Jones Snowboard Ultralight Stratos Review

The Ultralight Stratos is a comfortable and friendly ride that is equally capable under the feet of a new rider or a professional. We appreciate the balance of stability and playfulness that the Stratos offers, and we think the majority of splitboarders will get along well with this shape. Whether in perfect powder, breakable crust, trees, or steeps, the Stratos is predictable, easy, and capable. When we don't know what conditions the day will provide, we walk out the door in the morning with the Ultralight Stratos.

Powder

There are better and more fun powder boards out there, but the Jones Ultralight Stratos won't let you down if you happen to score a patch of the good stuff. This board does not have a pow-specific, super floaty shape, but it has a tapered directional shape that is easy and fun in powder, and we never felt fatigued or out of balance. Along with its shape, the Stratos features Jones 3D spoon tech in the nose and tail, which helps reduce drag in powder and increase maneuverability. We found that all of these features made the Stratos an easy and predictable board, regardless of how deep the snow was.

In powder, the Ultralight Stratos likes to make short, quick turns that keep its speed in check. If we opened it up and straightlined, the strong flex and large nose kept us feeling solid, but it never felt like that was the preferred riding style of this board. We took this off pillows and cliffs, but the Stratos has a smaller sweet spot on the landing, and you'll want to be careful not to send it too much over the nose. Compared to other popular splitboards, the Stratos has a relatively narrow waist width. Our lead tester didn't find it to be a significant issue for his size 10.5 boots, but those with larger feet will want to check their boot length.

Firm Snow

In bad snow conditions, the Stratos offered one of the most predictable rides in our test. If we're being honest here, if you spend a lot of your season splitboarding, you're going to be dealing with some bad snow. Because of this, we found ourselves reaching for the Stratos if conditions were going to be questionable, simply because it was so friendly. The spoon tech in the tip and tail, coupled with the narrow waist width, allowed us to easily weave in and out of crusts and get from edge to edge in firm conditions without hesitation. The Jones traction tech further aided the board's grip in firm snow. The Stratos is also noteworthy for its dampness. When riding firm snow, a lot of splitboards can feel quite chattery, but the Stratos was calm and absorbed small bumps well.

In steep terrain where edgehold is paramount, we found the Stratos to be incredibly capable. Although the Stratos has a shorter effective edge, we found that its narrow waist width and traction tech made up for it, providing us with inspiring edge hold in steep terrain. The Stratos is maneuverable enough that we could make quick easy turns in tight places. We found ourselves choosing it a lot for steep couloirs for this reason. The Stratos does feel like it has a top speed in firm conditions, likely because of its tighter turn radius, but its security makes us feel like that is a worthy tradeoff.

Playfulness

The Stratos is quick edge to edge and a whole lot of fun to pop off small side hits. This board does a really good job of marrying the maneuverability that makes tight trees really fun, with the poppiness that allows you to take advantage of side hits as they appear. The Stratos isn't a big air, cliff-dropping board of choice, but that may be a sizing issue. The Stratos comes in a limited size range, and our lead tester, who is usually in the 161-163cm size range for normal directional shapes, went with the 159 Stratos, which is the largest size they offer aside from the 161 wide. Jones sells the traditional Stratos in a much larger range and offers a 162cm. Our lead tester felt that size would have been better if the goal was to log air time off cliffs, but otherwise found the 159 cm to be a decent size for daily cruising.

The flex of the Jones Stratos lies in the medium to medium-stiff range. It is easy to foot steer with, but it still has plenty of strength for carrying some speed. That agreeable flex makes it easy to load up and pop, and also makes it comfortable for landing. The tail features a good amount of rocker and won't give you any problems if you want to ride switch.

Climbing

The Ultralight Stratos is one of the best climbers in our test. Its ultralight construction and narrow waist width will make you start to consider entering the skimo circuit and shake things up. To help with weight, all of Jones' ultralight series boards come in a white topsheet, which helps reduce snow sticking so you don't have to carry snow uphill. The sidecut edge features Jones traction tech, but so does their inside edge. While we initially thought this might be a bit gimmicky, we found it offered the best edge hold in the skin track during our test. For being able to take laps all day when the snow is dumping, or for long days on big objectives, this board makes life pretty easy.

Should You Buy the Jones Ultralight Stratos?

The Jones Ultralight Stratos is a premium splitboard that carries a premium price tag. While most carbon splitboards are pricey, the Jones' ultralight series is significantly more expensive than the rest of the market. We think this board's performance, both up and down, may just warrant that price tag for the right user. If you don't want to pay that premium, Jones offers the Stratos in their standard construction at a more common market price. We imagine that board offers all the same downhill benefits, with a slightly higher uphill cost. We think the Jones Ultralight Stratos is one of the most predictable and agreeable splitboards on the market. If you're new to splitboarding, this board is an excellent option for making life easier as you learn how to take your skills from the resort to the backcountry. If you're more experienced, the Stratos is a lightweight, predictable, and capable board for any riding you may encounter.

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