“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 the traditional MidBite Twin profile. In order to keep the taper that makes the floatability of the 420 possible, we needed to tweak the MidBite in the all-new Tapered MideBite 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.” – YES.
Snowboard Tested and Rider Specs:
- Warca Uninc JPS Snowboard 2023
- Warca Size: 155cm (waist width 26.4 cm)
- Sidecut: 7.2
- Bindings: Union Falcor (Large)
- Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV size 11
- Stance: approximately 22.5″
- Rider Height: 5’11″
- Rider Weight: 195lbs
Conditions/Terrain Tested: Groomers, park, chop, and some deep pow!
Features from YES.
- Stout snowboard for surfing powder
- Stiff flex stays steady at blistering speeds
- Classic camber profile boast power and grip
- Directional twin shape for free-floating flow
- Wood core for durability and smooth flexion
- Sintered base holds wax longer for consistent speed
Review:
Every season, Chris and I get to test a fair number of boards and sometimes we get lucky and test an incredible board. The YES. UNINC Warca is one of those incredible boards and very quickly earned my award for the best board of the season. Most of the time, it takes me at least a few runs to figure out a board and how to really make it work before deciding where it performs best and how to really make it excel.There have even been times it ends up being a board that I just don’t end up loving. After two turns on the Warca, I was ready to charge. The Warca is just an all around easy rider and I have yet to find a condition I don’t like it in or where it doesn’t perform.
I was immediately drawn to the shape of the Warca. The YES. Warca is a volume shifted board, so it is shorter and wider. It has a crescent moon shaped nose, a bat tail and tapered midbite. Tapered midbite looks bizarre on a snowboard but is highly functional and reminds me of an 80’s skateboard shape. It has a stepped sidecut between the bindings, making the waist narrower and providing an amazing edge to edge response. The nose and tail are wider to allow for float and stability. Technically, this board is designed to hold solid in all conditions.
I was very intrigued by the Tapered Midbite and have ended up really liking it. It holds an edge really well and allows a short/wide board to be really quick edge to edge. From laydown carves to quick turns through trees, the Warca can handle them all with ease. It snaps in and out of turns and just wants to go. It was so much fun to play on groomers and to really feel it respond. The Warca was stable at high speed and damp enough to absorb chatter. It butters with a little effort, being on the stiffer side. Riding switch was easy and surprisingly fun due to the Midbite technology.
YES. uses Poplar, Bamboo and Paulownia for the core of the Warca. Two bamboo stringers run the length of the board for pop and responsiveness. This combined with the camber profile give the board plenty of pop. It felt great off small to large jumps. I ran through the park a few times and took it off a backcountry jump. With the wide tip and tail, I found the board very stable on landings.
The only place I didn’t love the Warca was in really deep powder. We had a huge storm hit Grand Targhee, dumping 53” over four days. As it piled up, I found it a little tough to stay on top. But I’ve ridden the Warca in one to two feet of powder and it handled that with ease. The amount of snow we got was unreal and really required a board designed exclusively for deep powder.
Overall impressions:
The YES. Warca is an all mountain destroyer. If you are looking for an everyday rider, look at the Warca. Nimble, stable, quick edge to edge, this board was a blast to ride. JP Solberg and YES. did an amazing job on this board. The Warca is a truly unique board and you should not find much overlap in your quiver of boards.
Pros:
- Carving ability
- Edge hold
- Responsive
- Excellent float
- Shape
Cons:
- Struggle to stay on top in really deep powder (over 3 feet)
| Price: |  (4.5 / 5) |
| Performance: |  (4.8 / 5) |
| Design: | (4.8 / 5) |
| Overall: |  (4.7 / 5) |