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Snowboards

YES. Emoticon 2021-2022 Snowboard Review

  • Price: £359 / €400 / $400
  • Category: All-Mountain
  • Sizes: 143, 146, 149, 152
  • Flex: 4/10
  • Shape: True Twin
  • Profile: Combo
  • 3D: No
  • Base: Extruded
MORE INFO:
YES.COM

We’ve been waxing lyrical about the YES Basic for years, and everything great about that board applies equally to the women’s version, aka the Emoticon. It’s a brilliant all-rounder that will suit a wide variety of riders, with some clever technology to raise it above the competition. And it offers unbeatable value for money.

“It’s a brilliant all-rounder that will suit a wide variety of riders, with some clever technology to raise it above the competition”

Who Is The YES. Emoticon For?

Riders who like a softer deck they can manipulate under their feet and get playful on without worrying it’s gonna kick them in the ass – but which carves better than boards twice as stiff. Sounds like you, right?

Shape, Profile and Sidecut

There’s nothing immediately eye-catching about the Emoticon’s outline. It’s a true twin shape that’s designed to perform equally well going switch as it does in your regular stance. In other words, it’s perfect for park tricks, butters and cheeky 180’s over side hits. The more unusual aspect of this board takes place on the sidecut, which features YES’s famed UnderBite tech. Essentially, the edge bends in sharply just next to the inserts – yep, like a little bite has been taken out of it. It functions in the same way as a serrated knife, helping the board engage with the snow surface. In short, the Emoticon has insane grip, even in icy conditions, giving you the confidence to get lower and faster through your turns.

From nose to tail, the board has a camrock profile, with camber in the middle and rocker towards the tips. This delivers a good level of response without ever feeling scary or twitchy – basically all levels of rider will feel comfortable on this thing.

“In other words, it’s perfect for park tricks, butters and cheeky 180’s over side hits”

Construction and Materials

They had to keep the Emoticon’s ingredients pretty straightforward to bring it in at such a competitive price. That said, everything about its construction is tried and tested – beginning with a full length poplar core. OK, there’s no fancy paulownia or bamboo in here but there’s a reason poplar remains the main wood species found in snowboards: it’s light, and it’s lively. A biax topsheet is torsionally pretty mellow – in fact the board is also quite soft from nose to tail – so you can manipulate it easily and lean into those presses. Make no mistake, despite its incredible edge control, the Emoticon is a super friendly ride.

Finally, an extruded base keeps the cost down and offers a good amount of durability. It’s not as quick as sintered equivalents but unless you wax your board regularly and are a full-on speed freak, the chances are you won’t notice.

“Make no mistake, despite its incredible edge control, the Emoticon is a super friendly ride”

Roundup

If you’re in the market for a fun, versatile women’s snowboard on which to perfect your carves, progress in the park or just blast around resort – and you don’t want to break the bank – we can’t recommend the Emoticon highly enough. In fact it embarrasses many other all-mountain models that are far more expensive. Superb.

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