Hello and welcome to my Jones Mind Expander review.
In this review, I will take a look at the Mind Expander as a surfy freeride snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Mind Expander a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other surfy freeride snowboards.
Overall Rating
Board: Jones Mind Expander
Price: $599
Style: Surfy-freeride/Powder
Flex Rating: Medium (6/10)
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium (5/10)
Rating Score: 85.6/100
Compared to other Men’s Surfy Freeride Boards
* note that the "surfy freeride" category is a new category here at Snowboarding Profiles - and represents freeride boards that are in that softer flex range - 6.5/10 or less. They're not necessarily "surfy" feeling boards as such - but "slightly softer flexing freeride" just didn't have the same ring as a category name!"
Out of the 30 men’s surfy-freeride snowboards that I rated:
Overview of the Mind Expander’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Mind Expander’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | Surfy Freeride/Powder |
Price: | $599 |
Ability Level: |  |
Flex: |  |
Feel: |  |
Turn Initiation: | Fast |
Edge-hold: |  |
Camber Profile: | Full Rocker Jones Call it "Christenson Surf Rocker" |
Shape: | |
Setback Stance: | Setback 20mm |
Base: | Sintered 9900 |
Weight: | A little heavier than normal |
Sizing
LENGTH (cm) | Waist Width (mm) | Rec Rider Weight (lb) | Rec Rider Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
146 | 248 | 110-160 | 49-73 |
150 | 252 | 120-170 | 54-77 |
154 | 256 | 130-180 | 59-82 |
158 | 260 | 150-200 | 67-91 |
162 | 264 | 170-220+ | 77-100+ |
166 | 268 | 170-220+ | 77-100+ |
Who is the Mind Expander Most Suited To?
The Mind Expander is a great option for those looking for a surfy feeling, mid, bordering on mid-soft, board to be predominantly used in powder.
It's best as a quiver board to bring out on powder days (in or out of the trees), rather than a daily driver, IMO, but if you're after a surfy powder board for your quiver, it's a great option.
Not for the beginner but great for anyone intermediate and up wanting this type of board.
The Mind Expander in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Mind Expander is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: Jones Mind Expander 2020, 158cm (260mm waist width)
Date: March 14, 2019
Conditions: Overcast skies with about 75% visibility - not bad but not perfect vis.
Snow on groomers was medium with some softer spots. Some fresh snow off groomer - though some of it was a little crusty on top, but still rideable.
Cold around 20 degrees (-6 celcius) with wind chill. Around 30 (-1) without windchill.
Bindings angles: +15/-15
Stance width: 560mm (22″) - reference stance is 600mm (23.6") but I rode it a little narrower.
Stance Setback: Setback 20mm
Width at Inserts: 285mm (11.22") at front insert and 268mm (10.55") at back insert
Rider Height: 6'0"
Rider Weight: 185lbs
Rider Boot Size: US10 Vans Aura
Bindings Used: Burton Malavita M
Weight: 3000g
Weight per cm: 18.99 grams/cm
Average Weight per cm: 18.45 grams/cm*
*based on a small sample size of 51 boards that I've weighed in 2019 and 2020 models. The Mind Expander is on the heavier side of normal. However, it's quite a wide board for it's length. I imagine the weight/surface area might actually be on the lighter side than normal. Ideally that would be the measure but surface area is a rarely published spec.
Powder
I didn't have a great amount of powder to test it in, unfortunately, but I had a little, and from what I could tell, it's a super fun ride in powder. Feels fun and surfy even in limited amounts. I'd love to get it in some deep stuff!
And the specs couldn't be more powder oriented, with a lot of rocker, a really long and wide nose and a large amount of taper. That plus the spoon base, make this board really well suited to powder.
And whilst set back along the effective edge isn't huge, the overall setback on the board - with a considerably longer nose than tail - makes for a heap of overall setback.
Carving & Turning
Carving: It's an average carver, as was expected. Carving without camber is just never amazing, IMO.
Maneuverability at slow speeds: I found the Mind Expander to be super nimble at slow speeds and with a looser, surfy feel to it.
Skidded Turns: Really easy to skid turns on. Not catchy in the slightest.
Speed
Gets pretty wobbly when you really open it out - and that big old nose really flaps about too. But that wouldn't be an issue in powder - and it can handle a bit of speed on the groomers - just not an out and out bomber.
Really good glide - which is the case on a lot of Jones boards. Not sure if it's the quality of the base or the spoon base tech - but I'd say it's probably a combination of both.
Uneven Terrain
For bumps it's great. Going over or through. It's super nimble - and overall great in the trees -and would be particularly good in trees on a good powder day.
Was decent in crud too.
Let’s Break up this text with a Video
Jumps
Not an amazing jumper. Feels like it's made to float over top of powder and I'd say when getting air in powder it would be a good board to have - with that nose staying afloat on landings, but for general jumps/ollies on groomers, it's not that great.
