Hello and welcome to my Jones Explorer review.
In this review, I will look at the Explorer as an aggressive all-mountain snowboard, though it is more forgiving than your average aggressive all mountain snowboard – more on that later.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Explorer a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other aggressive all-mountain snowboards.
NOTE: The 2019 model was the last model of the Explorer (but the Jones Frontier is essentially the same board, with a different name)
Overall Rating
Board: Jones Explorer
Price: $449 (USD recommended retail)
Style: Aggressive All Mountain
Flex Rating: Medium (6/10)
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium-Stiff (6.5/10)
Rating Score: 84.8/100
Compared to other Men’s Aggressive All Mountain Boards
Out of the 16 men’s aggressive-all-mountain snowboards that I rated:
- The average score was 82.4/100
- The highest score was 91.6/100
- The lowest score was 77.5/100
- The average price was $610
- The Explorer ranked 6th out of 16
Overview of the Explorer’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Explorer’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
| Style | Aggresive-All-Mountain | Flex | Medium-Stiff (6.5 out of 10) |
| Ability Level | High End Intermediate to Expert | Feel | Stable |
| Weight | Normal | Turn Initiation | Medium-Fast |
| Camber Profile | Hybrid Camber | Shape | Directional |
| Stance Setback | Setback 20mm | Edge-hold | Hard snow |
| Price | $449 (USD) | Base | Sintered 7000 |
Sizing
| Size (Length) | 152 | 156 | 159 | 162 | 158W | 161W | 164W |
| Waist Width (mm) | 249 | 252 | 254 | 256 | 262 | 264 | 266 |
| Weight Range (lbs) | 110-160 | 120-170 | 140-190 | 160-210 | 140-190 | 150-200 | 170-220 |
| Weight Range (kgs) | 50-72 | 54-77 | 64-86 | 73-95 | 64-86 | 68-91 | 77-100 |
Who is the Explorer Most Suited to?
If you’re looking for a board that you can be aggressive on and that feels aggressive when you push it – but you also want it to be somewhat forgiving so you don’t have to be 100% on your game all of the time, then the Explorer might be well suited to you.
It’s something that you can take in the park too if that’s something that you want to be able to do from time to time without switching boards.
Whilst it’s more forgiving than most aggressive all mountain snowboards, it’s not for the beginner. A rider at the higher end of intermediate should be able to handle this board though.
It’s also better in powder than most aggressive all mountain rides, so if you’re looking for a little bit more in the pow, this could also be a great choice for you.
The Explorer in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Explorer is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: Jones Explorer 2018, 159cm (254mm waist width)
Date: March 8, 2017
Conditions: Good amount of fresh powder yet again (got a lot of that during the 2016-17 season). Conditions were medium speed wise – not too slow but not super quick either. Even though it was a weekday everything was a bit chundery on the groomers – a bit slack with the grooming that day. But off groomer was where the real fun was to be had, with all that fresh stuff!
Bindings angles: +15/-6
Stance width: 600mm (23.6“)
Powder
This board is better in powder than most aggressive all mountain boards that I test. This isn’t too surprising given the camber profile which has more rocker in it than most aggressive all mountain boards that I ride.
In fact, I had a hard time deciding whether to put this board in the all-mountain or the aggressive all mountain category because it sits right in between the two.
It also has a decent setback and a directional shape with a long nose. The stance is setback 20mm (0.75”) along the effective edge but with that longer nose (that’s not part of the effective edge) you are actually sitting more like 60mm (2.4”) back relative to the actual center of the board.
Carving & Turning
This board is fun to carve on and it feels like it wants to lock into a carve and bomb down – like you would expect from an aggressive all mountain board.
But you can also get away with skidding turns on this board too. So, it feels aggressive when you lock it in and charge down. But when you get lazy or if you need to make corrections it’s more forgiving of that.
Speed
This board is nice and stable at speed and it felt like it preferred to be riding at speed than riding slowly. I felt more comfortable riding this thing fast than slowing it down and playing around.
Let’s Break up this text with a Video
Uneven Terrain
This is more forgiving on uneven terrain than the Jones Flagship but not quite as much as the Jones Mountain Twin. In a lot of ways this board sits between those two.
With the right technique this board is fine in the chunder but it’s not the most forgiving.
Jumps
The Explorer is designed by Jones to be a Freeride board that’s also a freestyle board (kind of the definition of all-mountain in a lot of ways). I would say that it’s more leaned towards freeride overall.
But where it is pretty decent is for jumps. It’s stable on landings and it’s forgiving enough for approaches to side hits and approaches to jumps in the park. It’s good for larger jumps in the park.
If you were taking this into the park it would definitely be for the jump line rather than the jib line, IMO.
Switch
You can ride it switch. It’s a little easier than the Flagship (which I rode on the same day) but not quite as easy as the Mountain Twin. But if you’re a good switch rider and you’re used to riding switch on a directional setback board then this is definitely doable.
There is more rocker in the tail of the Explorer than you would normally see on an aggressive all mountain board and certainly more rocker in the tail than the Flagship – this helps to make riding and landing switch easier.
Edge-Hold
The Explorer has mellow magne-traction. That, plus the slightly stiffer than medium flex and the camber between the bindings, gives this board really decent edge-hold. Not going to be the grippiest in icy snow but will be decent and will be really good for hard snow. I’d say 4/5 for hard/icy snow.
Changes from the 2018 Model
As far as I can tell the 2019 model is the same as the 2018 model, except for the graphic.
Changes from the 2017 Model
As is the case with all Jones 2018 boards (or at least all of the boards that I tested) Jones have adjusted the core of the Explorer to affect the torsional flex between the bindings. This was to increase the responsiveness of their boards.
Other than that the 2018 model is essentially the same as the 2017 model.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Carving: | 4.0 | 20/25 |
| Speed: | 4.0 | 16/20 |
| Jumps: | 3.0 | 9/15 |
| Powder: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Uneven Terrain: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| Pipe: | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Switch: | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 84.8/100 |
If you’re looking for the most aggressive all-mountain snowboard you can find, there are boards that are better suited.
But if you’re looking for an all-mountain board that is more aggressive than normal or an aggressive all mountain board that is more forgiving than normal and you want something that has good float in powder but can still ride switch and hit the jump line in the park, then the Explorer would be a great choice for you.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you’re interested in learning more about the Explorer, are ready to buy or want to research current prices and availability, check out the links below.
If you want to check out other aggressive all mountain options or compare the Explorer to others, check out the next link.
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