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YES. 420 UnInc JPS 2021-2022 Snowboard Review

Tested and selected for our top 100 snowboard products of the year: the YES. 420 UnInc JPS

  • Price: £469 / €500 / $500
  • Category: All-Mountain / Freeride + Powder
  • Sizes: 141, 145, 148, 152
  • Flex: 8/10
  • Shape: Directional
  • Profile: Setback Camber
  • 3D: No
  • Base: Sintered

Why we chose the YES. 420 UnInc JPS Snowboard: Everything you’ve always loved about the iconic 420, with the Pro20 chassis, and a topsheet with a message to the world.

It was back in 2013 when YES. Snowboards first turned heads with the 420. It was one of the first significantly volume shifted snowboards to really gain traction in the market, and has since been recognised as the bonafide OG of the short-n-wide revolution. Along with Romain de Marchi and DCP, JP Solberg has taken his favourite model from the line, and specced it out to meet his demands in the new, limited UnInc line for winter 2021/22.

“This thing has the kind of curves and voluptuousness that Insta-influencers build a career selling beauty products out of”

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Who Is The YES. 420 UnInc JPS For?

Here’s the thing: the 420’s reputation precedes itself as one of the best and most iconic powder snowboards out there. And while that remains the case in the UnInc version — and how — it’s surprisingly capable as a daily driver that can blast its way through chop, stick a landing in switch and (seriously, hear us out) even charge around the pistes. So, providing you’re confident riding a stiffer flex and chunky outline, you’ll be surprised just where you can take this one. Although we all know where it really belongs…

Shape, Profile and Sidecut

While just about every board in the YES. lineup offers some kind of sidecut variant, the 420 keeps things classic with a single radial curve and concentrates the weirdness in its surface area instead. This thing has the kind of curves and voluptuousness that Insta-influencers build a career selling beauty products out of. To give you some perspective, the 148 size has a larger surface area than a 161 Basic snowboard. Having a board that enables you to ride it around 10cm shorter than usual opens the door to a whole new world of backcountry freestyle and creative potential, where it’s able to turn on a dime and kick up clouds of cold smoke, yet barely come barely reach your armpits when it’s stood upright.

In addition to all that volume, the 420 UnInc comes equipped with a decent amount of rocker in the nose, as well as a touch in the tail, and also a fairly subtle taper running throughout. But it’s that mid-section that lends a the board a little more versatility. The 4mm of positve camber underyour feet means that once you’re out the woods and back on the groomers – or even just navigating a pretty hairy traverse to get into a powder bowl – the 420 UnInc has a good amount of grip and response through a large portion of the effective edge. It’s by no means a samurai sword on the pistes, or an ultra-aggressive freeride cannon, but it does allow you to take it out in a whole host of conditions and ride it without any issues until you find the white, powdery goods.

“To give you some perspective, the 148 size has a larger surface area than a 161 Basic snowboard”

Construction and Materials

Where the original 420 simplified it’s construction down to the bare minimums, JP ensured the UnInc interaction adopted the same power and response as the more recent Pro20 snowboard. This means the core is made up of poplar and paulownia wood stringers, striking a more lively and lightweight feel, with plenty of firepower underfoot.

This is then sandwiched between a pretty snappy triax fibreglass layup. For those of you who’ve ridden the original 420, you’ll certainly feel the difference here. Stiffening a board of these dimensions will be pretty cumbersome for anyone less than an experienced intermediate to expert rider, but for those who can handle it, there is a huge amount of freeride potential waiting to be unlocked with this thing.

Lastly, though importantly, the 420 UnInc gets the full top-shelf treatment from YES. with a sintered true base. It’s a whole lotta board to wax, but it will absorb a huge amount and continue to glide fast in a whole variety of conditions long after its last service.

“One unusual feature worth noting in this year’s 420 UnInc, is the topsheet artwork from artist Richard Bentley”

Roundup

One unusual feature worth noting in this year’s 420 UnInc, is the topsheet artwork from artist Richard Bentley. When JP Solberg learned that the last white rhinoceros had been killed and the species was now extinct, he wanted to express the significance and sadness of the species’ extinction through the 420’s canvas. It’s a pretty bleak message and an important one for anyone who plays in nature and wants to protect it.

Trade Secrets

David Pitschi – Brand Manager, YES. Snowboards

“The outline of the 420 UnInc is actually based on the Pro20 it’s just slightly narrower and has a more progressive edge to nose radius so you do not have the vibrating effect when you’re going at high speed on the slope. It’s also a camber profile with a really long nose.”

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