Jones Spoon tech

This Jan 9-27 I’m heading to BC and then over to Japan for the first 1-2 weeks of Feb.  Given that both destinations are calling a better-than-usual winter I’m thinking about getting a new board.

My current Mountain Twin is only 18 mths old but it’s seen a few trips - Falls, Hotham, NZ, Whistler, Japan, Falls, Hotham, NZ followed by….you guessed it.  I guess there’s a pattern   It’s got a few gouges and dings, but can be repaired if needed.

So anyway I started weighing up the options - do I touch up the Mtn Twin and get a pure powder board as a 2nd addition to the bag OR do I get another do-it-all board, given the the new round of 2017 boards have some pretty cool tech - thinking specifically either the Yes Optimistic, or a Jones featuring the new Spoon tech.

If you haven’t checked out Spoon, it certainly sounds interesting:

GLIDE
Our new SPOON 3D-base contours were specifically designed to provide next-level glide. The smooth radius of the SPOON nose and tail edges reduce friction at the contact points. With less friction and catch in the tips you can maintain more speed.
FLOW
SPOON delivers unmatched turn flow and fludity. Just like the nose and tail on a surfboard the rounded tip and tail edges eliminate any catch as you transfer pressure edge-to-edge. Turn intiation is effortless with the SPOON. Once on edge the camber and mellow magne traction locks in your turn.
FLOAT
When a board has good float it should feel effortless to keep your nose up through pow, crud or crust without burning out your back leg. SPOON 3D-base contours improve float by reducing the “plow effect” of your nose and tail edges. Instead of plowing through the snow, the rounded edges smoothly deflect the snow to the sides of the board which pops your nose up without having to lean back.

There are 4 progressions of Spoon from the Explorer (least) through to the Hovercraft (most) with the range of boards falling in somewhere along the way.  If I was going pure powder board, I’d aim for the Hovercraft (Spoon 4.0), otherwise a do-it-all would be the Flagship (Spoon 3.0) or Explorer (Spoon 1.0)

I’d be keen to get any feedback if anybody has ridden these with the new spoon iteration.

Cheers!

Hey @Hughman666 many thanks for supporting JONES.  Stoked you are putting your Mountain Twin through its paces!

I can certainly give you some info on SPOON TECH as I have ridden it quite a few times (being the YES. & JONES rep for aus/nz!!)

In a nutshell, SPOON TECH really is very valuable.  It benefits the board in pow float, speed and making turn initiation & exit incredibly smooth.  For me, I found a huge benefit in being able to ride a board that is stiffer than my normal preference, but still was so effortless to ride, and very very smooth in and out of turns (regardless of snow conditions) which is not something that can you expect from full cambered high powered boards (ie. the Aviator!).

Now in terms of recommending some options for you, I would say;

1617 YES OPTIMISTIC - I actually own a 151 of this board, and I love it.  I usually prefer directional boards, and boards that are narrower underfoot (as I have a size 8 foot), but the key to this boards success is the carbon power drive core (making this wider board SO dynamic edge to edge) and the underbite (making this board SO stable on edge, regardless of snow firmness).  I can not recommend this shape enough, to anyone who is lucky enough to find one that is!

1617 YES. 20/20 - this TWIN will blow your mind with how well it floats in pow, due to its Powder Hull technology.  I have a 146 in this board (which is super short as I ride a 152 normally), but it rides in powder effortlessly.  And @rider26 also owns one of these things, and he loves his!  I would summarize this board by saying that this is a super versatile twin, that excels in all types of riding (both in and out of the resort), and it LOVES deep pow.  “Amazing pow performance in a Twin”, that means you can ride it pretty much ALL the time right!! 

1617 JONES FLAGSHIP - this big mountain board has our most pronounced Spoon (3.0), and the shape is built for stable & confident free riding (regardless of terrain & snow conditions).

1617 JONES HOVERCRAFT - this pow board is so versatile, and by that I mean that you will buy it as a pow quiver board for the deeper days, but once you have bought it, you will realize that it free rides (in all conditions) so well, and you will definitely be using this board more than you initially think you will.  It has camber underfoot (for stability at speed regardless of snow conditions), but it is setback + taper + Spoon 4.0 (making it almost unbeatable in pow). 

1617 JONES STORM CHASER - ok, so this is my favorite shape in the JONES line (...I did say earlier that I love directional boards) even though I normally do not like fully rockered boards.  The Christenson Rocker makes this board so loose and fun, but the Mellow MagneTraction + Master Core (contains Paulownia) + Flex (stiff tail) make this board incredibly stable on edge (even on firm snow).  It also contains Spoon 4.0.  So you know pow flat is not an issue!

So as far as I can see, there are no bad choices in the above!!!  But, If I was wanting to a ‘traditional’ board that ripped for ALL the time (both here and overseas) I would seriously consider the YES. Optimistic or 20/20, but if I was buying a pow specific board for only the DEEP days, then the Jones Storm Chaser is very worth adding to your short list.

Good luck deciding and let me know if you need any more info. 

Hey, thanks for the feedback!

Couple of points on myself that may or may not make a difference here - 6’ tall, 95kg, size 12 boots.

Riding is typically all-mountain, no park.

Is the Optimistic suitable for size 12 boots?  I typically favour wide boards (currently on the Mtn Twin 161W) and I noticed the Optimistic has a narrower tail.

What’s your take on the Explorer?  My gut tells me that I would be happy to pursue either the Flagship, Explore or Optimistic but I’ll take cues from somebody who has actually ridden one/all of these.  I’m anticipating more powder this winter (will be booking in cat-skiing in Whistler) as well as Japan being, well Japan.

My Mountain Twin had pretty good float but would dig in occasionally when turning in deep powder.

Cheers!

I have a 157 Optimistic with size 11 salomon synapse wide boots and there is plenty of room for bigger boots.

I had it in Thredbo last month and it was awesome!

Im taking it to Japan end of Jan. Cant wait!

I just grabbed the last Optimistic 157 from the Boardworld store - cannot wait to get it out there this Jan/Feb!