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YES. PYL 2021-2022 Snowboard Review

  • Price: £560 / €600 / $600
  • Category: Freeride + Powder
  • Sizes: 156, 159, 160W, 162, 164W, 165
  • Flex: 8/10
  • Shape: Directional
  • Profile: Setback Camber
  • 3D: No
  • Base: Sintered
MORE INFO:
YESNOWBOARDS.COM

Picking your line is one thing; holding it is quite another. Thankfully the YES. PYL is a master at enabling you to do both. At a glance, it looks like your textbook freeride charger — and indeed, it ticks pretty much all of these boxes. But it hides an almighty trick up its sleeve to deliver a turning experience like few others.

“It hides an almighty trick up its sleeve to deliver a turning experience like few others”

Who Is The YES. PYL For?

Given the scope of its potential to eat up big, burly, freeride lines in the backcountry, the PYL is surprisingly easy to ride over the rest of the mountain. Make no mistake, though, this is probably the most dedicated freeride charger of the YES. family tree, so those who only dabble in the occasional powder lines need not apply.

Shape, Profile and Sidecut

Now then, take a good look at that outline. Look again, and this time really look. YES. have made a stellar reputation for their innovative sidecut technologies, and their Tapered UnderBite might be the most impressive creation of the lot. By segmenting the sidecut into three sections, the PYL is able to maintain a tapered shape to help with that directional drive and float in powder, while simultaneously featuring a sidecut that doesn’t have that washed out or loose feeling at the end of a turn.

With each “step” the sidecut radius tightens and delivers incredible edge hold right through to the end of your turn. If you find yourself tackling steep, technical descents, or simply want the reassurance of turning on rails the PYL delivers, and then some.

“With each “step” the sidecut radius tightens and delivers incredible edge hold right through to the end of your turn”

Construction and Materials

When it comes to striking the right balance between weight and strength, many brands opt for a construction that alternates between stiffer, harder wood and softer, lighter ones. In the case of the PYL, YES. have put it under the microscope and tactically configured the lighter woods in the areas that are under less force and pressure, while beefing up the areas that are.

In addition to this, the triax fibreglass delivers some torsional and longitudinal rigidity throughout the core, while an ash veneer topsheet is able to soak up and diffuse unwanted high-speed vibrations, giving you a rock-solid, smooth feeling juggernaut of a board.

“YES. have tactically configured the lighter woods in the areas that are under less force and pressure, while beefing up the areas that are.”

Roundup

“It’s often easy to overlook the PYL when YES. have such an eclectic mix of freeride snowboards with extremely eye-catching outlines but the PYL is a case of the basics done well and the fine details being meticulously thought out. And the result? Well, strap in and you’ll soon find yourself picking lines you probably wouldn’t even think to consider on a lesser snowboard.

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