Jones Stratos Review

The Jones Stratos is a snowboard that likes to be given energy by its rider. When it receives that energy, it gives back in kind. And while a more casual input doesn't make this board a chore, it just doesn't make this board hum in the same way. 

In this review, I will take a look at the Stratos as a freeride snowboard.

As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Stratos a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other freeride snowboards.

Overall Rating

Board: Jones Stratos 2026

Price: $669

Style: Freeride

Flex Rating: Medium (3/5)

Flex Feel on Snow: Mid-Stiff (7.5/10)

Rating Score: 84.2/100

Compared to other Men’s Freeride Boards

Overview of the Stratos’ Specs

Check out the tables for the Stratos’s specs and available sizes.

Who is the Stratos Most Suited To?

The Stratos is best suited to those who like to seek powder and need a board that will float well in it and then when there's no fresh snow around, they want their board to be able to handle an aggressive input and good speeds, but something that still has some forgiveness and isn't too locked in, so they can still still slash the tail out without too much effort. 

Better for physically stronger/fitter than average riders, IMO, as its not a board that's effortless to ride, in my experience. I also didn't find it super fatiguing or anything, so you don't have to be the worlds strongest/fittest rider, but this is the kind of board that gives back good energy but only when you're able to supply that energy in the first place. 

Not for beginners or even most intermediate riders, IMO. Again, if you're a physically stronger intermediate, with at least solid technique, then it should be good. 

Stratos DetailS

O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Stratos is capable of.

Demo Info

Board: Jones Stratos 2026, 159cm (256mm waist width)

Date: February 21, 2025

Carving

Really solid for carves. I wouldn't put it top tier for carving, but it's still really good and can handle carves at high speeds well too. 

Turning

Ease of Turning/Slashing: I did find it a little easier to initiate turns and slash out the tail vs the last time I rode it, but still nothing super easy/slashy. It still feels better with at least moderately fast speeds under it. 

Maneuverability at slow speeds: Again,  I found it a little more agile than the last time I rode it, but nothing lightning quick edge-to-edge or anything and takes a bit of effort to maneuver it at slower speeds. 

Catchiness: Nothing super catchy or anything, but I did get some catch-feel in there. 

Speed

Really decently fast and remains nice and stable at speed too - again, like with its carving, I wouldn't put it top tier, but still noticeably above average. 

Uneven Terrain

Crud/Chunder: Remains nice and stable in messy snow, and takes quite a bit to throw it around. Doesn't feel too much chatter either, being a relatively damp board overall. When I was riding it, I felt like it was heavier than normal, which was helping it to feel more stable in rough snow, but when I weighed it it wasn't all that much heavier than average. I think the heavier feeling came from a combination of its stiffness and dampness - 2 things which I find can make a board feel heavier than it actually is. 

Trees/Bumps: Pretty decent, but wasn't effortless getting it to weave between bumps. However, it did feel real good when riding in trees with fresh snow. 

Powder

In what we had off-groomer, which was pretty decent but not super deep or anything, it felt really good. Powder is where this board feels at its best for me and it should handle deeper powder just as well, I would imagine. 

It has Jones' "High  3D Contour Base", a setback stance, a nose longer and wider than its tail and a good amount of rocker in the profile, which all help it. And it passed the feel test with flying colors. 

Jumps

Stiffer and damper than I prefer for jumps for sure, but nothing that felt terrible to jump with or anything. And stronger riders than me probably won't be as effected by the stiffer/damper feel - and having that did make for solid, smooth landings from bigger air. 

Pop: Total pop was OK, without being epic and took some effort to get it to its potential - if I even got it there. So yeah, not super easy to extract. Fairly small amount of pop if you don't load it up with some energy. 

Approach: Nice and stable for approaches that need more speed and holds pretty stable if the runway is a bit choppy. Can make adjustments to line and speed, but it prefers to hold its line.

Landing: Really nice and solid for bigger air, but not great for tail heavy landings - not terrible, but you do feel like having more tail  at times. Not super forgiving of off-kilter landings from small jumps as it doesn't give much if you're not coming from a higher height - and while not terrible for after landing maneuvers, also not ideal.

Switch

It's pretty directional, so not surprisingly felt a bit off riding it switch. Transitions weren't catch-free feeling or anything and you had to focus with transitions, but not super catchy or anything either - likely at least to some degree, to do with that 3D shaping in the base, otherwise it might be more catchy. 

Spins

Not really what this board is made for, and not something it excels at either, IMO. Certainly doable, but taking off and landing switch not ideal, feels a little heavy and with pop that you need to load up to get anything decent out of it. Just more work for it than I'd prefer. Maybe I'm just lazy!

Butters

You've got to give the tip and tail a good bit of force to get them pressing and you have to be pretty strong to get them to a place you can lock-in. If you like that stiffer feel in the tip/tail for presses, you might be OK with it, but it was stiffer than I'd prefer for presses. Rotations were OK, without  being ideal and the very different feel between the nose and tail was off-putting, for me. 

But again, this isn't the board you would get for doing butter tricks. Not its forte or design purpose, IMO. 

Score Breakdown and Final Verdict

Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.

I found the Stratos was at its best with at least moderately fast speeds under it. It wasn't too much of a chore at slow speeds or anything, and I found it was a little better in that respect than older models I've ridden, but still prefers to be ridden on the faster side and with a more aggressive input in general. 

It's best attribute is how it feels in powder, IMO, but it's also very good at bombing and carving, feels stable in choppy snow and has enough forgiveness to still be fine for when you're riding more casual - just not its preferred state to be in, in my experience.