YES. Women’s Basic 2023-2024 Snowboard Review

Shape, Profile and Sidecut

The true twin outline is why we’d classify this as more of an all-mountain freestyle board as opposed to all-mountain freeride. On paper and in practice the Women’s Basic is great for lapping features- it’s the staple shape for riding park, it’s nice and balanced in the air, with this slightly blunted nose and tail to keep the swing weight down while the friendly flex is ideal for playful flatland pressing and buttering.

The Underbite edge profile really comes into its own when you’re putting in turns and in our opinion is where the Basic separates itself from the rest of the pack. YES. pulls in the sidecut to divide the board into three distinct areas, focusing your energy on the zones that initiate, hold and release each turn. This gives you the grip you need without compromising on the stability of the board, whilst keeping everything running super smooth. It’s not the fastest board for bombing hills but otherwise you’ve got a fun little ride that’s packs a pretty nifty punch.

“The Underbite edge profile really comes into its own when you’re putting in turns, pulling in the sidecut to divide the board into three distinct areas”

Construction and Materials

There’s nothing super wild to write home about here, but for us, that’s one of the best things about the Basic. It’s not pretentious, it’s not packed full of expensive tech- it’s predictable, playful and it lends itself to the everyday rider, without slapping on the eye watering price tag you’ll often find on the shelf.

There’s something to be said for keeping things simple, just ask the US NAVY. It doesn’t have to be groundbreaking to be good, it just has to make the most of what it has, which is exactly what the YES. Basic does.

Take a closer look, and as expected, you’ll find a hard-wearing, easy repair extruded base, a full poplar wood core and mellow biax laminates. None of these will help you break the land speed record, but they’ll offer a solid platform for progression and a durable, stable ride throughout the whole season.

“Snowboarding is meant to be fun and enjoyable, and the Women’s Basic really allows for that, with no fuss and no frills”

Roundup

With the Women’s Basic, the family grows to four. The OG Basic that started it all, the suped up RDM Basic Uninc and for the groms the First Basic should be first on their Christmas list.

This is one of those snowboards that genuinely can do it all. True quiver killers are few and far between, a snowboard that is comfortable wherever you’re riding it. There’s no denying that there are faster, higher spec snowboards on the market, but for the price, there really isn’t much out there that can hold a candle to the Basic. This is back to basics in the best possible way.

Pros:

• It’s a super budget friendly board for any rider
• Underbite edge profile really makes it stand out from competitors

Cons:

• It’s not the most ‘techy’ board on the market

“Now that’s what I’m talking about! What a fun little board this is for razzing around. It’s easy going, and offers a really gentle ride without being boring.

It’s definitely not the fastest or the most technical board out there, but it does what it’s meant to do and it does it without making snowboarding a chore. Sometimes stiffer boards can be a bit cumbersome after a day of riding slush when your legs are starting to feel like jelly, but the Women’s Basic made every run as fun as the first.

The Women’s Basic felt nice to ride around the whole resort, but I especially liked this for riding smaller park features- rails, boxes or mid level kickers and I think it’d be a great board for women looking to get into freestyle.”

“The YES. women’s Basic is basically, perfect. The women’s Basic takes the user-friendly performance of the Basic but in a tailored design that targets a woman’s size and weight. Narrower, softer and a more forgiving blended sidecut has made this board a multi-time award winner since its release. We used the basic colours to show that with that board there are no limitations, you are the master of your canvas.”