Shape, Profile and Sidecut

Shape-wise, the Warca takes a little of its DNA from the OG 420, short ‘n’ stubby with a pretty bodacious waist width to match. But that’s about where the similarities stop, the all-new tapered Midbite outline has been designed specifically for the Warca and looks to up its versatility for the days where it hasn’t been puking powder. Shorter snowboards tend to be less cumbersome than traditional powder cannons, and as such can be a lot easier to get in and out of tighter tree runs, but don’t fear if you’re bigger- the surface area is that of a much larger snowboard. Size. Down.

YES. traditionally use a midbite outline, where the sidecut has been pulled in between the bindings to put a stop to how bulky some wider snowboards can feel when going edge to edge. For the Warca, YES have gone a step further and tapered this, creating a slightly narrower tail still, creating a full disparity in surface area, which in turn leads to more powerful, precise turns, a more manoeuvrable tail.

Camber might not be the traditional choice for a board that excels in the powder, but again, this just adds to the ‘any day of the season’ versatility on offer here. Pair this more aggressive and dynamic profile with the clever shaping and sidecut tech and you’ve got a board that’ll rail a carve with the best of them, holding its edge like a heat seeking missile.

“You’re an advanced rider looking for a board that you can rip around the whole mountain, but your heart really lies with surfy turns and wide open powder bowls”

Construction and Materials

The shape, profile and sidecut all lean more towards the freeride and piste end of the spectrum, but arguably the construction and materials look to feed the freestyle beast. And this is one of the reasons we can really see the Warca becoming the new must-have in all-mountain versatility. Sure, it’s great to have a board that can do everything well, but really and truly we all want a snowboard that excels in every area.

A blended wood core that prioritises lightweight agility, paired with two bamboo rods running tip to tail to really boost that explosive pop without compromising on the overall flex. Reactive triax fibreglass helps to make the Warca super precise underfoot, especially when you’re hitting higher speeds or more uneven terrain. Think a bobbled run in to a kicker or trying to boost a cat track…

Speed is of the essence when you’re bombing hills, but arguably glide can be more important when you’re looking for truly flowy, surfy turns. YES. have tried to feed both parties by slapping on their Sintered True base, great for soaking up wax and engineered to slide over even the most mashed-potatoe-esque snow.

“A powder board that you can pull out of the locker any day of the season”

Roundup

It’s a Warpig! It’s an Orca! It’s the Warca! All jokes aside, the Warca is another testament to YES.’s wildly creative and experimental team, a powder board that you can pull out of the locker any day of the season, from biting mid winter missions to slushy spring laps. We expect to see this one inspiring a few more boards seasons to come, but imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?

Pros:

• The camber profile gives it a lot of all-mountain versatility
• The tapered midbite profile eliminates a lot of hang ups that traditionally befall wide boards

Cons:

• It’s a bit out of the realm of comfortability for novices

“When pigs fly; We wanted to pay tribute to all the boards that had derived from the iconic 420 by doing our own version of a 420 spinoff. We took the short-wide concept and applied it to a traditional MidBite twin profile. But to keep the Taper that makes the floatability of the 420 we needed to tweak the MidBite. Into the all-new Tapered Mid-Bite outline. This new Midbite has a deeper inlay on the front of the board than it has on the back. This creates a taper as the edge goes out 2mm less than on the nose giving you a slight taper on a twin shape. This design hides a lot of funny little hints and hidden messages.”