Jones Explorer 2016-2019 Snowboard Review

Jones Explorer Snowboard Table Video and Written Review Review by The Good Ride

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Welcome to the Jones Explorer Snowboard Review from an average rider with an exceptionally objective perspective.

The 2018-2019 Jones Explorer price is now down from $479 to $449 which now makes it a great low-cost recommendation for those that want a really floaty all mountain ride that borders on being a good freeride board.  The 2019 Jones Explorer is the same as 2018. If you are looking for the 2020 Jones Explorer it is now called the Jones Frontier.

Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews.  We do make money from the “Where To Buy” links, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average riders’ perspective.

Size: 159
Days:  2+
Conditions:  Good Spring conditions.  Hard in the morning slowly going to slushy in the afternoon.
Riders: James
Boots:  Adidas Tactical ADV,
Bindings: Union Atlas and Burton Genesis X,
Set Up:  Centered one day 15 front -15 back 22.75″ wide. Others 22.5″ wide 18 front -9 back.

Our Recommended Boots:  Adidas Tactical ADV, Burton Imperial, Burton Ruler,
Our Recommended Bindings: Union Atlas, Union Force,  Burton Cartel, Burton Mission, Salomon Hologram, Now Pilot, Arbor Cypress,

Approximate Weight: feels normal for a 159.

Flex:  It’s got a good flex underfoot that is a mediumish tip to tail and maybe a bit stiffer torsionally.

Sizing: The 159 felt just right for my height and weight.  It felt pretty close for my boot size as well.  The 159 feels like the equivalent to the 157 Jones Mountain Twin or UMT and the 161 Flagship.

On Snow Feel: Nice and stable underfoot.  It doesn’t every auto spin on you one footing or flat basing and doesn’t feel catchy.  The rocker in the nose takes care of making it more catch free and the camber between the feet makes the Jones Explorer feel stable and easy to ride. It’s just a little more directional than the Jones Mountain Twin models and a little closer to a twin-like shape than the Flagship. The one thing I would say is compared to the Jones Mountain Twins I rode it feels similar between the feet but it’s more tip/tail heavy.  It doesn’t want to spin and swing around as easy as the Twin’s which isn’t as good in the park but in powder, it wants to float a little easier.

Edge Hold: Really strong capable edge hold that borders on being good in ice.  Its best in hard snow and below but it can handle the occasional ice patch better than most boards out there. It also doesn’t grab in softer snow either which most of us here prefer over the best grip you can have.

Turn Initiation: The Jones Explorer isn’t a super quick edge to edge ride but the 159 it feels faster than my 157 Jones Ultra Mountain Twin or the 161 Flagships I’ve owned/ridden in the past.  I would have no problem surfing through the trees on this ride.  I still wouldn’t pair up super mellow bindings with this but any med response binding would be fine for most.

Turning Experience: It’s just fun to turn.  It’s not a full camber super springy mind-blowing carver but it’s got a lot of fun in every kind of turn I made from short to wide radius turns.  Those who get a board like this will probably get most of your pleasure out of turning vs. hitting kickers, jibs, pipe, etc so it’s good to know it’s a great compromise between being forgiving while still being fun to turn.

Carving: You can lay it out with this board and I didn’t really feel that it was any worse than the Flagship or Mountain Twin. All carved pretty well for the camber they had underfoot.

Skidded Turns: Very easy to skid turns if you get off your game.  Especially for the flex.  That lifted tip/tail really helps reduced catching an edge compared to full camber. It’s a great time to learn to snowboard compared to the old camber days.

Speed: The Jones Explorer is pretty stable and fast for this price point. It’s not a mega bomber like the Flagship but it’s pretty close to the Mountain Twin.

Uneven Terrain: It’s not bad and can ride a messy Saturday resort all day without punishing you.  It’s not the kind of board to get angry on you like the old Jones Flagship made by GST used to be.

Powder:  If you are in between buying the Jones Mountain Twin or Ultra Mountain Twin and love easy directional float in powder then here is where the Jones Explorer is a little better.  It’s got more set back, a little more nose and a chopped tail.  It is as good as many freeride boards that have a little taper going on. Set all the way back at a 22.75″ stance width you can get 4.75″ back on board which is a good bit further than the Jones Mountain Twin and almost in the realm of many Freeride boards.  That and the good bit of rocker in the nose makes for pretty easy floating.

Buttering: Buttering is very doable but it’s just a little more fun on the Jones Mountain Twins (even the Ultra Mountain Twin).  It seems like the Twins like to spin a little easier and they are easier to throw around.  Of course, the Jones Mountain Twin is easier to butter than the UMT but we preferred both MT’s to the Explorer. It feels a little longer than it’s size in the tip/tail.

Switch: Better than the Flagship and not as good as the Jones Mountain Twin. I would get it if you want something like the Flagship but have it easier to ride fakie.

Jumps: There is good pop for this price point and although it is not going to blow minds The Jones Explorer will approach a kicker well and land well.  It’s just not ideal for those that like to spin.  That again is more for the Jones Mountain Twin models.

Jibbing: Doable but not ideal.

Pipe: Pretty fun pipe board but again we prefer the Twins.

So here is the thing.  You hear me writing how we keep liking the Flagship better here or Mountain Twin models here but at this price point, it’s a great compromise between the Two.  If you want a little more mountain specific ride that floats almost as well as the Flagship, better than the Mountain Twin and is better than the Flagship for adding some mountain freestyle elements to your ride you have the Jones Explorer.

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