Summary

The Jones Explorer is a lower cost ride that's got more directional float than the Mtn Twin or Ultra Mountain Twin but also it's less directional and aggressive than Flagship for those that want an easier all day ride.

Where To Buy

No obligation, but these links support the site.

No Results Found

No Results Found

No Results Found

Riding Style All Mountain
Riding Level Beginner - Expert
Fits Boot size (US) 8-10, 10-12, > 12
Manufactured in Dubai by SWS
Shape Directional
Camber Profile Hybrid Camber
Stance Setback over 20mm
Approx. Weight Feels Normal
Split No
Powder Good
Base Glide Great
Carving Good
Speed Great
Uneven Terrain Good
Switch Good
Jumps Good
Jibbing Average
Pipe Good
On Snow Feel

Stable

Turn Initiation

Medium/Fast

Skidded Turns

Semi-Easy

Flex

Medium

Buttering

Moderate

Edge Hold

Hard Snow

Where To Buy

No obligation, but these links support the site.

No Results Found

No Results Found

No Results Found

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

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 ImperialBurton Ruler,
Our Recommended Bindings: Union Atlas, Union Force,  Burton CartelBurton MissionSalomon HologramNow 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.

If this review helped, we’d appreciate if you:

 
Jones Explorer Past Reviews

2017 Jones Explorer Review

2016 Jones Explorer Review

Size: 159
Days:  1
Conditions: Some Powder and some groomer time.
Riders: James, Peter, Jimbo
Boots: Burton SLX, Salomon F3.0, Burton Fiend LTD
Bindings: Flux DS
Set Up: Somewhat set back, 23″ 15 front -6 back

Approximate Weight: Felt Normal and maybe a touch on the heavy side.

On Snow Feel: Like all Jones boards it feels stable between the feet, on the stiffer aggressive side but not catchy or like there is much consequence if you have to suddenly skid a turn.  So it appeals well to the rider who is aggressive or wants to be aggressive but doesn’t want the consequence associated with that style of riding.

Powder:  We only had a little light super easy fluffy CO snow so can’t say for sure but if it’s like the Flagship and Jones Mountain Twin then it’s going to float like a champ.  Probably a shade better than the Jones Mountain Twin but a shade less than the Flagship.

Turn Initiation:  Very easy to generate a turn properly but not too quick.  Feels faster edge to edge than the Jones Mountain Twin but not quite as quick as the Flagship.

Skidded Turns: This board isn’t soft but the rocker in the nose and tail make it easy and rather forgiving if you have to skid your turn when in a tight or steep spot and you get off your game.  I think that’s why they call this an entry level freeride board.  I wouldn’t call it entry level though and find it’s an aggressive all mountain to Freeride board at a reasonable price.

Carving:  Rails out a pretty good carve that we all actually liked better than the Jones Aviator and Jones Mountain Twin and it feels the same as the Jones Flagship.

Speed: Pretty fast and damp.  The base has a good glide to it as well despite the fact it’s cheaper than most of the Jones boards.

Uneven Terrain:  The Jones Explorer has a little less forgiving of a feel than the Jones Mountain Twin but a better feel in uneven terrain than the Flagship.  When we say uneven terrain it’s all about sloppy resort groomers on a Saturday afternoon.

Edge Hold: Really strong edge hold that can hang in icy snow but is best ridden from hard to soft snow.  It also doesn’t grab in thicker softer snow.

Flex:  It’s not that mellow of a flex and feels definitely stiffer than the Jones Mountain Twin but a little less stiff than the Flagship.

Switch: Doable switch and better than the Flagship but not as good as the Mtn Twin.

Jibbing: No thanks.

Pipe: We didn’t try the pipe but it seems like it would do well here.

Jumps:  Not quite as lively as many of the Jones boards but there is a decent amount of pop for an ollie off natural terrain. Not really a board to lap the jumps in the park.

So all in all it’s a solid board for those that want to have an aggressive but still pretty forgiving ride for the flex. Our only complaint is that we’d like to see a little more lively feel under foot but it could still make a lot of riders happy.

 
Jones Explorer Specs

 
Jones Explorer Images

We try to get as many images of the Jones Explorer, but forgive us if they're not all there.

2019

2018

2017

2016

Jones Explorer User Reviews

Jones Explorer 2016-2019 Snowboard Review SKU UPC Model

Great value all mountain freeride board

Jan 24, 2020 by Steven
Ability Level: Advanced • 
Riding Style: Freeride focus with jumps • 
Days You Ride A Year: 30-40 • 
Height, Weight And Boot Size (for Boards, Boots & Bindings): 5’9” 190lbs size 9.5 boots 

This review is for the 2016 version but I think it still holds up to the later models. Mt Hood is my home mountain. Bought this board as a mainly freeride/powder board that I could still ride on groomers. It’s definitely lived up to the challenge. This board is at home charging steeps, hitting natural jumps, and riding pow. It also performs great on park jumps, groomers, and bumps.

The spoon nose along with setback helps with float in powder.
The camber underfoot allows you to hold an edge on hard-pack and even ice.
Decent amount of pop.

Would definitely buy this board again!


Moved from Flagship to Explorer

Aug 16, 2019 by Christopher L Burdick
Ability Level: Advanced • 
Riding Style: Freeride, chasing pow, trees and steep lines • 
Days You Ride A Year: 10-20 • 
Height, Weight And Boot Size (for Boards, Boots & Bindings): 6'3", 225, 12.5-13 

For 3 years I've been riding the 2016 Jones Flagship 165 Wide. It's a phenomenal big mountain board, holds an edge like no one's business, but I HATED it when conditions were rough and choppy, like at the end of a powder day when the snow is all tracked out. This is probably due to it being quite stiff. After talking to some different people (James here at TGR and a guy at Jones) I picked up the 2018 Explorer 164 Wide. I have put 15 days on it at Park City and Mount Hood Oregon and it is exactly what I want. I enjoy riding challenging terrain, chasing powder and steeps and I look for difficult lines. The Explorer is nimble and forgiving enough to work through trees in tricky snow, yet holds an edge on groomers and floats nicely in powder. Think of it as a more forgiving Flagship.


Mountain twin 160

Feb 11, 2019 by Shahar
Ability Level: Medium • 
Riding Style: All around • 
Days You Ride A Year: 30 • 
Height, Weight And Boot Size (for Boards, Boots & Bindings): 187 cm 87 kg 27.5 boots, bind m 

Want to tell my story with jones- snowboards, mountain twin 160
I'm doing the season at Val Thorens- France, and bought a brand new Jones mountain twin 2019.
Actually it was the best board I ever tried, good at the park, perfect in carving and slopes and good pop.
But just after 4 weeks in a normal park day one of the edge was totally open, crack of 30 cm.
I sent it to jones France and got a negative answer, I fixed it and one day after it was broke at the other side.
Jones aren't answering anymore and I just have to throw it to the garbage.
I'll not recommend on jones anymore...


4.3 5.0 9 9 This review is for the 2016 version but I think it still holds up to the later models. Mt Hood is my home mountain. Bought this board as a mainly freeride/powder board that I could Jones Explorer 2016-2019 Snowboard Review

Where To Buy

No obligation, but these links support the site.

No Results Found

No Results Found

No Results Found

No Results Found

No Results Found

No Results Found

Other ways to support our free reviews: