Burton Jeremy Jones 156 Snowboard Review

March 26, 2009 by James Pickett
Filed under Gear

fix-55 jeremy-jones-156

At the beginning of this season I was forced to make a difficult decision about which snowboard to ride. Since it has been many years since my last time on a mountain, there was much research to be done. There was one more small factor that had to play into this decision, as a photographer, this year I was going to shoot snowboarding.

Traditionally, for my body weight, I rode small boards and didn’t want to go into anything too large. (I am also a sucker for very flexible boards). The very first board I fell in love with while doing my research was the Burton Fix 155. The great debate of it all was over the flex, was the Fix going to be stiff enough for stability while shooting? Many hours were spent on the phone with Burton rider services, and much time was wasted on contemplation. Part of my decision was based on some information from rider services whereas, when one rides a board that is rated for less than their body weight, the board will feel more flexible than its weight rating.

It was my assumption, that being 20 Lbs. overweight for the standard weight range for the Jeremy Jones 156, It would end up as flexible as the Fix 155, and the Fix 155 would have been too flexible. My assumptions were incorrect, and the Jeremy Jones board was a little more flexible than the rating, but still not quite flexible enough for me. This is in no way a reflection on the quality of the ride, or the quality of the board, but entirely personal preference. I should have just stuck with what I know, and gone as flexible as possible with my board choice.

The pros far out weigh the cons with the Jeremy Jones 156, and it’s a great all around, all mountain board.

Pros

Sintered Vision Base
Fast, fast, and more fast. A good all temp wax will keep you going all day, and a good fluorite all temp wax will keep you at mach-3 all day. This base is fast (Did I mention that yet?) and durable, this will be the base on my next board.
Directional Flex and Even Core Profile
Smooth turn transitions and tons of pop. The ollies are high, and the turns cut like a razor. Having not ridden this board in powder yet, I cannot vouch for the feel in fluff, but I can tell from its stability that this is where I will be using it in the future.
Rail Ready Tune
Boxes, rails, pipes and whatever else you decide to slide across in the park will be much easier now that the board is tuned for it from the factory. So far, my favorite part of the Rail Ready Tune is the ability to maintain edges and not sacrifice high speed control. We have been de-tuning, and “rail tuning” edges for years so this is nothing new, but it saves time (as well as money) and allows you to get right on the hill.
Mid Wide Construction
If, like me, you have a “sort of” big foot the mid wide is for you. Keep your toes off the snow, while keeping you fast and stable. One thing I have noticed from boards that are classified as wide, is increased weight. The mid wide construction feels no heavier than any normal width board I have ever been on.
Super Fly II core
The board is light, Lighter than the Forum Manual 153, with a very low swing weight allowing for blender fast spins, and effortless switches to fakie.
Infinite Ride
All of the boards with Infinite Ride are over built by the factory, and put on a machine that simulates a seasons worth of riding before the board is even shipped. The board will flex the same the first day you ride it, as it will 100 riding days later.
EST/The Channel
This is baseless technology perfected beyond the imagination of those that pioneered the concept. Comfort, control, and true board flex are all byproducts of the EST system. Being new technology, there is a flaw but it is not in the system itself, the board or in the channel itself. Along with Burton Rider services, I have found a solution to my issue with EST, which will only be an issue for a select few people that have a size 10.5 foot, and ride a pair of EST boots as well.

Con

Stiffness
The only con that I can muster up, is completely personal preference, and is entirely about the stiffness. I like a very flexible board, something like a wet noodle and I should have chosen the Fix.

If you like a middle of the road stiffness, and a board that is perfect in the park, at high speeds in powder, and pretty much everywhere else on the planet, this is the perfect board. In fact, I would assume the stiffness will help if your the kind of rider that hits rails from the air, like Jeremy Jones himself.