Jones Mind Expander Snowboard Review

2018-2021 Jones Mind Expander Review

Turn On/Swipe Right: Amazing low to semi-steep angle pow rider. Unsinkable. Solid edge hold for a pow rider. Fun for almost everything but carving on groomers.

Turn Off/Swipe Left: Not much. Wide reference stance.

Summary

The Jones Mind Expander gives you unbelievable directional float, an incredibly fast base, a super quick turner and It’s even pretty fun on groomers. .  We have had up to 4 feet plus of powder on this and it still didn’t feel topped out.

Ethics Statement: We don’t do reviews in exchange for compensation from the manufacturer.  No one is perfect but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average riders perspective.

How This Review Happened:  We spent our precious Good Ride dollars to buy the 154. Then we liked it so much we asked for a 158

Size: 154 (2018 & 2019) and 158 (2019 & 2021)
Days:  20+
Conditions: Everything from a little powder and groomers to a few light, fluffy powder days to a few thick wet powder days and an early morning slackountry time with Drift Boards 4+ feet in some places.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 180-190lbs),Peter (Size 8, 5’11” 185lbs), Grant (Size 11 6’ 160lbs) and others
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV, Burton SLX, Burton Ion
Insoles: Sandsole Custom Insoles,  Footprint Insole Technology Gameghangers Low Profile
Bindings: Union Atlas, Union Strata, Union Falcor, Union Superpro, Burton Genesis X
Set Up: 22.5” a little wide or narrow of reference stance to set all the way back 15 front -3 back.  22″ wide 21 front 0 back.  22″ wide 24 front +6 back and set almost all the way back. 21.5″ wide 24 front and +

Similar Boards (but not the same) That We Compared This To:
Capita Spring Break 158 Powder Glider, Capita Spring Break 161 Tree Hunter, Jones Storm Chaser, Gentemstick Mantaray 156, Korua Dart, Korua Pencil, Rome Pow Division MT (153 and 157),
Jones Ultra Mind Expander, Jones Flagship, Never Summer West Bound, Rossignol XV, Lib Tech BRD, Lib Tech Lost Round Nose Fish

Approximate Weight: It feels like it is on the light side of the medium.

Flex

Pretty stiff.

Buttering

It’s super easy to butter either way, and you wouldn’t think so when flexing it in the shop.

Sizing

The tail is much more narrow than the nose so it isn’t ideal for bigger feet. So don’t use the waist width to size up here. After size 10US be very careful with the size you choose. Take a look at my size 9 feet on the 158 I own in the way I set up my stance just so you can get a general idea. This isn’t perfect because bindings aren’t mounted but it shows the difference between the width of the front vs. back foot.

For my specs, 154 feels like almost the perfect tree cheetah and is one of the fastest turning boards I’ve come across. However, it does feel a little small in deep open terrain or as my dedicated powder ride. The 158 feels like too much board and is a little too big for my boot size but its glorious in deep powder.  The 158 is still super quick in the trees and it’s not much slower turning than the 154. If they made a 156 that would probably be the perfect size for my specs but of the two sizes.

Here are some ideal US boot sizes for these boards. You can of course go bigger or smaller like Jones suggests but these work best for not turning the board slower than it should be and not having the dreaded Toe & Heel Drag.
146: 6-7
150: 7-8
154- 8-9
158: 9.5-10.5
162: 10-11
166: 10.5-12

Shape/Camber/On Snow Feel

The Jones Mind Expander is kind of loose and atypical compared to most Jones hybrid camber boards. There is a little flat between the feet but it still can auto spin a bit one footing off a chair. Still it is more stable than continuous rocker.  It is Incredibly easy to skid a turn and it is really forgiving. It isn’t the first board I would suggest for a beginner intermediate but they could for sure ride it.

Edge Hold

There isn’t as much sidecut disruption as many of the other Jones Boards but it still grips really well without grabbing in softer snow at all. Having a mostly powder board with grip isn’t a bad idea. Especially if you ride in windy areas that can expose ice in some places and wind load powder in others. With the Jones Mind Expander you can hold your edge in hard snow to get to the powder.

Turn Initiation

The 154 Jones Mind Expander, for my specs, is super quick. Quicker than quick but doesn’t feel twitchy or hookey. Just fun and fast. It’s one of the most nimble tree boards I’ve ever ridden. The 158 is a little slower for my specs, but not by much. Both are great for slanting through trees and making it easy to change direction.

Turning Experience

So the Jones Mind Expander can make some super fun turns on groomers, but as you get into more committed turns or wider radius turns, it’s a little less interesting.  If you just want something to have fun making quick turns, slash things, and not really get too aggressive on the carving side, this does great, and it’s a real added bonus for a powder board. I can see why Jones marked this as not just a powder board; it’s not bad at all for groomers. However, if you want to sacrifice some float for camber, the Jones Ultra Mind Expander is the better call, as it turns much better on groomers.

