The Hovercraft from Jones Snowboards is the second snowboard that Jeremy Jones has brought out under his own snowboard brand. The characteristic blunt nose can be found here, as well as the current trend towards slightly wider and shorter powder boards. The Jones was a trendsetter: similar shapes were taken up by many snowboard companies this season. The much-traveled hovercraft, which in addition to its proven powder characteristics should also be rideable in poorer conditions, has also been available as a splitboard for 2 seasons. Reason enough to take a closer look at it here. The board is available in sizes 152, 156 and 160 cm and combines a wide, long shovel with rocker at the front and a fairly short, stiff tail with a mini swallowtail at the rear to create a more universal fish shape.
First impression
I chose the board in 156, although at 183 cm tall and a riding weight of around 80 kg, I would rather go for boards 160+. The reasoning behind this was that Jones advertises the surface area of a long powder machine in a short, wide shape and my riding style is more about short turns than fast bigturns. I'm also hoping for a maneuverable board for tight forest descents that won't sink in deep snow. I use the corresponding Jones Universal skins made of 70% mohair / 30% nylon and an older Spark Blaze with LT pins as bindings.
The first impression is best described by my roommate's exclamation: "Wow, mega, I think I have to go snowboarding again. Do you have a binding in S?" It has to be said that she is a convinced skier on skis with a center width of over 110mm... The board certainly looks like a proper powder machine: The nose is 54cm in front of the binding, whereas the tail is only 36cm short.
The usual preparations for a new board are quickly made. The hole stitch is exact, the voile pucks, climbing aid and LT pin holder are quickly installed. The skins (size C) fit very well, only the elastic as a tail attachment still needs to be cut to the length of the board (photo). A quick wax before the first tour, and then you're off...
Short test
I've been on five tours so far and am completely satisfied with the riding characteristics. On the short sections of piste, the board feels like a skateboard; the long rocker nose means that the effective edge is so short that the board practically turns on the spot. The edge cuts through wind and melt crusts cleanly and the soft nose absorbs rough hits well. From time to time, I still enter turns with too much power and overturn the board. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to ride deep powder yet, and there hasn't been much really steep terrain either. I am impressed by the speed with which the board not only whizzes over flat and set powder slopes, otherwise I always had to sticks earlier.
There's not much exciting to report about the ascent and tracking characteristics, the short tails on hairpin bends are definitely a positive feature.
Conclusion
A summary of the first impressions can be found on the inside of one of the two ski parts: "I love hovercrafting"
Details
RRP €829.-
Sintered 7200 base
Biax Fiberglass
Oversized Recycled Edges
Bamboo Sidewalls
Directional Shape/Swallow Tail
Bamboo Topsheet
Recycled ABS Sidewalls
Here is the manufacturer's website with more information
