Board: Jones Ultra Flagship
Size: 161
Camber Option: Directional Camrocker. More rocker in the nose than the tail with camber through the mid section.
Bindings: Rome Black Label
Stance: 21.5 Wide 15 Negative 12 Goofy
Boots: K2 Thraxis Size 10
My Weight: 200lbs
Resort: Arapahoe Basin
Conditions: Overcast skies with heavy wet snow falling, warmer temps, a couple inches of fresh snow, and a whole mess of chunder, ice, crap, and frozen groomers.
Flex: While this board is a true dedicated freeride board, it’s not the stiffest thing out there. It’s your standard high end freeride flex that has a lot of carbon and other additives inside the core to make it burly but the flex points are clearly defined and that makes it solid to ride. You do get a little more play in the nose than the tail just due to the shaping, core profiling, and what this board is made for. The camber section is clearly the stiffest part of the board and there is some torsional flex it’s not overly abundant or completely void.
Stability: This board is pretty smooth on a groomer and does a great job of pushing through chunder and chop. The new Power Plates do an amazing job of dissipating small to medium chatter. What you need to know is that in really choppy terrain there’s 3 distinct spots that you notice it and that’s inside the front insert pack, right before the rear insert pack, and then the tail. That’s where the big body jarring hits are noticed.
Ollies/Pop: As this is the Ultra Flagship it does take a bit more to load up and even then it’s not the poppiest deck out there. It more or less has enough snap to get over or jump off a feature but it never boosts you like you would think.
Butterability: With the longer rocker zone in the nose it does give a bigger spot for pow butters. It takes a little effort to get the press to lock in but once you do, you notice how well it holds. It never fights you. The tail locks in and there’s a little fight from it but you can easily manhandle it when you get your weight out over it.
Carving: This board is a blast for turning on. It locks in and holds an edge but still lets you drive it from inside the front foot through the tail and change the apex of the carve. The 3D shaping now lets the board roll in and out of turns with less effort but with more precision. When you want to lay this board over you can and it doesn’t seem to have any limitations that I was able to find. It’s got a fluid edge transmission with a solid power drive out of a turn. Short quick carves or super hard deep aggressive ones it just does them all and everything in between with ease.
Rider in Mind: The pure freeride guy that wants a board that can handle it all.
Personal Thoughts: I really liked this version of the Ultra Flagship. It was nimble, responsive, and didn’t feel like a deck that was out to kill you. It had power where you wanted it but you could still be laid back if you felt like it. The edge to edge transition is what really stuck out as being unique and versatile. It just does everything super well.
Comparable Boards: Nitro Suprateam, Capita Mega Merc, Capita Black Snowboard of Death, Ride Berzerker
Recommended Bindings: Jones Apollo, Ride A-10, Union Atlas