Carving

The Jones Mind Expander is better than you would think for carving, but you want the Jones Ultra Mind Expander for that. The Mind Expander can carve, but it hurries you up through the turn and doesn’t have that satisfying spring out of it. The Ultra Mind Expander has a much more satisfying carve.

Speed

The Jones Mind Expander isn’t going to blow minds, and the nose does chatter. It’s super far from being something like the Ultra Mind Expander or Flagship, but in powder, you can point it without it being super sketchy. The one thing, though, is the base is super fast. It’s one of the fastest bases I’ve tried in this price range, and it glides incredibly well.  The 158 really keeps its speed well, and I often had to check my speed on cat tracks, which I would normally have to straight line to get through. It builds momentum fast. So, it’s not that great for dampness at speed, but when it comes to base glide, it’s a Spinal Tap 11 out of 10.

Uneven Terrain

I could weave in and out of moguls all day with the Jones Mind Expander.  It’s so easy to turn through bumps.  I like the Mind Expander over the Storm Chaser because it doesn’t buck around as much when there are bumps below the powder.  I think the extra tail length helps it keep its line better, whereas the Storm Chaser can sometimes bounce you right out of your line.

Powder

The Jones Mind Expander is one of the floatiest rides for its shape. It has more tail than the Storm Chaser but still has that crazy nose rocker. You can ride centered and even lean a little forward if you want. I could even lean forward in 2′ of powder on the 154, and I didn’t go cartwheeling. The 158 takes it up to another level, and, although it picks up speed almost too fast. It handled 4′ four-plus feet of powder with no problem and got me out of one of those dreaded long flat traverses where others had to unstrap and struggle in almost chest-deep powder to get out. The Storm Chaser has an easier float for its size, but the Mind Expander can handle an average resort powder day massively better because it doesn’t buck and bounce you around when it gets tracked up.

When setting the 158 all the way back at 22.8″, the setback from the center of the board is just about 5.25″, which is very far back and 3″ back on a 23.6 Reference Stance. Lots of powder boards can be set further back, but the Jones Mind Expander has that massive unsinkable rocker in the nose. The lifted sides really make this roll easily into a turn-in powder. This is one of the first boards I’ll grab when it’s super deep.

Switch

It’s very doable but not ideal. You can land a switch, and it’s better than many super-directional powder boards.

Jumps

There is a good bit of pop, and unlike the Storm Chaser, there is a little more tail for landings with the Jones Mind Expander.

Pipe

I like the edge hold enough, and I did take it into the pipe. It was super forgiving and fun, but it is not ideal for those who like the drive camber can give you going from wall to wall.

So, to sum it all up, the Jones Mind Expander is the choice for people who love to make super quick turns in the deep and want some of the easiest floats out there at the time I write this. The more I compare the 154 and 158 to other boards, the more this ride impresses me.

2019 Review

Here is a bevy of comparisons we have done with the Jones Mind Expander 154 and 158.

Jones Mind Expander 158 compared to the Capita Spring Break Powder Glider 158

Jones Mind Expander 154 vs. 158.

Jones Mind Expander compared to the Capita Spring Break Tree Hunter 161

Here is a comparison between the Jones Mind Expander 158, Gentemstick Chaser HP, Rossignol Sashimi, Rome Powder Division 153 and Yes Optimistic 151

Here is a detailed review and comparison of the Jones Mind Expander 154, Rome Powder Division 157, and Rossignol Sushi.

The 2019 and 2020 Jones Mind Expander are pretty much the same rides. They both have a carbon fiber strip throughout the center of the board, giving it a little more long-term snap/resiliency and a slightly updated core. It still has a very similar ride to the 2018 model. In addition to the minor tweaks, they now offer sizes starting at 146 and going up to 166. Some of this review has been updated for 2020 to reflect what is out there now, but overall, what we said about the 2019 model we own still stands.

The 2019-2020 Jones Mind Expander production model is just as stiff (maybe a touch stiffer) as the 2018 model, so disregard what we talked about regarding the softness of the demo model we tried.

2018 Review

Size: 154
Days: 10+
Conditions:  Spring Groomers and practically perfect light fluffy Mt. Bachelor Powder.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-195lbs), Peter (Size 8, 5’11” 185lbs)
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV, Adidas Acerra,
Insoles: Footprint Insole Technology Gamechangers, Footprint Insole Technology Gameghangers Low Profile
Bindings: Union Atlas, Union Superpro with team ankle straps (similar to the contact but with taller straps), Burton Genesis
Set Up: 22.5” Centered 15 front -16back

After getting the Storm Chaser in some deep, thick Sierra snow, this similar rocker and directional float changed my perceptions of how a board can float in powder.

The Mind Expander, in my humble opinion, takes it a step further than the Storm Chaser in the deep stuff.  This floats like a much bigger board and turns like a board it’s size or even smaller.

Even though I’d much rather ride the Hovercraft on most groomer days, this wasn’t that bad at all, and I will say I wish the Hovercraft turned as quickly as the Mind Expander.