Curated Snowboarding Experts Mike Leighton & Will Cabral got their hands on the 2024 Jones Frontier Snowboard 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 Frontier 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 Frontier is for the playful mountain shredder that's really looking for a quiver of one. It's going to excel in pow days, park days, groomer days, bunny hill days, steep in deep days … it's going to do it all.

[Will] Jones claims the frontier is for an all-mountain shredder who wants a directional shape.

Overall Impressions

What is your overall impression of this board? [Mike] We rode on a 159. I honestly really love this topsheet graphic. I’ve said it like a hundred times. It’s simple and nice looking. It features the Bio Resin topsheet, so it is eco-friendly. Jones is trying to eliminate the waste so that some boards will have black on blue, and others will have blue on black. It’s just a really pretty-looking board. It’s a directional board that is 6 out of 10 flex. It has a very mild version of their Grip Tech, and then it also has a little bit of a 3D-base contour with their camber and rocker combo. What that’s going to create is an approachable, forgiving board that also can hold an edge.

[Will] My overall impression of the Jones Frontier is that it’s a great mid-level directional option. This board is rated as a 6 out of 10 flex. For me, it was closer to the Mountain Twin, but it’s something that is for a rider who wants to ride all over the mountain. They’re not necessarily super freestyle focused and want something that will have a lot of room for them to grow. This is a board that can help you progress your riding. It was a pretty stable board for a mid-flex. This is a board that is a great directional option for somebody who’s learning to get better.

Carving

How does it turn? [Mike] This board holds a nice carved edge even compared to some of the other boards in Jones line, so it’s great when you’re working on your carves.

[Will] This has Traction Tech in it, so it’ll help keep you locked in on those edges as you learn to carve deeper. It’s a board that has technology that’s great for initiating turns.

What is the edge hold like? [Mike] It’s predictable and forgiving, but it’s still also playful.

How damp is the board? Do you feel any underfoot chatter? [Mike] Even though it is 6 out of 10 flex, I didn’t feel like it was very chattery on edge, even compared to some of the other parts we’ve been riding.

How does it perform at speed? [Mike] It won't be a speed demon, but it will handle those higher speeds fairly well.

[Will] I felt like the Jones Frontier handled chop and chunder and maybe exceeded my expectations for a board that is a mid-flex. This was something that was able to handle speed, not like the top-end speed, but for most the of runs we took it on, it was stable and I felt very in control on this board.

Freestyle

How is it for freestyle snowboarding? [Mike] I took it through for a mini-park lap. I took off and landing switch was fine on this board.

[Will] From a freestyle perspective, I could definitely find side hits and have fun on it, but maybe not super freestyle focused.

Could you speak about playfulness and pop? [Mike] It does have a bit of pop in there. It’s not going to surprise you in any way.

[Will] This board have decent pop, kind of middle of the road.

Is it good for riding switch? [Mike] With the directional shape, it still rides switch really well.

[Will] I got a chance to ride it switch. It is directional, so it’s got a little bit of the funky feeling when you ride it switch. It’s meant to go forward. It doesn’t mean you can’t do it, but maybe not a board that you’d be taking a whole run switch on.

How is it for buttering? [Mike] If you’re buttering around on the hill and just having some fun, this board will be really approachable in that sense.

How is it on jumps? [Mike] In terms of jibbing on this board, it may not be the best jib board.

Freeride

How is it for freeride snowboarding? [Mike] With the 6 out of 10 flex, I think that’s pretty on par for what it’s rated at. So that means it’s just on the barely stiffer side of playful. So it’s going to eat some chop up well but at the same time not try to kill you.

[Will] It’s not overly stiff, so it’s pretty easy to get it to go where you want it to go.

How is it in powder? [Mike] With the directional shape, it’s going to float in the soft snow.

[Will] It’ll also be there for you when you do get a little bit of fresh snow.

How is it in uneven terrain and chunder? [Mike] It performs really well in uneven terrain. It eats up chunder fairly well.

How is it riding in the trees? How is its maneuverability? [Mike] It’s pretty nimble edge to edge for riding in the trees. I wouldn’t go charging through the moguls on this board, but popping in and out of moguls and in and out of the trees will be a lot of fun for you.

[Will] Given that the Frontier is directional, it has a shorter tail and good maneuverability. I felt pretty solid in the trees and the bumps on this board. This board could have fun on wide-open groomers and in the trees.

What terrain is this board good for? [Mike] This board lives up to the billing from Jones. It’s comfortable pretty much anywhere on the mountain.

[Will] It excels in normal resort conditions.

What kind of terrain should riders avoid with it? [Mike] It is at home pretty much everywhere. The only place I would avoid is the real technical, steep, and deep stuff. If you’re looking to ride a ton of park, this will not be your board of choice.

[Will] There isn’t a whole lot of terrain that I would say that you’d want to avoid. If you like to hang out in the park all the time, I’d probably say go for a different board. This board could handle the technical terrain but maybe not excel in very steep and technical terrain.

Recommendations

Who would you recommend this board to? [Mike] One of the first brand clinics I ever attended when I started working as a Curated Expert was Jones. They said the Frontier is the only board in the line that they would recommend to everybody, and I agree with that statement. You could have this as your first board, and you could keep it. If it lasts, hand it down. Maybe not a true beginner, but if you start linking your turns and you’re looking to invest in a setup, this would be an excellent board for you. This would be a great option if you’re looking for a board as a quiver of one for an intermediate-and-up rider. If you see a lot of fresh snow and you’re not riding a ton of park, this might be your option, all the way up through being an advanced, expert rider.

[Will] I’d recommend the Jones Frontier for someone who’s a low-level intermediate rider but dedicated to snowboarding and wants something that has a lot of room to grow. This is also an excellent master-of-none, jack-of-all-trades board for someone who’s not necessarily freestyle focused or wants to be in the park. You can use this to hang with your friends all over the resort, and it will be there for you as you progress and get better.

Who should avoid this board, are there other better options out there for them? [Mike]

[Will] I wouldn’t say that I would recommend it for a true beginner, but if you’re an an athletic beginner who’s dedicated and committed, I would say this is something that you could look into.

So snowboards work differently for different types of riders. If you need help finding your next snowboard. Reach out to either me or one of my fellow Curated Snowboarding Experts and we'll make sure to help you out like and subscribe. And if you like this video, click the subscribe button so you can see more content from Curated.