Same with speed and even though the flex is so similar the Ghost’s extra camber seems to dampen up the ride and reduce the clown shoe effect you often get in the tip/tail with hybrid shapes.

Uneven Terrain: Not quite fun for my size 9’s in uneven terrain and it was a lot of work in a bump line I went through.  That being said it was great everywhere else like micro bumps on hard groomers or hammering over something bumpy or tracked was just fine. So it’s hard to be too critical on the Yes Ghost and if you have bigger boots it might turn well for you.

Powder: Now this is where the Yes Standard will pull way ahead over the Ghost because the 2019 Yes Ghost demo I received did not have slamback inserts anymore.  It’s just 5×2 centered per binding which just isn’t that much back so plan on riding this centered to just a touch set back. Also, there is some rocker but not as much as the Standard so overall it’s gonna float better than if it was full camber but it’s just not going to hang with most one board quiver/all mountain rides.

Buttering: A bit more work than the Yes Standard and not as much fun but still doable if you have med/strong legs.

Switch: It seems like the Yes Ghost’s shape wouldn’t ride well switch but being a true twin on sidecut makes it pretty good.  The different volume in the tip/tail feels a touch off but nothing you can’t get used to after a few turns.

Jumps: More pop than the Standard for sure and the Yes Ghost popped better for me for sure.

Jibbing: Like the Standard, better here and the Ghost feels a little more unfriendly.

Pipe: Maybe the 153 Yes Ghost would be a super fun pipe board but that wider, slower turning feel underfoot didn’t inspire confidence for me in the pipe. might be great with bigger feet but I’m not sure.

So all in all, the Yes Ghost is a super fun ride and even though the 156 feels better suited for larger boots it’s a well-made board.

The YES TDF is for an accomplished rider that still likes the traditional feel of camber for an aggressive all mountain freestyle feel. In addition, the quality of the 2013 and 2015 line is much better than 2012. It doesn’t come in many sizes and it’s mainly made for the smaller aggressive rider. Instead of regular and wide it comes in regular and narrow waist widths that allow women and smaller footed guys the ability to ride this board too.

The 2015 Yes TDF Ghost changed to a directional volume twin.  It’s still got the same ride between the feet but it’s just a little better in powder because of more nose in the tip and less nose in the tail.  The tip and tail still point down because it’s traditional camber and it still has a traditional camber float.  It’s just now on the better side for a camber twin. Switch is almost the same but we felt that most directional volume twins we rode feel a tiny bit different than a true twin. It’s probably just in our head because the contact is a true twin but who knows for sure.  Other than that the ride is very similar to the 2014 model.  It’s still a poppy traditional camber board for those that like an aggressive all mountain freestyle ride.

2014 and 2013 Yes TDF Ghost Review

Size 154

Size: 
Days: 2
Conditions: 1 day of perfect sierra snow and one day where it was more on the hard side with some ocasional snowment areas.
Riders: James, Peter and Ginger.
Boots: Burton Imperial, Nike Kaiju,
Bindings: Union Contact Pro, Flux DS
Set Up: Approx 23″ wide 15 front -15 back centered.

On Snow Feel: Camber is stable one footing and flat basing but also can be catchy compared to the hybrid shapes out there these days. It’s an aggressive all mountain freestyle kind of ride that likes to carve, regular or switch from the peak until you get to the big jumps in the park.  It also doesn’t mind stopping in the pipe.

Powder: It’s old school 100% camber technology will make you work to stay afloat in powder so you better keep your speed and make sure you know what you are doing here.

Turn Initiation and Carving– If you know how to turn its very quick edge to edge but it takes some work compared to the many different hybrid shapes that are out there these days.  Short radius turns are fun and it just gets better with medium to wider radius turns. When it’s time to lay into a hard nipple scratching carve it’s got a lot of life in it and there is a good spring out of each turn.

Speed: It’s a well made fast twin that allows you to handle pretty decent mountain speed. It has a decent glide in the flats and a pretty damp build and it feels like many all mountain boards here.

Uneven Terrain: Handles bumpy situations well for a board with this kind of flex. It’s fine negotiating crowded end of the day snow.

Edge Hold: It doesn’t seem right but this doesn’t have the edge hold of the hybrid camber Yes boards. In my opinion I’d love to see a little mellow magnetraction going on here.  It would make it an amazing pipe board and grip harder snow better.

Flex: Pretty easy to butter for an aggressive camber twin but it takes a lot more work compared to many of their hybrid camber twins like the Jackpot.

Switch: It’s a true twin so its the same either direction.

Jibbing– It’s decent here but it’s not what you would call a jib specialist.  It’s much more at home in the pipe or jump area of the park.

Pipe: Very competent pipe board and if it had a little more edge hold it would be a perfect solution for the technical advanced to expert pipe ridier.

Jumps: The TDF has pop and springs very well when it comes to an ollie.  It also is a great jump board for the advanced to expert rider.  It’s the kind of board that makes you want to find things to spring off of all over the mountain and makes you want to stop at the roller coaster line that is the jump park every run you take.

All in all this board isn’t for everyone but many aggressive all mountain freestyle riders could find them selves having a great time on this board.

2013 and below

The YES TDF and older model called the Hand Sign are pretty much the same boards but the TDF has a few changes.  First off the 2012 board has a completely new design that looks very similar to the 2012 Jones All Mountain Twin. Second off the TDF has a slightly faster base and is a bit lighter.  This is a solid, high performance, technical springy snowboard made for going big all over the mountain.  The TDF has a lot of similarities to the old Burton Uninc from the early to mid 2000’s.   Burton must be kicking themselves after dropping the YES guys because they are making some well liked boards. If you are looking for a camber all mountain freestyle board then this might be a good choice.