The 2022-2024 Jones Storm Chaser Review

The Jones Storm Chaser isn’t ideal in uneven terrain but truly shines in perfect powder. It that is what you mainly see this could be for you.

Update 2024: The Jones Storm Chaser hasn’t changed since this review. The Mind Expander 2023-2024 has camber so it isn’t as comparable as it was in 2022. 

How It Was Tested

We borrowed the Jones Storm Chaser for an extended demo and sent it back.
Size: 152
Days: 3 This year but many in past years with the same or similar models.
Conditions: Powder and an early morning slackountry time with Drift Boards.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10”, 185-190lbs), Clint, Peter, Jimbo, and many others over the years
Boots: Burton Kendo, but many in the past.
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Atlas, but many in the past.
Jacket: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Tusk Jacket, Volcom TDF Infuse 3L Gore-Tex Jacket, Burton Banshee Gore-Tex Jacket
Pant: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Hover Pant, Burton AK Gore-Tex 2L Swash Pant, Burton Gore-Tex Ballast Pant
Helmet: Smith Maze,
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Guide Glove, Burton AK Clutch Mitt,

Similar Boards (but not the same):
Capita Spring Break 158 Powder Glider, Capita Spring Break 161 Tree Hunter, Jones Mind Expander,

Set-Up: 21.5” 24  front +6 back. Close to Reference

Approximate Weight:

The Jones Storm Chaser’s weight feels very middle ground, which is great for most riders. (We don’t put in the exact weight because, with wood cores, there is no consistency in a board’s weight)

Sizing

So, like the Mind Expander, I feel like I’m in between sizes. It jumps from 152 to 157. I wish they had a 155 or 154 or something in between. That would probably be my ideal size. The Jones Storm Chaser is meant to be ridden much wider than you would normally ride a board. So this isn’t really an ultra-wide. If you are a big guy with big feet, you probably won’t experience this ride the way it’s intended. It also likes a rider on the lower side of the recommended weight range.

Here are some ideal US boot sizes for the Jones Storm Chasers. You can, of course, go bigger or smaller, but these work best for not turning the board slower than it should be and not having the dreaded Toe & Heel Drag.
142: 6-7
147: 8-9
152- 9-10
157: 9.5-10.5
160: 10-11

Shape/Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

The shape of the Jones Storm Chaser is very much like a surfboard but with a snowboard sidecut. It is only set back 22mm on sidecut but it is massively set back on board giving it that same feel you get when surfing. Even set forward you are riding the tail.

The camber profile is unique and much more like a surfboard. It is mostly flat from the tail to just a little before the front insert. Then there is some really pronounced rocker leading up to that big, wide nose. It also bends up on the sides of the nose and a little at the end of the tail. You don’t notice the spoon tech (bent-up sides) on groomers, and the board feels very forgiving. It’s easy to skid a turn, like flat to rocker. In powder, you feel a smoother/easier turning experience.

Flex Personality

The Jones Storm Chaser is very stiff between the feet and into the tail. The nose is medium, so when you flex it, it seems medium stiff. On snow, it’s not hard to butter and has way more pop than you would think for a board with flat to rocker and such a stiff flex. The combo of this rocker profile, stiffer flex, smaller, wider size, and off-the-back foot/tail ride makes this a pretty bucky and bouncy ride in uneven terrain. It makes it best for clean and pristine conditions. In most conditions you see at a resort pow day, you get pretty tracked-up snow after an hour or 2. In those situations, the Storm Chaser is hard to ride. That is why we suggest this for people who get untracked powder all day. And to a lesser extent, clean groomers all day.

Base Glide/Speed

The Jones Storm Chaser has a very fast base. When well waxed, it accelerates incredibly easily and then keeps its speed really well on a long traverse. You don’t get a bomber board to match the base, though. This sits too far back on the tail, isn’t stable underfoot enough, and is too short to be competent for pointing it.

Edge Hold

We all love the disrupted sidecut with the Jones Storm Chaser. It makes it so much easier to drop into a line with some ice at the beginning but epic powder a few meters down. It doesn’t grab at all in softer snow.

Turning Experience/Carving

Usually, a board this wide and short initiates a turn slow, but then the pretty tight radius sidecut helps you turn tighter, so overall, it is pretty fast. The Jones Storm Chaser turns fast in the beginning and fast throughout. I never felt like I needed more. In perfect powder, it is one of my favorite boards to turn. But if it’s less than perfect a little bump can throw me off my line which can feel sketchy. That is why I ride the Mind Expander: even though it’s not quite as fun in perfect powder, it is way more fun in less than perfect to tracked out conditions.

Powder

Such amazing float. The only other boards I’ve tried that have this effortless float are the Capita Spring Break Powder boards but they have a very different design and feel. These are some of the only boards that I can lean forward on in the deep stuff and I won’t end up cartwheeling.

With a 22.75” stance width, you can get 9.5” back from the center of the board set all the way back. That is massive and 4.25” further back from the Mind Expander, which is really set back to start with.  Both are super floaty. The Storm Chaser is short, wide, and way set back. The Mind Expander is Long, narrow, and set back but not that set back. Both achieve unsinkable float with the taper and massive rocker. The Spoon tech makes it incredible to turn in powder. It has such an easy roll edge to edge.

