Hello and welcome to my Jones Flagship review.
In this review, I will take a look at the Flagship as a Freeride snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Flagship a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other freeride snowboards.
Overall Rating
Board: Jones Flagship 2019
Price: $599 (USD recommended retail)
Style: Freeride
Flex Rating: Stiff (8/10)
Flex Feel on Snow: Stiff (8/10)
Rating Score: 88.6/100
Compared to other Men’s Freeride Boards
Out of the 32 Men’s Freeride snowboards that I rated:
Overview of the Flagship’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Flagship’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | Freeride |
Price: | $599 |
Ability Level: |  |
Flex: |  |
Feel: |  |
Turn Initiation: | Medium-Fast |
Edge-hold: |  |
Camber Profile: | |
Shape: | |
Setback Stance: | 30mm (1.25") |
Base: | Sintered 9900 |
Weight: | Normal |
Sizing
Length (cm) | 154 | 158 | 161 | 164 | 166 | 172 |
Waist Width (mm) | 246 | 249 | 252 | 254 | 258 | 263 |
Rec Rider Weight (lb) | 120-170 | 130-180 | 140-190 | 160-210 | 160-210 | 170-220 |
Rec Rider Weight (kg) | 54-77 | 59-82 | 64-86 | 73-95 | 73-95 | 77-100 |
Length (cm) | 159W | 162W | 165W | 169W |
Waist Width (mm) | 263 | 263 | 266 | 270 |
Rec Rider Weight (lb) | 140-190 | 160-210 | 160-210 | 170-220 |
Rec Rider Weight (kg) | 64-86 | 73-95 | 73-95 | 77-100 |
Who is the Flagship Most Suited To?
The Flagship is for anyone who likes to bomb the mountain, be it on the groomers, in the trees or in the backcountry. This thing is built for speed and floats really well in powder. And if you’re on the groomers it loves to carve.
So, if you like to charge and like to do it in or out of the resort, then the Flagship is a great option.
Definitely not for the park. Definitely not for freestyle and definitely not for beginners. This is an advanced and up board for those that like it steep and deep.
The Flagship in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Flagship is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: Jones Flagship 2019, 158 (249mm waist width)
Date: March 14, 2018
Conditions: Raining at bottom snowing from half way up to top . Good snow up top. Visibility actually OK. A good 4-5cm fresh up top. Some powder to play in.
Bindings angles: +18/-6
Stance width: 580mm (22.8″) – the reference stance is actually 600mm (23.6″) but I rode it 20mm narrower and with 20mm more setback (moved front binding 2cm (one hole) closer to center of board)
Stance Setback: 50mm (2.0″) – reference setback is 30mm (1.2″)
Width at Inserts: 263mm (10.4″) at the back insert and 260mm (10.2″) at the front insert (AT REFERENCE STANCE)
Weight: 2860grams (6lb 5oz)
Weight per cm: 18.10grams/cm
Average Weight per cm: 18.21grams/cm*
*based on a small sample size of 24 boards that I weighed. So pretty close to the average of the boards I weighed.
Powder
Even before I made it to any powder (there was moderate powder on the day but nothing huge – but I did ride the 2018 model in deeper powder) I could tell that this board was a powder machine – just the way you could see the nose lift off the ground when riding on hard pack. And it didn’t disappoint in the fluffy stuff. It’s an effortless board when it comes to powder – it just sails over the top of it – and nothing seems to bury the nose.
And it’s really not surprising that it’s great in pow. It has a 30mm setback. But remember that the setback is measured along the effective edge – it’s even more so on the Flagship’s overall length – and that’s due to it’s long nose (292mm) and short tail (187mm). That, plus a small amount of taper (wider nose than tail) and Jones’ scoop tech, make this a great pow floater.
Carving & Turning
This board was nice to carve on. A really nice carving sensation with decent spring out of a turn. It wants to go fast and straight most of the time – nice for wide arcing carves.
Edge-to-edge it was quick but not lightning fast. Certainly a quicker turner as you ride faster. Not as agile at slower speeds.
It was surprisingly good at skidding turns – didn’t feel catchy at all and you could definitely get away with skidded turns to an extent.
Speed
The Flagship was super fast and it felt unbelievably stable at speed. I felt like I could just really open it out and it felt damp and, did I mention, stable as hell!
