Jones FW19/20 Snowboard Preview
Retail Buyers Guide: Snowboards FW19/20
Brand: Jones
Interviewee: Seth Lightcap – Marketing Director
Key Product Focuses:
Flagship – We’ve completely redesigned our premier directional freeride model for 19/20 with a new shape plus all-new materials. The new, slightly tapered shape matched with a 3D Contour Base 3.0 delivers epic float in pow and quick turns, while a refined Traction Tech design offers supreme edge grip on firm snow. The Flagship is also now built with an FSC certified wood core, Flax/Basalt stringers and Super Sap Bio Resin making it one of the most sustainably produced snowboards in the world.
Ultra Mind Expander – The Ultra Mind Expander is a super charged version of our favourite alternative all-mountain shape. We stepped up the top speed of the playful Mind Expander shape by adding camber, premium materials and a stiffer flex to the Ultra Mind Expander. The Ultra shares the standard Mind Expander’s 3D Contour Base 3.0 and hybrid directional shape. The blunted nose, full size tail and tight sidecut offer the nimble manoeuvrability of a directional board matched with the freestyle abilities of a directional twin.
Women’s Flagship – We’ve completely redesigned our premier Women’s directional freeride model for 19/20 with a new shape plus all-new materials. The new, slightly tapered shape matched with a 3D Contour Base 3.0 delivers epic float in pow and quick turns, while a refined Traction Tech design offers supreme edge grip on firm snow. The Flagship is also now built with an FSC certified wood core, Flax/Basalt stringers and Super Sap Bio Resin making it one of the most sustainably produced snowboards in the world.
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Construction.
For 19/20 we are focused on board sustainability. We now use FSC certified wood cores on all our boards and many models feature Flax/Basalt stringers instead of carbon. We’ve also switched to FSC certified wood veneer top sheets on four models, and most importantly, Super Sap Bio Resin instead of standard petroleum-based epoxy on three models.
We’re also excited to introduce a new Jones Ultra base that is the fastest base material we’ve ever tested. The Ultra base is embedded with multiple wax types for a faster factory wax right out of the wrapper in variable snow temperatures.
Where are you building, what factory in what country?
We manufacture our boards at the SWS factory in Dubai, U.A.E. SWS is a great partner for us and is at the forefront of snowboard innovation.
Which price point is seeing the most action at retail?
We continue to focus on the premium and middle pricepoints. We’ve seen strong growth at the middle pricepoint as customers look to our base models as an introduction to our brand and our now well known performance. At the premium pricepoint we are still honored to be the strongest brand in the industry.
Got any super mad shapes next year?
We do not have any crazy new shapes for 19/20 but we continue to see growth in our surf series models that include a couple swallow tails. Unusual shapes are good for snowboarding as they provide the foundation for riders to build a board quiver and they help riders understand how board shape effects performance.
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What is your art department feeding you for next year?
We will continue to celebrate modern mountain art in our 19/20 line. We are featuring graphics from long time Jones artists RP Roberts, Chris Crossen, Havoc Hendricks and Joseph Toney plus a couple new artists. For our surf series we stick with the tie dye theme.
What are your top marketing stories for next season?
The 19/20 line marks our 10th collection so we’ll surely be celebrating our anniversary. Our biggest product marketing stories for next year will be our new sustainable materials (FSC cores + veneers, Basalt stringers and Super Sap Resin) and the re-designed Flagship collection.
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