This is my review of the Jones Flagship snowboard.
I’ve been an active snowboarder for most of my life and have spent the last decade as a certified instructor. I have a lot of experience riding different boards, and I know what to look for in terms of quality performance and construction attributes.
The Jones Flagship is a high-end freeride board that will give you the ability to crush technical and challenging lines. It has an aggressive nature that remains stable at speed while giving you plenty of response and power.
In the sections below, you’ll find my detailed review of this board. I’ll give you an in-depth look at how I think this board stands out, alongside any concerns you should be aware of.
Let’s dive into it.
Contents
Jones Flagship Overview
The Flagship is an awesome freeride snowboard. If you want a board that can help you tackle those challenging lines that get your adrenalin pumping, look no further. It has an aggressive nature that is best left for advanced riders who love to charge.
Freeriding is a demanding snowboarding style that requires tremendous skill and plenty of experience. This is true for both riders and equipment that focus on this type of riding. The Flagship is a tool that will let you dive into many freeriding elements with ease.
The board is equally comfortable in steep and deep chutes with fresh snow as it is in cruddy lines that require perfect attention to detail. It’s the type of board that will look at big mountain situations and scream, “let’s go get it!”
A hybrid profile gives you solid performance in difficult situations. Camber underfoot gives you response and control when the going gets tough, and rocker in the nose and tail allow for float in the deep stuff.
The Flagship has great edge-control that comes in very useful when you need to make quick turns, and there is no room for error. This precision is evident when navigating tree runs or bumps and is an obvious benefit for freeriding.
A stiff flex lends to its aggressive nature and makes the board very stable. You won’t get any chatter at high speeds. This is the type of board that you can push to its limits without worrying about a hiccup.
That same steep flex makes the Flagship a board best suited for advanced riders who know how to handle it. It can be too much for even intermediate-level riders and is a definite no-go for beginners.
Jones included a ton of innovation and tech into the design of this board. We’ll dive into full details later on in the review, but oversized edges, a progressive sidecut, and FSC Power Core are just a few of the many outstanding construction elements to take advantage of.
The Flagship has a singular freeride focus, which does limit its versatility. This is not a capable freestyle option. It also has a somewhat high price, which keeps me from recommending it as a high-value option – unless this is exactly what you’re after.
Detailed Review
The Jones Flagship is a fantastic freeride machine built to handle challenging lines and technical terrain with ease. It’s a board designed for high-level riders who want to challenge their abilities and charge big-mountain lines.
Performance
Some snowboards give you versatility and approachability, and then some snowboards are focused on a single task, like a hungry guard dog. The Flagship falls into the latter category and is ready to rip into freeride lines without restriction.
The board is aggressive and ready for action. It will give you the ability to charge hard down steeps, through thick and technical tree runs, bomb backcountry bowls, and any other freeride situation you want to get yourself involved in.
Experienced riders who tend to push their skills and equipment to the limit will appreciate everything the Flagship offers. It will help you achieve new heights rather than limit what’s possible.
Superior edge control is noticeable in many different conditions, and that’s a must for a freeride board. Whether you are making tight turns with little room for error or cruising at high speeds and carving deep, the edges will hold true to give you a responsive experience.
The board is also super stable. This comes into play when you want to reach warp speeds or bust through crud. You can expect stability throughout the mountain, and the Flagship will provide you with an amazing freeride foundation.
Being a fully-focused freeride option does come with drawbacks that show up in a lack of versatility in freestyle situations. This isn’t a board you’ll want to take into the park or strap on if you are learning the basics.
Construction
The Flagship has quality construction that enables it to tackle the technical terrain it is meant to feel comfortable in. Jones is somewhat of a lesser-known brand in the snowboarding industry, but they have a firm commitment to high-quality products.
The board has a stiff flex that is a must for any freeride option capable of living up to its name. It has a directional flex pattern that helps enhance that profile considerations and changes stiffness slightly across the board.
