Jones Ultra Flagship 2021-2024 Written Review Review by The Good Ride

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Here you have all that is average for riding, along with an objective review of the Jones Ultra Flagship Snowboard.

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.

How it rides and who it is for

How This Review Happened: We borrowed this for an extended demo and sent it back.
Size: 161
Days:  3
Conditions: Pretty good mid-winter conditions with only some occasional hard spots. Luckily we have had lots of powder on this before.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-190lbs), Peter (Size 8, 5’11” 185lbs)
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV, Northwave Decade
Insoles: Sandsole Custom Insoles, F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Atlas, Ride C10, Ride C8, Jones Apollo

Similar Boards (but not the same): Yes Pick Your Line,  Burton Flight Attendant, Jones Flagship, Never Summer West Bound, Rossignol XV, Lib Tech BRD, Weston Backwoods, Burton Hometown Hero

Set-Up:  21.5” Wide. 21 front -6 back.

Approximate Weight:
The Jones Ultra Flagship feels lighter than the regular Flagship but it right on the border of being light and normal.

(We don’t put in the exact weight because with wood cores there is no consistency in a boards weight)

Sizing

Here are some ideal US boot sizes for the Jones Ultra Flagship’s. 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.
158: 8-9
161: 8-9
164: 9-10
162w:10-11
165w: 11-12

Shape/Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

The tapered directional shape of the Jones Ultra Flagship doesn’t feel like there is 13mm of taper. It didn’t need a lot of back foot weight on groomers to keep the tail from washing. The camber profile has camber just a little past the bindings moving to a good bit of rocker in the nose with a little less in the tail. On top of that it has a spooned nose/tail after the rocker begins. So it still feels stable underfoot without being catchy which is great for going big…not that we really do though… It also doesn’t feel edgeless like many boards with lifted tech that is integrated into the camber area. Not many boards this flex can skid a turn this easy and it is great if you are in a critical spot and need to slam on the breaks.

Flex/Pop/Buttering

So the Ultra Flagship is still stiffer than the regular flagship but it actually feels less damp/aggressive than the discontinued Carbon Flagship. This isn’t a bad thing though because it now appeals more to a wider variety of riders. So if you want a board that has a lot more easily accessible pop compared to the old Carbon Flagship and to a lesser extent the Flagship here you go. It was pretty easy to butter with for how stiff it was. It’s not easy by any means but the roccker in the nose tail helps it get going.

Speed

The old Carbon Flagship was one of the fastest boards we have ever ridden. The new Ultra Flagship isn’t as damp but I’m not sure 99% of the riders out there needed a board that damp. Now the regular Flagship feels a little more damp and sucks up vibrations better than the Ultra. Despite all that it can still really bomb (especially for an ultra light) and the base has truly amazing glide to it. We all liked the Hovercraft and Ultracraft more for pointing it but these are still massively fast. I would say that in perfect conditions the Ultra Flagship is a faster ride than the Flagship but its reversed when the snow starts to become a little less smooth.

Uneven Terrain

So much more managable for all day riding at a resort and for an ultralight, the Jones Ultra Flagship can handle a lot of chatter. We did notice one thing. In harder uneven snow it passed up more chatter than the standard Flagship. That being said, both flagships have come a massively long way.

Edge Hold

Same great edge hold as before. The traction tech might be slightly tweaked but it still grips well in hard snow without grabbing in softer snow.

Turn Initiation

Pretty quick edge to edge if you want to slalom through trees or quickly negotiate tight/possibly sketchy spots. Especially in soft snow to powder thanks to the spoon tech in the nose/tail. It just rolls easier and its a pleasure to turn.

Turning Experience/Carving

Now the Jones Ultra Flagship initiates a turn quickly but once you have the sidecut fully engaged it doesn’t keep accelerating. It sounds like this would feel weird but it feels just fine. It can circle carve ok but what it really likes is long drawn out S-Turns and pretty hard down the line carves. What is also cool is you can throw this into a skided turn really easy and its fun to do so. We couldn’t stop doing this.

Powder

So the new Ultra flagship has a very cool addition compared to the discontinued Carbon Flagship. It has set back inserts for really deep days or just more set back riding which we really like. With those set back inserts you can now get -4.625” back from center of board when set all the way way back with a 23.6” stance width. That is pretty far back for freeride board like this. Then add the 12.5 mm of taper (you feel it much more in powder than you do on groomers) and that rocker spoon nose you have really amazing directional float. The Spoon Tech really rolls well from edge to edge and while it doesn’t sit on top of the snow like the Hovercraft it is practically unsinkable with all that rocker.

Conclusion

It is really hard to recommend a board that is 1K to anyone but I was really torn between the Jones Ultra Flagship and Flagship. All that easily accessible pop with such a forgiving camber profile is hard to come by and quite enticing. If you invested in conference call software right before Covid-19 then maybe grab one. However if you are a day late and a dollar short, like we are, then you will have a beautiful life with regular Flagship.

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