Let’s Break up this text with a Video
Uneven Terrain
It’s not amazing in messy Saturday afternoon resort snow but it’s better than it used to be. Better when hitting it at speed and just chopping through it. Not as good at negotiating it when riding slower though.
Jumps
Personally, it’s too stiff for me to really like it for jumps – but it does stomp a landing – so it’s good in that sense – it’s super stable on landings – so landing jumps in the backcountry no problem – just not something I really liked for park jumps, spins or finding tricky approaches to little side-hits.
But that’s not what it’s made for either.
Decent pop but you’ve got to really load it up to extract it – as expected with a board this stiff.
Switch
Overall, not something that I enjoyed riding switch – would be particularly difficult if you were just starting to learn to ride switch. But not undoable for a seasoned switch rider. Especially weird riding switch in deeper snow.
Jibbing
Didn’t go there. Not at all what this board is made for.
Changes from the 2018 Model
Most things about the 2019 model are the same as the 2018 model. The only real change was that they have made the core lighter. How much lighter I’m not sure, but it’s certainly not a heavy board – just on the lighter side of normal.
Changes from the 2017 Model
The 2017 model was quite different from the 2016 model (introduced spoon tech, was made in a different factory and was just a more forgiving and damper ride overall). But the 2018 model is very similar to the 2017 model.
Probably the only change as far as I can tell is that they’ve tweaked the core between the feet – with the intention of increasing torsional response (as they have done for the whole Jones line).
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 | 24/30 |
Powder | 5.0 | 20/20 |
Speed | 5.0 | 20/20 |
Uneven Terrain | 3.0 | 9/15 |
Jumps | 3.0 | 6/10 |
Switch | 2.5 | 2.5/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 88.6/100 |
Overall, the Flagship is a speed machine that loves the steep and deep. It carves nicely and is an improvement in uneven terrain.
A great freeride option that can actually skid turns ok – so could be an option for high level intermediate riders as well as advanced and expert riders – so long as your style suited the board and you can (physically and technically) handle the 8/10 flex.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you’re interested in learning more about the Flagship, are ready to buy or want to research prices and availability, check out the links below.
>>Jones Flagship at backcountry.com
>>Jones Flagship at PRFO (Canada)
If you want to see how the Flagship compared to other freeride boards or want to check out some other options, check out the next link.
Hello and welcome to my Jones Flagship review.
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Flagship is capable of.
I rode the 162W which was a little wide for me. The 161 would be the best size for me for this board. But having the 162W made it even better for floating in pow than it would have been on the 161. But this board is made for pow and even on the narrower, slightly shorter version, it would have floated great.
Hey Nick!
Just got this board in 162w length on a crazy discount.
However I am 87kg and started doubting if it will be too short for mny 87 – 90 kg. What is your weight?
Hi Vlad
Thanks for your message.
I was roughly 84kg when i rode this board. The width was too wide for me on the 162W but th length was doable. I’ve since ridden the 2019 model in the 158 and I liked that size. Though I’d say the 161 would be the best fit for me (for what I would be using this board for).
I think 162 should be fine for your weight. It would be more about your boot size, whether they’re suitable for the width. If you could let me know your boot size and also your height too, that would help to make a more informed recommendation
Hi,
It’s 12 US feet (30 cm) and 192 cm
Hi Vlad
Thanks for the extra info.
The width should definitely be good for you, wide is the way to go for your boot size.
In terms of the length, overall, I think it’s good. You could have also ridden the 165W with your specs (particularly if you’re an advanced rider and mostly ride fast and spend a fair bit of time in powder), but the 162W will work with your specs too, IMO.
Hi Nate,
Just bought this board in 162W. I’m looking to pair some bindings with it but I’m hearing the APOLLO high back is quite high and quite stiff. Thoughts on a good bonding to pair? I’m off to Japan in a few weeks and super excited. Thanks Justin
Hi Justin
Thanks for your message.
I haven’t tried any of the Jones bindings yet, so I’m not sure first hand about the stiffness/height of the high back on the Apollos.
If you were wanting something not too stiff, but stiff enough for the Flagship (I wouldn’t go too soft, as per my previous reply), then something on this list would be a good bet for you:
>>Top 5 All-Mountain-Freeride Bindings
Hope you have an awesome trip to Japan!