Conclusion

So, if you see a lot of clean and pristine powder from top to bottom, the Jones Storm Chaser is the call. If you have to fight through some uneven/rough terrain to get to the good stuff the Mind Expander is the call.

Ethics Statement

We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews and this is our unfiltered opinion. 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.

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2016-2019 Review

The Jones Storm Chaser is one of their first surf rocker boards in the line.  We were lucky enough to get it in some powder and make some turns.  It wasn’t a groomer board compared to Jones’ hybrid camber rides like the Hovercraft or Flagship but it was better than we thought for that kind of super off the tail ride. To us, the Mind Expander just had our number but the Jones Storm Chaser floats incredibly well for its size and could have yours.

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.

The Carbon fiber strip in the 2019-2020 Jones Storm Chaser improves the long-term flex as well as adds a little extra pop but overall it’s very similar to the 2017 and 2018 models.

Size: 147 and 152
Days:  5
Conditions: With the 147, we had about 1′-2′ of thick Sierra Powder and a few feet of lightish PNW Powder
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-195lbs), Jimbo (Size 11, 5’11” 160lbs), Peter (Size 8, 5’11” 185lbs)
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV, Burton SLX, Salomon F3.0, Burton Fiend LTD
Bindings: Union Atlas, Union Superpro, Burton Genesis X, Now IPO
Set Up: Set way back 23″ wide 15 front 0 back. 22.5” Centered to set all the way back 18 front -3 to -6 back

Approximate Weight: It felt pretty light but also not like a featherweight.

Flex

Pretty medium to medium stiff.

Sizing

On our first time with the little 147, it had more than enough volume going to handle all of us.  It’s hard to wrap your head around it if you are about to retire a 180cm something board from the early 2000s and get a new powder board, but when you try it, you will get what this little thing can do. The board likes to be ridden much shorter and wider than your average freeride board. For us, the 152 felt about right and we liked that size better. You can fit into this board with bigger boots, but it’s better to ride this much wider than you normally would.

On Snow Feel

It’s not quite as stable as the hybrid camber Jones boards, but it’s also more stable than most continuous rocker boards we tried.  There seems to be a little flat between the feet to keep this from becoming an auto-spinny mess.  It can take one foot off the chair and flat base pretty well.

Edge Hold

It’s the same great Jones mellow mag grip that doesn’t own it on ice but gives you grip for most conditions you will see.  I could drop in on a hard patch at a peak on the way to powder knowing that the edge will hold till I get to the good stuff.  Glad it’s there.

Turn Initiation

Even though the Jones Storm Chaser is a short fatty with a massive waist size, it’s quick and easy to weave in and out of the trees. I personally liked the Mind Expander a little better, but it is very good.

Turning Experience

In the little bit of groomed snow, I had near the chair, I didn’t feel it was that great of a turner.  It’s great for how much rocker it has and does way better than you would think, but it’s far from the first board I would want to bring out when the powder is gone.

Carving

Seeing Jeremy carve up groomers with this is pretty amazing but we would much rather be out on the Hovercraft instead. The Jones Storm Chaser wasn’t bad though even though it hurried you through a carve it didn’t wash out and you could definitely carve on it.  So while this shines on powder you could for sure have fun with this on groomers when the powder is gone.

Skidded Turns

It’s so easy to skid turns, and it’s super forgiving if you get off your game.

Speed

The Jones Storm Chaser has a fast base that keeps its speed and glides well. However, it is a short ride with a lot of rocker and rides very far back on the tail, so it’s a bit of a wash.

Uneven Terrain

I’d rather be on the Mind Expander when it comes to weaving in and out of bumps and messy piles of snow, but the Storm Chaser can work if you slow it down. With both sizes we tried, we felt that the Storm Chasers tend to be a little bucky and bounce you around in messy powder, whereas the Mind Expander powered through it better.

Powder

This is why you buy the Jones Storm Chaser. It’s a powder champ that makes you feel like you are surfing snow. It’s so far back on the tail, has a decent amount of taper, is pretty wide, and has so much rocker that it makes for such an easy floating ride in untracked powder. As it gets tracked up and messy, the Storm Chaser can’t drive through it as well as some boards can, like the Mind Expander, but we haven’t seen many boards with this kind of design do much better. If you surf and like to have your foot near the tail like you do in the water, this is a great way to ride powder. With a 22.75″ stance width set all the way back, you can get a 14.5″ difference between nose/tail and 7.25″ back on board, and from the center of the swallowtail, it’s a 19″ difference from nose to tail, or 9.5″ back on board. That’s massively far back.

Buttering

It’s much easier to butter the flex than you would think, but that is because of the rocker.

Switch

It’s scary to even think about doing it.

Jumps

There is good pop here, and I’m not sure why, but it can Ollie rather well. Being this far on the tail isn’t great for big air for most average riders like us.

Jibbing

No way, but I’m sure some ripper could.

Pipe

Here is the weird thing.  I didn’t try this in the pipe, but thinking about it doesn’t make me feel scared to do so.  There is enough edge hold to make it happen, and it seems like it would drive wall to wall better than you would think, just like it did on a carve.

So overall, I don’t feel the Jones Storm Chaser is a super fun powder board or a better groomer board than you would think because of its camber profile. Even with a surfing background from a lot of our crew, we all personally have a thing for the Mind Expander, but if that board dumped us, we could pick up the shattered pieces and make a beautiful life with the Storm Chaser.