I had a blast on the Jones Frontier 2.0! It's the evolution of the former Frontier and has become a more directional ride that feels like it's really found its place in Jones' line and has a clearer identity and purpose now.
In this review, I will take a look at the Frontier 2.0 as a mellow freeride snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Frontier 2.0 a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other mellow freeride snowboards.
Overall Rating
Board: Jones Frontier 2.0 2026
Price: $529
Style: Mellow Freeride
Flex Rating: Mid-Soft
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium (5/10)
Rating Score: 89.4/100
Compared to other Men’s Mellow Freeride Boards
Of the 28 current model mellow freeride snowboards that we tested:
❄️ The Frontier 2.0 ranked 3rd out of 28
Overview of the Frontier 2.0’S Specs
Check out the tables for the Frontier 2.0’s specs and available sizes.
STYLE:
mellow freeride
PRICE:
$529 - BUYING OPTIONS
Ability Level:
flex:
feel:
DAMPNESS:
SMOOTH /SNAPPY:
Playful /aggressive:
Edge-hold:
camber profile:
Directional Hybrid Camber
Directional Hybrid CAMBer - Jones's "Directional Camber Rocker"
SHAPE:
setback stance:
20mm (0.8")
BASE:
Sintered- Jones's "Sintered 8000"
weight:
FELT Normal
Camber Height:
6mm
Sizing
LENGTH (cm) | Waist Width (mm) | Rec Rider Weight (lb) | Rec Rider Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
150 | 246 | 110-160 | 49-73 |
153 | 249 | 110-160 | 49-73 |
155W | 263 | 120-170 | 54-77 |
156 | 252 | 120-170 | 54-77 |
158W | 265 | 140-190 | 64-86 |
159 | 255 | 140-190 | 64-86 |
161W | 267 | 150-200 | 68-91 |
162 | 258 | 160-210 | 73-95 |
164W | 269 | 170-220+ | 77-100+ |
165 | 261 | 170-220+ | 77-100+ |
167W | 271 | 170-220+ | 77-100+ |
Who is the Frontier 2.0 Most Suited To?
The Frontier 2.0 is best suited to those who value maneuverability over stability and want a board that will excel in trees & powder, predominantly.
Could be a one-board quiver if your mostly ride powder when you can get it, ride a lot of trees (powdered or not) and when conditions don't allow you to ride in powder or trees, you're happy cruising the groomers (or happy to wait for better conditions).
For a lot this would be a great quiver board - as their powder/tree board and would compliment a more aggressive all-mountain board and/or a more freestyle oriented board.
Really easy going and a great choice for low intermediate riders and up, IMO - but not quite what I would call beginner friendly.
TEST/REVIEW DetailS FOR THE Frontier 2.0
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Frontier 2.0 is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: Jones Frontier 2.0 2026, 159cm (255mm waist width)
Date: February 19, 2025
Carving
I found the Frontier 2.0 to be a board that was more at home with quick turns at slow to moderate speeds than it was with aggressive high speed carves. But in saying that it was able to rail a fairly decent carve at decent speeds - just not its forte, particularly compared to how well it turns at more moderate speed.
Turning
Ease of Turning/Slashing: Speaking of which, this is where this board felt really good. Super easy to initiate turns and slash out the tail with.
Maneuverability at slow speeds: Nice and quick edge-to-edge. And took very little effort. I I found I could just focus on my line and it responded really well when I wanted to change edges, even with just a light input.
Catchiness: Really uncatchy overall. There was just a hint of it in the tail when I was really looking for it. Didn't feel it at any other time.
Speed
As mentioned above in the carving section, I found this board was more suited to moderate speeds, tight turning and the likes, than really bombing it. Certainly not a noodle at speed or anything, but not super stable at speed either. About average I would say.
Uneven Terrain
Crud/Chunder: Fairly stable in messy/rough snow, but got thrown around a bit when it got really rough. Super easy to correct my line when I did get bounced around a bit though. And because it felt decently damp, the chatter wasn't too bad.
