Jones Frontier

Features of the Jones Frontier Twin

• Directional Shape
• Directional Flex
• Directional Rocker
  A hybrid profile, that has camber between your feet, a little bit of rocker on the tail and a larger rocker nose. Made to get the best of both styles, the camber section keeps the board stable, while the rocker makes turning smooth, and helps float in powder.
• 3D Contour Base 1.0
  A small amount (2mm) of spoon or base shaping, that that lifts the edges on the nose and tail of the board, giving it a looser and more forgiving ride, as well as helping add to the float in deep snow.
• Progressive Sidecut
  As you get closer to the ends of the sidecut, the radius of the sidecut gets bigger, which means that you get a smoother entry and
• V-Core
• 6/10 Flex
• Traction Tech
  Not called Magne-Traction anymore, but it has a serrated or lumpy edge, which helps the board cut into hardpacked snow and ice, giving you better edge hold.
• Flip Flop Base
  Each base alternates, so one board might have a blue base with a black Jones logo, while the next one is made up of the opposite parts, so it will have a mainly black base with a blue Jones logo.
• Sintered 7000
  A sintered material, that has added carbon, and does a good job at soaking up wax.
• Wend Natural Wax
  Just the brand of wax that is used when they give the board the factory wax.
• Biax Fiberglass
  Two directions of fibers, that give a easy and predictable flex rating, that has a softer “torsional” or twisting flex.
• Factory Tuned
  The tip and tail of the board are detuned at the factory, so combined with the factory wax, you can take the board straight out of the plastic from the shop and start riding.
• Recycled ABS Sidewalls
  All the ABS plastic used in the sidewalls is recycled.
• Oversized Recycled Edges
  Thicker than normal edges are a bit tougher, and made from recycled steel.
• Eco Plastic Topsheet
  Made from castor beans, it is lightweight, resistant to scratches and also repels snow, so less of it will sit on your board.
• Super Sap Bio Resin
  Rather than a resin that is based on petroleum, Jones boards are made with a bio-based resin.
• FSC Classic Core
  A poplar wood core that gives you good pop, an even flex and durability.

How it Rides

Board size: 156cm

Boots: Salomon Launch Boa SJ

Bindings: Jones Apollo

This review is based from me riding the 2020 model during the Australian winter season, where I rode it at Mt Hotham, Victoria. I had also ridden it a couple of times before, back when it was called the Explorer.

Conditions were cold and dry, with some fresh light snow on top of very hard packed and windblown snow. Although I was riding with very stiff bindings, I had ridden the older Explorer with Now Brigades, so there was a good difference between the two bindings to be able to compare well.

Camber Profile

The Directional Rocker profile is a pretty popular style, almost every brand has something that is similar, keeping camber between your feet, with rocker on the nose and tail. It is popular because it works, and you get most of the good parts of a traditional camber board, with less of a catchy feel.

On top of the camber feel, the main thing that changes the feel of the board is the 3D Contour Base, or the amount that the nose and tail spoon. It makes it noticeably looser and more playful, especially compared to something like the Mountain Twin that has no spoon at all.

Flex and Pop

As far as Jones boards go, this is quite a soft one. It is rated as a 6/10, and that feels about right. I could press it without too much effort, and you can get a decent ollie from it, though not as much as I could from the Mountain Twin.

Edge Hold

In general, the edge hold is pretty good. There is enough camber in it, combined with the Traction Tech to be able to get the edge in well, and be able to rely on it to hold in hard packed snow. I could notice that it takes the tiniest bit longer (from the base contour/spoon) to feel the edges grip, comparing it to the Mountain Twin. That isn’t a huge thing, and only because I was looking for tiny differences.

Speed

Speed wasn’t a problem at all, it was a freshly waxed board on cold and fairly dry snow, so it seemed quite quick. I had ridden the Frontier in slushy conditions and it was fine, though not as fast as other Jones boards that have the Sintered 9000 base.

Overall

Overall, the Frontier is one of the easiest boards to recommend for quite a lot of riders. If you are looking to get one board that will do well on groomers, through the park and in powder, this would be it.

The Base Contour loosens the ride up a bit, so you don’t have to be an advanced rider to get the most out of this. Once you get the board on it’s edge, you can still push it a fair way.

For the decent price, you get a board with a good sintered base, that will float in deep snow, is cruisy and easy to ride if you want it to be, while still being able to get a lot out of it if you are a more aggressive rider.