Yes Basic unlocks the gateway to true twin freestyle mastery with its hybrid design and bulletproof performance capabilities across every mountain terrain imaginable. This snowboard serves as the ultimate Swiss Army knife that conquers groomed runs, park features, and backcountry adventures with remarkable confidence and unwavering reliability. After testing this board extensively across various conditions and terrain types, I can confidently say it's a genuine all-mountain powerhouse that deserves serious attention from beginner to advanced riders seeking one versatile board to handle everything the mountain throws at them.
Yes Snowboards has rapidly established itself as a formidable force in snowboard manufacturing since 2009, consistently producing high-quality boards that push creative boundaries while maintaining exceptional build quality and rider satisfaction. The company's commitment to innovative design has flourished in recent years, with groundbreaking technologies like their UnderBite edge technology and hybrid camber profiles demonstrating their dedication to performance-driven evolution and rider-focused engineering excellence.
Key Specifications:
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Length Options: 149cm, 152cm, 155cm, 158cm, 161cm - ★★★★★
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Effective Edge: Varies by length - ★★★★☆
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Waist Width: Varies by length - ★★★★☆
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Stance Setback: Minimal setback - ★★★★☆
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Core: Full Poplar Wood - ★★★★★
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Base: Extruded - ★★★☆☆
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Shape: True Twin/Directional Twin - ★★★★★
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Flex Rating: Medium (5/10) - ★★★★★
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Price Point: $400-$430 - ★★★★★
1. Flex
The Yes Basic features a medium flex pattern (5/10 on the stiffness scale) that strikes an exceptional balance between playful responsiveness and forgiving predictability for riders. The board feels lively and engaging underfoot, providing excellent feedback and control while remaining manageable and confidence-inspiring for progressive riders still developing their skills. However, it maintains enough backbone and structural integrity to handle aggressive riding and high-speed stability when demanding conditions require more performance.
Yes has refined the flex pattern in recent iterations by implementing their balanced wood core construction, which creates a progressive feel from nose to tail. This means the board maintains consistent flex characteristics throughout its length, allowing for predictable behavior in various snow conditions while providing the necessary pop and response. The flex sweet spot extends throughout the effective edge, giving riders confidence to load up and release energy through natural features and park obstacles.
2. Camber
The Yes Basic utilizes their innovative CamRock profile, which combines traditional camber underfoot with subtle rocker sections in the nose and tail for enhanced versatility. This hybrid design provides the best of both worlds: the precision, edge hold, and explosive pop of traditional camber combined with the enhanced float and catch-free nature of rocker technology. The camber section extends from binding to binding, creating a powerful and responsive platform for carving, jumping, and generating explosive energy through turns and freestyle maneuvers with confidence.
The rockered sections in the nose and tail elevate the contact points, helping the board initiate turns more easily, float effortlessly in powder, and navigate through choppy snow conditions without catching edges. Yes has perfected this camber profile over multiple seasons, finding the optimal balance point that enhances all-mountain versatility without sacrificing specific performance characteristics in any particular condition. The result is a board that feels lively and responsive on hardpack while still excelling in soft snow and maintaining freestyle-friendly characteristics throughout every mountain experience.
3. Torsion
The torsional rigidity of the Yes Basic is expertly engineered to provide the perfect amount of responsive feedback without feeling overly rigid during dynamic riding situations. When riding, you'll immediately notice the board maintains excellent edge-to-edge transfer capabilities while still allowing for controlled lateral flex when needed for style adjustments. This carefully calibrated torsional flex comes from Yes's strategic wood core layup and fiberglass construction, which reinforces high-stress areas while allowing controlled flex in other zones.
The result is a board that can be driven hard through aggressive turns and maintain stability, but still manipulated when you need to make quick terrain adjustments. Yes has integrated their time-tested construction methods with modern materials, which adds the perfect amount of longitudinal stiffness without compromising the board's natural ability to twist appropriately. This enhanced torsional control gives the Yes Basic impressive maneuverability and predictable response characteristics considering its true twin shape and medium flex rating.
4. Float
While not specifically designed as a powder-focused board, the Yes Basic delivers surprisingly impressive float characteristics in deeper snow conditions thanks to its thoughtful design elements. The combination of its directional twin tendencies, subtle nose rocker, and well-balanced stance positioning creates a board that maintains good flotation without requiring excessive technique adjustments from the rider. The minimal stance setback naturally distributes weight evenly across the board, allowing both nose and tail to plane effectively through deeper snow while maintaining directional control.
Meanwhile, the CamRock design creates natural lift in the nose without sacrificing the tail's ability to provide steering control and power through variable conditions. I found myself navigating through moderate powder depths with reasonable ease and control, able to make fluid turns and maintain forward momentum without feeling like I was constantly fighting the board. Yes has continued to refine the rocker sections and overall shape profile of the Basic, finding an optimal balance between powder capability and all-mountain versatility that doesn't compromise other performance aspects.
5. Shape
The Yes Basic features a true twin shape with directional twin characteristics that create versatility for both regular and switch riding while maintaining subtle directional bias. This classic all-mountain oriented shape provides balanced performance across multiple riding styles, but Yes has executed it in a way that doesn't limit the board to any single riding discipline. The shape includes the innovative UnderBite edge technology that enhances turn initiation and edge hold by creating additional contact points along the effective edge for improved grip.