Trees/Bumps: Now, this, as you're probably guessing if you've looked at the turning section above already, is where the Frontier 2.0 likes to play. It's edge-to-edge quickness really comes into play in tight spaces and it was super fun to weave through the trees on. In the powder we had it felt sick too - and should hold up to deeper powder well too.
Powder
Speaking of powder, we had a bit of fresh to test in which was sick! It wasn't super deep or anything, but enough to get a good feel for it, and the Frontier 2.0 felt great.
Not surprisingly, given the rocker it has in its nose, the directional camber profile, directional shape, setback stance taper and 3D Base Contour (medium).
Jumps
Not epically stable on approach and landings and not heaps of pop, but otherwise really fun for small to medium jumps and side-hits in particular.
Pop: What it had was pretty easy to access but total pop wasn't huge. Not terrible or anything either, but middle of the road.
Approach: Nice and easy to adjust speed and line on the approach and was decently stable up to a certain speed, but could get a bit wobbly for high speed approaches to larger jumps.
Landing: Despite it's directional-ness, it didn't feel too bad for tail heavy landings. Not amazing either, but pretty good. Nice and forgiving of errors for smaller jumps, but not as good at handling bigger landings.
Switch
It was never going to be a super natural switch riding board, given it's shape, so it did feel quite different (in a less than kind of way) riding tail first. Transitions were nice though and felt like there was very minimal catch-risk during transitions.
Spins
Apart from its obvious drawbacks for spins in the 180, 540 etc variety, due to its shape, it actually really impressed me with the way it spun. It felt light and easy to spin and I felt really confident on take off and landing with this board.
Jibbing
Not too bad, given this was probably never given thought when designing this board. Not ideal, naturally, but I felt confident hitting jibs on this board and I'm not a strong jibber, by any means.
Butters
Again, that shape doesn't help it in terms of being the ideal butterer and the tip and tail felt quite different to press. But transitions were easy and the nose and tail were really easy to press, but not so easy that it felt like I could over-flex it. The nose and tail did feel quite different though, naturally.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
| FACTOR | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Powder | 4.5 | 27/30 |
| Turns | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
| Carving | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Trees | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
| Crud | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Speed | 3 | 6/10 |
| Jumps | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
| Switch | 3 | 3/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 89.4/100 |
Sometimes when you see that a good board has undergone a transformation, you worry that it won't be the same as it was. And in some cases, it turns out that way, in a bad way. The Frontier 2.0 never had to suffer that fate.
It's a clear upgrade on its former self and it just feels like it fits better now. It was in an almost in-between state before it started donning it's "2.0" and the changes that came with that. Now it has a more defined identity and it really excels at what it is.
For those looking for a quick turning, easy going freeride board that is most at home in trees and powder and won't demand too much from you, the Frontier 2.0 should be on your shortlist, IMO.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
To learn more about the Frontier 2.0, or if you're ready to buy, or if you just want to research prices and availability, check out the links below.
To check out some other mellow freeride snowboard options, or to see how the Frontier 2.0 compares to others, check out our top rated mellow freeride snowboards by clicking the button below.
Happy New Year! I sold a 2024 Frontier last summer I loved (bought on your advice – Thanks!) with the intent of purchasing a 2.0. However, during the summer I got a screaming deal on a Burton Gril Master (GM) used in a photo shoot. At this point it’s unused with some wrap still intact.
You rated the GM and 2.0 very similar but gave a 2.0 a slightly better score on hard snow. I would like a general purpose board for Utah but also considering keeping the GM and maybe grabbing a Mountain Twin. Question: Any thoughts on the GM vs the 2.0?
Hi Dano, thanks for your message.
The Frontier 2.0 and Gril Master were very similar to me – as you say, rated very similarly. The Frontier 2.0 a little better in harder snow, but not much in it. And a little better for switch, IMO, but also not much in it. If you were able to get a great deal on the GM, I’d go with that, if it was me.
Hope this helps with your decision
Hi Nate, just wondering if you feel like the Frontier 2.0 is softer flex versus the Frontier? The Frontier 2.0 is listed as 2/5 flex but the old Frontier was 6/10 flex so it seems somewhat softer by what Jones is saying?
Hi Vivian, thanks for your message.
