Jones Hovercraft 2.0 Snowboard Review: For Big Powder Days Leave a comment
The Hovercraft 2.0 incorporates a little bit of serration within the edges that Jones calls Traction Tech, which bites into onerous snow however one way or the other doesn’t interrupt carving. I don’t suppose Traction Tech is kind of as dependable as Lib Tech’s Magne-Traction (identical idea, however with a couple of further bumps), however this board held its edge extraordinarily nicely in important terrain.
It is also the very best board I’ve ever used within the bushes. Regardless of its width, it turns nimbly in unpacked snow, the place these fast directional modifications are critically necessary. In March 2024, I took this board on a highway journey by Northern California, Idaho, Montana, and Washington. At a few of these stops it hadn’t snowed in days, and every thing that was within the open was tracked out, however after I took this board into the bushes I used to be all the time capable of finding some pockets of recent goodies. On these particular events after I obtained it into an enormous, steep snowfield the board had an off-the-cuff, surfy really feel to it. It glides properly over flat spots, too.
The Hovercraft 2.0 can be arguably probably the most sustainable snowboard ever produced. It’s the primary snowboard made with Jones’ new Re-Up Know-how, which upcycles elements from used surfboards. Jones discovered that 95 % of a snowboard will be recycled, and that’s the place this board’s wooden core comes from. It additionally options recycled metal in its edges, recycled ABS in its sidewalls, a carbon-neutral flax fiber topsheet, and a bio resin that reportedly cuts CO2 emissions by 33 % in comparison with conventional epoxy. It additionally comes pretreated with a Wend pure wax that’s biodegradable and accommodates no fluorocarbon ceaselessly chemical substances equivalent to PFAS.
This shouldn’t be stunning, as founder Jeremy Jones shouldn’t be solely a legendary snowboarder but in addition the founder and president of Defend Our Winters (aka POW). However it’s good to see corporations put their cash the place their mouths are.
Finally, there’s a lot to love about this board and little or no to dislike, but it surely’s for a selected sort of rider searching for a selected expertise. If you happen to’re largely centered on groomers, this board is sweet, but it surely doesn’t actually stand out on the onerous pack. For intermediate to superior riders who need to spend as a lot time as potential searching powder in ungroomed terrain, browsing down steeps, slashing large turns, exploring the bushes, and nonetheless do some playful carving on their manner again to the carry line, the Hovercraft 2.0 is an absolute delight.
It’s only a pure enjoyable machine that’s taken me down among the most memorable runs of my life. It has usurped my beloved K2 Excavator as my go-to board for powder days. If that’s your factor, this board comes extremely really useful.
