Jones Mind Expander 2023-2024 Snowboard Review

Shape, Profile and Sidecut

Up til now the Jones Mind Expander had been one of the last truly rockered boards on the market, boasting a surfboard-inspired short rise to the tail and much longer one to the nose. That changed last season, however, with the O.G. Mind Expander following in the footsteps of the Ultra version by adding camber into the mix. The inserts have also been shifted forward a couple of centimetres.

Both of these adjustments make the Mind Expander perform much better on its edge, allowing you to get proper carves in. The trade off is the loss of that deliberately loosey-goosey feel that the rocker provided, but we reckon most riders will accept the newish profile. Thanks to the outline and the bevelled 3D shaping at each end, you still get a pleasant gliding sensation during edge changes. Plus, as the skull detail on the topsheet indicates, the new profile is still the handiwork of a surf shaper (regular Jones collaborator Chris Christenson).

“The combination of biax fibreglass and paulownia/bamboo core make for a mellow-flexing ride that helps deliver that surfy feel”

Construction and Materials

The combination of biax fibreglass and paulownia/bamboo core make for a mellow-flexing ride that helps deliver that surfy feel. There is some extra response on hand when you need it, though, thanks to stringers that run from the inserts to the contact points.

The stringers are made from basalt and flax rather than carbon, which is more environmentally friendly with little compromise on performance – very Jones, in other words. Same goes for the topsheet that is made from Castor beans, which is as lightweight and snow-repellant as just about any synthetic alternative you’ll find on the market.

There’s also more recycling on display here than in a Wombles box set, from the steel in the edges to the waste materials that go into the bio-resin that holds everything together. Plus with its rounded sidewalls, oversized edges and tough-as-old-boots base, it’s built to last (which is an oft-overlooked aspect of eco-conscious production).

“There’s more recycling on display here than in a Wombles box set”

Roundup

The combination of profile and shape works brilliantly here, and might even make you drift further from your comfort zone. Expanding your mind, you might say.

Of course, if it had lost that mellow, surfy personality completely in the transition to camber, we’d have been gutted. However, we’re happy to report that isn’t the case.

Pros:

• An evolution, rather than a revolution, for one of our favourite modern snowboards
• It’s still built for good times, and the removal of the full rocker only makes it more accessible

Cons:

• We do miss the psychedelic topsheet designs seen in years gone by

“Asides from my Solution Split, the Mind Expander has long been my favourite offering in the Jones collection. In powder, it was sublime; on the pistes, it flowed effortlessly… provided the snow was in primo condition.

That’s not a complaint, per se. Whatever you’ve been told, every board out there has it’s own set of strengths and weaknesses, and to all intents and purposeses, the Mind Expander held up exceptionaly well in these two areas. However, the introduction of the postive camber profile this seasons is an absolute win-win in my books.

Not only does the board perform virtually as well as before in powder (largely thanks to it’s shape and beveled nose rocker), in my mind, it has substantially levelled up back on the groomers and variable terrain, be that pristine corduroy or hacked up, icy, and slushy conditions.

The amount of backfoot steering and edge control you can now generate is so fun for really working the sidecut through a turn, and the slight shifting forward of the insert options makes the front of the board feel more assured when you’re putting you’re foot down and committing to top-end speeds.

I wondered if Jones were going to go down the ‘Burton Custom’ route of giving the Mind Expander rocker and camber options, but afer a couple days on this thing it’s clear they don’t need to. The latest evolution of the Mind Expander is Jones’ best to date, and potentially the only board you’ll ever need.

“When Jeremy Jones and surf shaper Chris Christenson designed the original Mind Expander back in 2017 they tested the shape with both a Surf Rocker profile and a Surf Camber profile. It was a tough call which profile to produce because the rocker profile felt super fun and surfy, but the camber profile rode better on hard pack. For maximum surf vibes, the OG Mind Expander was made with the Surf Rocker profile to keep it as playful as possible, while the Ultra Mind Expander was made with the Surf Camber profile to give it extra edge power. Fast forward hundreds of testing days over six seasons and we’re thrilled to introduce a redesigned Mind Expander that now offers the best of both worlds. The new Mind Expander now features a Surf Camber profile that vastly improves performance on firm snow, but we kept the super playful board feel by building it around a Bamboo Surf Core with V-Core profiling. The V-Core has a softer flex between the feet for easy turn initiation, and a stiffer flex in the tips so you won’t fold the nose when you’re bashing through chop or crust.”

Buy the Jones Mind Expander: £565 at Blue Tomato UK 

Buy the Jones Mind Expander: €630 at Blue Tomato EU