2016 YES The Greats 154 + 2015 Now Select - First Impressions

Well I’m just back from 2 weeks at Hotham.  Unfortunately due to poor snow cover I didn’t risk taking my precious new Greats out until the last day, so I can’t give you a proper review yet.

I’d been riding my sweet YES Tasman(iac) 152 + Now IPOs every day until the last day when some heavy pre-frontal snow finally came down to relieve the dry misery of the past two weeks.  A little ripple of excitement went through me as I walked into the storage room to grab the new board.  Would the Greats live up to my expectations?  Would it be too stiff?  Would some idiot run his rental skis over my beloved in the first lift queue of the day?  As all these thoughts were passing through my mind, my hand grabbed the board and lifted it out of the rack.  First impression: this set-up is light!  Immediately I felt like I was going to have a good day.

The snow on that day was thick, heavy and wet.  The Greats was a very easy transition for me, coming from the Tasman.  Both have asymmetrical sidecuts, with the Greats having some extra sidecut tweakage, however it was a bit hard to get the full effect in the heavy, slow chop.  The Greats did feel a bit stiffer and poppier, but not nearly as stiff as I had been fearing.  I think this will be a top board for ollies, jumps and carving.  I was able to swing it through the moguls just as well as my Tasman, despite being 2cm longer and a tad stiffer.  Like my Tasman, the base felt nice and fast and I enjoyed motoring past others on the flats.  I was hoping to take at least one run through the rail park on the beginner boxes, but that lift was on lightning hold and I didn’t get there.

The Selects felt comfortable and responsive.  I like the new ankle strap which felt a tad more comfortable than the IPO strap (not that the IPO was uncomfortable).