The consistent waist width throughout the length provides enhanced stability and predictable performance without creating unnecessary drag for riders with average to larger boot sizes. What makes the Yes Basic's shape truly impressive is how well it performs across different riding styles despite its balanced twin construction and accessible design philosophy. While it's certainly oriented toward all-mountain versatility, I found it surprisingly capable in both freestyle and freeride situations, something many compromise-oriented boards struggle to achieve with such consistency.
6. Speed
The Yes Basic maintains confident stability and composure at moderate to high speeds, especially on groomed runs and open terrain where its balanced design characteristics shine. The board's true twin shape and medium flex create a stable and predictable platform that remains controlled and composed at speed, without the chatter or vibration that can plague overly soft boards. The extruded base, while not as fast as sintered alternatives, still provides reliable glide characteristics and maintains reasonable speed across flat sections when properly maintained.
After proper preparation, I found the board carried momentum adequately well across connecting terrain and maintained velocity through variable snow conditions effectively. The board's construction methods and materials work together to provide adequate dampening that reduces unwanted vibration at higher speeds while maintaining rider feedback and connection. This translates to a smooth, controlled ride that builds confidence when pushing personal speed limits on steep groomers or blasting through chopped-up snow conditions.
7. Turn Ease
Despite its true twin shape and medium flex characteristics, the Yes Basic offers exceptional turn initiation and maneuverability that makes it accessible to riders across skill levels. The combination of CamRock profile, UnderBite edge technology, and balanced construction creates a board that initiates turns with minimal effort while following through with precision and confidence-inspiring control. The board truly excels in short to medium radius turns, where you can really utilize the UnderBite edge technology and feel the enhanced grip as you transition.
The Yes Basic loves to be maneuvered and carved, responding immediately to rider input and delivering a satisfying, intuitive turn experience that builds confidence across all terrain types. Yes has enhanced the turn initiation characteristics in recent models by refining the sidecut geometry and implementing improved edge technology that works seamlessly with their CamRock profile. These improvements have made the board more accessible to a wider range of riders while maintaining the performance characteristics that intermediate and advanced riders demand.
8. On-Track Behavior on Different Terrain Types
Groomed Runs: The Yes Basic delivers solid performance on groomed terrain with its CamRock profile and medium flex creating a responsive, engaging ride that handles carving with precision. The board holds an edge competently on firm snow, allowing you to commit to turns with confidence while providing forgiveness for technique development and skill building.
Powder: While not its primary strength, the Basic handles moderate powder surprisingly well for a true twin board with balanced characteristics and accessible design philosophy throughout various conditions. The nose rocker and balanced weight distribution provide decent float, while the twin shape maintains control without requiring advanced powder riding techniques from the rider.
Moguls/Bumps: The board's responsive edge-to-edge transition and medium flex make it well-suited for mogul navigation and bump skiing with good precision and reliable control. The balanced twin shape allows you to navigate bumpy terrain with confidence in either direction, though it requires moderate rider input to maximize potential.
Trees: The board's quick turn initiation and responsive nature make it well-suited for tight tree runs and technical terrain navigation with precision and confidence. I found it nimble enough to make quick direction changes while maintaining the stability needed to handle variable snow conditions and obstacles commonly found in forested areas.
Park: This is where the Yes Basic truly shines with its true twin shape, medium flex, and balanced construction making it ideally suited for freestyle progression and feature riding. The CamRock profile provides excellent pop for jumps while offering forgiveness for landings, and the twin shape ensures consistent performance whether riding regular or switch stance.
9. Overall Experience
The Yes Basic delivers an exceptional all-mountain experience that prioritizes versatility and accessibility without sacrificing performance or build quality across multiple riding disciplines and terrain types. It's a board that excels in park and freestyle situations while remaining capable across virtually all terrain types and snow conditions, making it an ideal choice for riders seeking maximum versatility. What impresses me most about the Yes Basic is how it manages to be both beginner-friendly and performance-oriented simultaneously, offering growth potential for developing riders seeking progression.
Intermediate riders will appreciate its forgiving nature and intuitive feel that builds confidence, while more advanced riders will appreciate its responsive characteristics and reliable performance across varying conditions. It's a board that can truly grow with your skills, offering new performance dimensions and possibilities as you progress through different riding phases and skill development. The board's construction quality is impressive for its price point, with attention to detail evident in everything from the base preparation to the edge finishing.
Conclusion
The Yes Basic stands as a testament to thoughtful design philosophy and value-oriented construction that prioritizes rider progression and versatility above all else consistently. It's an all-mountain powerhouse that excels in freestyle and park situations while remaining capable enough to handle virtually any terrain you encounter during a full mountain exploration day. The board strikes an impressive balance between accessibility and performance, making it suitable for a wide range of riders from progressing beginners to intermediate riders seeking maximum versatility and value.
Whether you're hitting park features, carving groomed runs, exploring tree runs, or tackling moderate powder days, the Yes Basic delivers a responsive, intuitive ride that inspires confidence and encourages development. It's not just a board; it's a comprehensive tool for mountain exploration and freestyle progression that adapts to your riding style and skill development throughout your snowboarding journey.
If you're in the market for a true twin all-mountain board that prioritizes versatility and value without sacrificing performance or build quality, the Yes Basic deserves serious consideration at the top. Head to your local shop to demo one – your progression and wallet will thank you for making this smart investment decision.