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YES 420 PowderHull 2017-2018 Snowboard Review

  • Price: £595 / €699
  • Sizes: 154
  • Flex: 8
  • Profile: Flat
  • Shape: Directional
  • yesnowboard.com

UPDATE: Check out our review of the 2018/2019 YES 420 PowderHull here

The regular YES 420 is exceedingly well-suited to the deep stuff already, with a tapered shape and wide waist that both compensate for the shorter length. That being said, its younger brother the YES 420 PowderHull is on a level all of its own. With its completely overhauled base, it’s hard to picture a more pow-ready board than this one.

“Air is channeled underneath the front of your board as you ride it, lifting it up”

At both the nose and the tail (but mostly at the nose), the YES 420 PowderHull has a concave cut-out in the base. Air is channeled underneath the front of your board as you ride it, lifting it up. The section at the back of the board allows your tail to sink further into the powder, achieving ideal board position with considerably less effort from the rider. The rest of the board is flat, which means that those sections are fairly anonymous when you’re in anything but deep powder.

Elsewhere it’s very similar to the standard 420, although with a few tweaks. It’s slightly narrower and stiffer, and has a longer effective edge, making it more suited to aggressive riding.

In the pow that makes sense; the PowderHull is doing a lot of the work of staying afloat for you, allowing you to be a bit braver. Also, if there’s no fluffy stuff around, this can make the simple act of carving up the piste a joy of its own – and the upgraded base means that you can absolutely rocket along on this.

“Stringers made from bamboo and carbon give the YES 420 PowderHull more power than you’d expect from a board of its reduced length”

The core has been designed specifically with the board’s outline in mind. Stringers made from a combination of bamboo and carbon run within the core, parallel to each sidecut. These give more power to the YES 420 PowderHull – certainly more than you’d expect from a board of its reduced length.

It’s quite pricey, but then cutting-edge tech always is. If you know you’re going to be getting tons of powder in this winter, then picking up a suitable snowboard is a must. Right at the top of that list, you’ll find the YES 420 PowderHull.

A concave section at the nose of the Yes 420 Powder Hull channels air beneath the board, making it float effortlessly in powder.

Tester’s Verdict

Tammy Estenmintsnowboarding.com

“Snowboards don’t get more floaty than the YES 420 PowderHull! Riding through deep snow is just effortless on this board. The effect of the hull means that you can keep your weight much more centred riding when riding this board, even in the deepest powder.

I was lucky enough to lap powder run after powder run on the 420 Powderhull, and never got any back leg burn! I didn’t ride it in the trees, but I reckon it would be an awesome weapon for deep tree runs.

“Riding through deep snow is just effortless on this board”

The Yes 420 Powderhull is a true powder board with a short & wide shape which makes it incredibly maneuverable in the powder, although on piste I found that it required much more effort to ride due to its width. It really is a specialised board that does one thing really, really well – but it’s not a board to rely on for everyday on the mountain.

This board is suitable for intermediate & advanced riders who want a true powder board in their quiver.”

Trade Secrets

Alex Warburton – Brand Director, YES

Incorporating the Powder`hull design into our beloved 420 was kind of a screamingly-obvious thing to do. The regular 420 uses width and nose rocker to get its float, but the 420PH is more refined.

By using the lift/planning created by the PowderHull, we were able to pull the waist width in a bit, making the board more responsive and livelier from edge to edge.

Carbon and bamboo stringers in the core help make the Powder Hull slightly stiffer than the regular Yes 420

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