Pop: What's there is really easy to access, but there's not that much there - a lack of camber the most likely explanation for that.
Approach: Nimble but not all that stable
Landing: A little wobbly on landings
Side-hits: Nice and nimble for tricky approaches, but not hugely exciting with that limited pop and slightly wobbly landings.
Small jumps/Big Jumps: More suited to small jumps than anything else - but powder jumps probably more suited again.
Switch
It's pretty weird to ride switch. You can do it with any board, but this one is one of the harder, weirder boards to ride switch.
Spins
Surprisingly easy/fast to get the spin around, given that big nose and it being a slightly heavier board. But that's about all that was surprising about spinning this board. As expected it wasn't the best for taking off and landing switch and that lack of pop didn't make it a very exciting spinner.
Jibbing
I like a nice loose board for jibs, but this felt almost too loose/wobbly for it. Certainly not made for jibs though, so wasn't expecting much.
Butters
Really quite easy to press. The tail and nose feel quite different to each to press on though, so it's not ideal.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | Contribution to Final Score | |
|---|---|---|
POWDER | 5.0 | 30/30 |
UNEVEN TERRAIN | 4.0 | 16/20 |
TURNING | 4.0 | 16/20 |
CARVING | 2.5 | 5/10 |
SPEED | 3.0 | 6/10 |
JUMPS | 2.0 | 2/5 |
SWITCH | 2.0 | 2/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 85.6/100 |
Overall, the Mind Expander is a fun surfy ride, that's quite powder specialized. Would make a great addition to a quiver, if you're looking for a surfy, quick edge-to-edge ride for powder days, whether you're riding in trees or out of them.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the Mind Expander, or if you are ready to buy, or if you just want to research prices and availability, check out the links below.
If you want to check out some other freeride snowboard options, or if you want to compare how the Mind Expander compares to other freeride snowboards, then check out the link at the button below.
hi Nate,
what size would you recommend as a pure deep powder board for 175cm 70kg and US9 boot? 154 or 158?
Own a Kazu in 157cm for steep and technical. Would like to add mind expander for surfy and playfulness.
Thanks!
Hi Zhou
Thanks for your message.
If it’s going to be purely for deep powder, I would be leaning 158. If it was going to be your do-it-all everyday board, then I’d say 154, mostly because of the width, I’d be sizing down a bit to the 154. But if you’re looking to maximize powder float and be using it purely for powder days, I’d go bigger – and the extra width isn’t going to effect you as much when you’re in powder, in terms of turning, and the extra width and length will really help with float.
Hope this helps with your decision
Hi Nate,
Awesome! Ordered both and also the Ultra version in both length. I think I will keep the 158cm since I came from a Korua Apollo 156, wanna have similar float but something softer and with a tail. For everything else than deep pow I will ride my Mega Merc or Kazu Pro 🙂
Cheers!
You’re very welcome Zhou.
Yeah you’ll likely definitely want to keep the regular version, of you’re looking for softer and more surfy. The Ultra Mind Expander isn’t surfy or at all soft. It’s quite stiff.
Hey Nate! As usual thank you for the reviews. Have you ever tried to ride a board like this with a positive stance?
Hi Jordan
Thanks for your message.
I have ridden boards like this with a forward stance, and I would ride this board with more of a forward stance if I owned it. I rode it with the +15/-15 for consistency with how I ride my control board, but yeah, I would likely ride it with a forward stance if I was riding it all the time.
Hi Nate,
I’m considering this as my dedicated powder board, I don’t get too many really deep days, and I ride trees a lot. What size would you recommend 154 or 158? I’m 178lbs, 5.10, boot size 10. Thanks in advance!
Hi Simon
Thanks for your message.
Definitely the sizes I would be debating for your specs too. Because you mention that you ride trees a lot and that you don’t get a lot of deep pow days, I would be leaning towards the 154. If you hadn’t mentioned that, I probably would have asked because it does make an important difference. If you were riding open terrain powder more so than trees, then I would be leaning more towards 158. But yeah, given your riding preferences/circumstances, I would lean towards the 154 for you.
Hope this helps with your decision
Thank you, Nate. Your advice is much appreciated.
You’re very welcome Simon. Thanks for visiting the site and happy riding, the next chance you get to ride!
Great board. I bought this last season for powder riding and it didn’t disappoint. I weight 230 lbs, 6′ tall and wear size 12 boot. I found myself grabbing this a lot more than my yes greats and that is saying a lot!
Hi Rasheed
Definitely saying a lot! Appreciate the input.
Stay safe and happy riding – next time you get a chance!
Thanks, you too! I forgot to mention that the board is pretty narrow for waist width so I went with the 166 to avoid toe drag especially for the back foot. Thanks for your amazing reviews!