Curated Snowboarding Experts Mike Leighton and Will Cabral got their hands on the 2024 Jones Flagship this spring. Check out how it performed in the carving, freestyle, and freeride categories, but consider the fact that each and every rider is different; if you have any questions about the Flagship or need recommendations on which board would be best for you, reach out to a Snowboarding Expert here on Curated.

Before we get started, it's worth noting that Curated Experts are not sponsored by any brands. All of these reviews are completely unbiased.

Brand Claims

What does Jones claim about this board? [Mike] The Jones Flagship is the original. It is built for hard-charging, free-riding, fall-line freestyle. It comes alive at 25 miles an hour.

[Will] The Jones Flagship is the original Big Mountain board. It wants to charge and do some free-riding and fall-line freestyle.

Overall Impressions

What is your overall impression of this board? [Mike] Admittedly, this is the first time I’ve ever rode it. I’ve read about it for a long time and wanted to get on one. Finally, I had the opportunity. We had this one, I believe, in the 161. It has a longer nose. It has camber, a slightly shorter tail, and a little rocker. I rode it strictly at reference. It also has what they call the float pack. So if you’re riding some really deep days, whether you’re in the Pacific Northwest, the Tahoe area this year, or up in Alaska, you might want to go with that float pack. I rode it strictly at reference. It’s an 8 out of 10 flex. I personally think that this is a true 8 out of 10. It’s awesome. I had a ton of fun on it. I just wanted to keep riding on it.

[Will] It started as “this board is a plank.” It’s rated as an 8 out of 10 flex. We got on this board and then quickly transitioned to a different lift to get higher. So it was a mellow first run, and I was like, “This thing is super stiff.” And then when we got into some actual runs, we could bring up the speed in, and this thing really came alive.

Carving

How does it turn? [Mike] I was able to rail turns on it. I had to wheelie out of something in the soft snow, and it held on for me.

[Will] It has a pretty big rocker in the nose and a 3D contour, so I could roll it into carves and do some low-speed carves.

What is the edge hold like? [Mike] The bit of rocker on the nose and the tail will help with buttering, Traction Tech 3.0, too. And then also the 3D contour makes it really predictable. Honestly, it's pretty forgiving.

[Will] It has Jones's Traction Tech 3.0, which has bumps in three different places on the side cut to keep you locked in.

How damp is the board? Do you feel any underfoot chatter? [Will] As we started riding faster and faster, it held its own through uneven terrain, and I didn’t get any chatter.

How does it perform at speed? [Mike] With the stiffness, it’s super stable at speed and landing.

[Will] It’s stiff enough and wants to hold up in steep terrain and at higher speeds.

How is its energy/acceleration? [Mike] What I really liked about this board is it just wants to do more. When they say that it comes alive at 25 miles an hour, they mean it.

[Will] It's really a board that needs to be on steep terrain and go fast.

Freestyle

How is it for freestyle snowboarding? [Mike] I rode on this the longest of any of the boards we’ve reviewed. But for me, this feels natural. It’s not the most playful board, but if you’re going to butter around, it will still do that.

[Will] This is a board that I wouldn’t necessarily say is freestyle focused.

Could you speak about playfulness and pop? [Mike] I found it had a ton of pop.

Is it good for riding switch? [Mike] It has a bit shorter of a tail, so it won’t be ideal for riding or landing switch.

[Will] It's not something that I would want to necessarily land switch in powder on.

How is it for buttering? [Will] Not something that I really had a ton of fun trying to butter on. It's pretty stiff.

How is it on jumps? [Will] If you’re taking it into a more technical terrain, you could definitely drop a cliff or find a side hit. It was one of those kinds of boards that handled doing jump turns, and it really stopped on a dime when you needed to very well.

Freeride

How is it for freeride snowboarding? [Mike] Whether hiking the chutes, above the lifts, or dropping the steep tree dollies, it will be great.

[Will] We got a chance to do a couple of hike runs with this board in a terrain where you want to make sure you're on your game. And this thing had our back, avoided the rock hazards we needed to maneuver through.

How is it in powder? [Will] If you’re riding something over a foot of powder, this thing will excel, especially with a big 3D contoured nose that they put tons of time and energy into getting this thing to glide and float through powder really, really well.

How is it in uneven terrain and chunder? [Mike] We had the opportunity to rip all around on this board. We took it to everything, from the trees, to the moguls; we hiked some really steep terrain and got in some fresh snow. I had fun on it. It’s a treat to ride.

[Will] This is meant to be taken outside of the resort. If you have a heli trip, and you’re riding something super deep or taking it up to something super specialized, you could start thinking about using the float pack inserts to set yourself super-far back.

How is it riding in the trees? How is its maneuverability? [Mike] If you’re looking for something to hit big drops, ride really fast in the fall line, and even get into the trees, this is a great option.

[Will] I had fun riding it through some trees and some bumps, but you need to be an advanced rider to have fun in that condition, because if you’re going slow through those things, it might feel a bit tough to get the maneuverability back up and going.

What terrain is this board good for? [Mike] It will shine on the brightest at the steep, tactical, fast terrain. It will also do really well on those steep, early morning, groomer ripper runs.

[Will] It excels in steep terrain, places where you could ride chutes, or something with a long run out at the bottom so you can point it, be very technical, and be specific when needed. But it also rolls and turns well in powder. This is a board that I would definitely ride when conditions permit and have huge snow. This is something that I’d reach for.

What kind of terrain should riders avoid with it? [Mike] Bunny hills and terrain park. If you find yourself doing a lot of that, you're not going to have a good time on this board.

[Will] I wouldn’t recommend this board for your average resort riding. If you don’t want to go above the black diamond at most resorts, this is a board you probably should avoid. This is not something that is just meant to get you from point A to point B. This is something that’s going to excel in the tougher terrain.

Recommendations

Who would you recommend this board to? [Mike] This board will be best used in the hands of the advanced and up-level rider, the bigger, more powerful riders, people who can really put a lot of energy into their snowboard.

[Will] I'd recommend this board for advanced riders.

Who should avoid this board, are there other better options out there for them? [Mike] Lighter, more timid, intermediate, and below riders should avoid this board. This board has no top end. If your focus is more on being quick, you might want to consider the Aviator over the Flagship.

[Will] I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for intermediate and beginners. Don’t even think about it, sorry. This is the Flagship for a reason. It represents Jones’s brand, which is synonymous with free riding and steep technical terrain.

Snowboards work differently for different types of riders. If you want help finding the right board for you, reach out to Mike or Will or any other Snowboarding Expert here on Curated for free, personalized recommendations on the best board for you.