A directional rocker profile utilizes a hybrid design to give you effective freeride performance characteristics. You get enough camber underneath the feet for power and control while rocker in the tip and tail help boost float and turning control in deeper snow.
Another innovative feature of the Flagship is a spooned-out design in the tip and tail. Jones calls this 3D Countour Base 3.0, and it helps the board in nearly every freeride situation. A blunted nose enables you to bust through crud and float on powder.
The board also has a progressive sidecut that helps improve turning and carving ability. This shape element works to keep the edges in better contact with the snow at all times. Oversized edges also provide a lot of stability and control.
An FSC Power Core uses three different kinds of wood to provide strength and stability without being overbuilt. It has bamboo stringers that work with the camber to generate pop and response.
Additional Features
The Flagship comes with several innovative and effective additional features. This board is engineered to be a high-performance freeride machine, and Jones did a solid job by providing extras you can take advantage of.
On the performance end of things, Traction Tech 3.0 is built into the edges to give you outstanding grip and stability in various situations. This design changes up the edge width across the board for enhanced traction.
The base features a special type of polyethylene with carbon additives that make it very lightweight, durable, and ready for action. It’s a simple but effective consideration that comes in handy in sketchy conditions.
Jones also has a lot of eco-friendly considerations with all of their snowboards, this one included. The sidewalls are made of recycled ABS plastic, a plant-based epoxy is used in construction, and the edges are also made of reused metal materials.
The Flagship also comes factory tuned, so it will be ready to rock as soon as you get it mounted. This is a feature most snowboard brands offer, but I think that Jones provides a very effective tune that won’t need any initial modifications to get ripping.
Value
While this isn’t the most expensive freeride board on the market, it’s also nowhere near the cheapest. I give it an okay value ranking, mainly because it’s relatively expensive for the average rider.
If you are looking for a fully capable freeride option that will deliver in anything and everything you throw at it, the Flagship is a great value. Just know that it’s not a budget option, although it is a good investment.
If you need a board with freeride abilities but want added versatility, this board isn’t the best value. It’s more than capable when freeriding but won’t give you outstanding performance in other situations. It’s simply too stiff and aggressive for freestyle riding.
With all of the innovative and functional design elements that come with it, I think the Flagship is worth its price. You get what you pay for, and what you get is very solid – as long as freeriding is your sole intention.
The Alternatives
Here are some recommended alternative options to the Jones Flagship. While this board is incredible for freeriding, it’s not versatile enough to be a one-quiver choice, so you’ll need others in your lineup.
The Lib Tech Dynamo is a good freeride option at a more affordable price than the Flagship. You still get aggressive performance that can eat up big mountain lines, but this one is a bit of a better value overall.
The board comes with a power construction that is built to rip. It has a lightweight and strong wood core, sintered sidewalls, and an aggressive all-terrain profile shape that adds a little versatility.
2. Ride Burnout
For a more approachable board for intermediate-level riders who still want to tackle freeride lines, check out the Ride Burnout. This one has a twin shape that increases versatility and has a less aggressive nature.
The board comes with a linear sidecut that increases edge control and adds stability. It’s not quite a high-performance option, but it has plenty of versatility, allowing you to explore other situations other than freeriding.
The Flight Attendant is another capable freeride board that has more all-mountain capabilities. It’s a quality option from one of the most well-known brands in the industry. It has a freeride directional shape and a stable, high-performance construction.
==> Read our detailed review of Burton Flight Attendant to learn more.
My Verdict
The Jones Flagship is an awesome freeride snowboard that delivers outstanding performance in technical situations. It’s made for advanced-level riders who want to tackle technical terrain with no limits to what’s possible.
The board is excellent for freeriding but has limits in other areas of the mountain. An aggressive nature means beginner and intermediate riders should look elsewhere. Read our roundup reviews of the best beginner snowboards and best intermediate snowboards for more.
About Lorraine