It has, by my feel, softened up a bit. I rated the Frontier a 6/10 flex and this felt more like what I would consider a 5/10 flex. Not quite as soft as the 2/5 that Jones rates it as, but they are rating within their brand, at least to a certain extent, and I’m attempting to give a universal, brand neutral rating. But in any case, yes, I did find the Frontier 2.0 felt softer than the old Frontier.
Hope this helps
Hey Nate
Looking for my son advanced beginner. 5’9 130 10.5 boot. Looking at Terrain Wrecker, Typo or Frontier. Any advice is helpful. ( sorry I keep losing my comments for some reason )
Hi Jeremy, thanks for your message. I found your other messages, but they can sometimes get lost when they are replies to other messages. I need to work out how to get the comment box to the top, above the previous messages, but it can take me some time to work out the technical side of the website!
Just to keep things tidy, I will remove your other comments, but I have them in front of me as I write this, for reference, noting that you also mentioned the Snowtrooper in one of your other messages.
All boards should work really well for how you desciribe your sons riding (advanced beginner and starting to progress nicely after switching from skiing for 8 years). I don’t know skiing super well (skied a little as a kid, but never took to it quite like snowboarding), but my best guess is that boards with rocker in the middle (like the Snowtrooper and Terrain Wrecker) would be more different feeling than skis vs boards with camber in the middle (like the Typo and Frontier). For that reason, you may be better going Typo or Frontier, but that said, this is just a guess and he may like the more surfy feeling of a rockered center board.
Either way, I think sizing in this case (since all the boards you mentioned are appropriate for how you describe his riding, IMO) is going to be the most important thing.
I would put your son’s “typical all-mountain” length at around 151, but I get it if you want something that he can grow into a little bit. I’m weary of taking the “grow-into” thing too far, because you’ll still want a board he can be confident on and progress on and still enjoy. But assuming he’s likely to add weight in the next couple of years, you can go a bit longer than that – but again, I wouldn’t take that too far. I get that it can be hard to find something for his boot size in smaller lengths too, which can make it tricky as well, and if his feet are still growing, then you’ll likely want to take that into account. All that said.
– Frontier: if you’re looking at the 2025 Frontier or earlier, then ideally the 152. It should be wide enough for his boots for now (wider than the waist width would suggest), but if they grow significantly longer, it may become too narrow. The 156 at a stretch, but it’s getting pretty big for his weight, IMO.
– Frontier 2.0: the 2.0 got narrower than the older version, so while the 153 length would be more optimal, I think going 155W in this case, assuming his feet have growing to do? Again, might feel a bit big for him at the moment.
– Typo: Opposite to the OG Frontier, this one’s a little narrower than you’d expect, so in this case I’d go 156W, especially if his feet are growing. You could probably get away with the 155 for now, but if his feet are growing, it could become too narrow fairly quickly. Good thing with this one is that the wide sizes aren’t that wide, so wouldn’t be as wide as going 155W on the Frontier 2.0.
– Terrain Wrecker: 154 – could also go 152, but 154 would give more room to grow and shouldn’t feel too big for right now, IMO.
– Snowtrooper: 156 – longer than ideal, IMO, but I think the 152 would be too narrow or at the least get too narrow quickly, if his feet are still growing.
Hope this gives you more to go off for your decision
Super helpful as always! Went with the TW 154. I have a pair of Medium Mission Bindings but they do seem small when putting the boots in them. Thoughts on M vs L bindings ?
You locked me into a PYL board 4 yrs ago. Still ripping at 45! The board is amazing. You have the best website. Great work!
Hey Jeremy
I would say he should be good in the M with 10.5s, unless they’re particularly bulky 10.5s. If the ratchets can ratchet to a point that they’re not going to slip and you can get pretty good boot centering on the board, you should be good. The advantage of the L would be that you’d get a little more leverage on the edges, with the bindings being closer to the edges, but the binding to boot fit is more important than binding to board fit, IMO. If his feet are still growing it might be that he’ll have to move to a large binding at some point, but unless you can’t tighten, them, or they’re not wide enough, or you can’t get toe/heel overhang relatively even, then you should be good with the M for now, IMO.