UPDATE: Check out our review of the YES. PYL Snowboard for 2020/2021 by clicking here.

• Sizes: 156, 159, 160W, 162, 164W, 165
• Flex: 8
• Profile: Setback Camber
• Shape: Directional
• Price: £529
• BUY DIRECT FROM YES

FYI, DCP rides the PYL. No wonder, it’s OTH. Most people will be more familiar with YES snowboards’ short ’n’ stubby shapes like the 20/20 and 420, but the PYL takes the more conventional freeride shape and gives it a couple of tweaks, making it one of the most effective weapons for launching an assault in the backcountry.

At a glance, it looks like your standard directional shape: Setback stance; wide nose; narrow tail. Look a little closer and you’ll find the Tapered Underbite. Each side of the board’s effective edge is segmented into three distinct parts. Calling it a ‘taper” is somewhat misleading. Where each of the segments meet, the edge actually steps in, horizontally, using YES’ tried, tested, and bona fide  “underbite” technology. Where traditional tapers can sometimes wash out at the end of a turn, the PYL creates a hook-like effect at the tail of the board. The result is insane edge hold that slingshots you out of every turn.

“Where traditional tapers can sometimes wash out at the end of a turn, the PYL creates a hook-like effect at the tail of the board. The result is insane edge hold that slingshots you out of every turn.”

Whether that’s in the deep stuff or on the hardback, the snowboard caters to both worlds, so picking your line has never been easier.  A more pronounced rocker in the nose combines with the shape to deliver effortless float.

At low tide, the camber between the feet provides solid levels of response, while stiffer triax fibreglass and YES’ own Weightless Core keeps the overall weight… well, you can imagine.

Newbies and intermediates need not apply. When a snowboard boasts these credentials, along with a high grade sintered base and ash veneer topsheet for soaking up any chatter on the descent, you know the kind of rider it’s designed for.