The Jones Dream Catcher finished toward the bottom of the pack. The Orca has better edge hold, tons more float, and is significantly more stable at speed than the Dream Catcher, but the Dream Catcher has quite a bit more pop and is more playful — and is usually quite a bit less expensive. The Swoon Rocker is just as playful and has way more pop, but it is even less stable at speed, though it costs about the same.
The Dream Catcher features stunning graphics.
Performance Comparison
In our quest to find the top all-mountain snowboard of them all, we researched all the top boards available on the market, then bought all the most promising and compelling snowboards to compare and rate their performance head-to-head. We split our testing process into five different areas, with the Dream Catcher's results in each of them outlined below.
The Dream Catcher didn't earn our highest scores for edge hold.
Edge Hold
As mentioned above, we weren't terribly impressed with the edge hold of the Dream Catcher, which is responsible for a quarter of its total score. It did alright, earning a 7 out 10, but still paled in comparison to the grip of the top boards.
The Dream Catcher wasn't our favorite for edge to edge performance.
While the Dream Catcher does have Jones Traction Tech edges which are marketed as increasing the board's grip in firmer conditions, but we wouldn't necessarily agree with this on this particular board, based on our testing. We felt that the Dream Catcher isn't the best edge to edge and doesn't seem to love to hold turns. It's a softer board and we felt that it was prone to slipping in choppy or icy conditions.
The Dream Catcher delivered superior float and easy handling in deeper snow.
Powder Performance
The Dream Catcher did redeem itself in our next metric — powder performance — which accounts for one-fifth of its overall score. It earned an 8 out of 10 for its solid amounts of float and easy handling in deeper snow. The directional profile and Spoon Base 1.0 work in tandem to give this board a solid amount of float and it is quite enjoyable to ride on deep days. It rides great on powder days with a fun playful ride and we would happily take it out on storm days, though it can't quite match boards with powder-specific traits, such as a set back stance or fish-like tail.
The Dream Catcher's soft to medium flex makes it far from our favorite at higher speeds.
Stability
Moving on to our stability metric, the Dream Catcher delivered a so-so showing, earning a 7 out of 10. We took it down the steepest groomed trails we could find for this metric, scoring it based on how well it carved and if it ever developed any chatter or other unwanted vibrations at higher speeds. These tests are equivalent to powder performance in significance, also accounting for one-fifth of the Jones' total score.
While the Dream Catcher was a blast in powder, it wasn't our go-to for bumps or choppy terrain.
Hard-charging and aggressive riders definitely want to think about taking a pass on the Dream Catcher. This board's soft to medium flex makes it far from our favorite at higher speeds, giving it a light and unstable feel. It also gets a little unruly on bumps or choppy terrain at racing speeds, which can be quite unsettling.
While the Dream Catcher didn't earn our highest marks for stability, it makes up for it by being playful and fun.
Playfulness
While the Jones Dream Catcher might not be the most stable, it does make up for it by being quite playful. We rated and ranked how nimble and maneuverable it is across all sorts of terrain, as well as how it did with boardercross, terrain parks, and in natural gullies and other features when awarding points for this metric, which is also worth 20% of the final score — identical to powder performance and stability at speed.
The medium flex of this board makes it playful and fun.
This board is tons of fun and exceptionally flexy, making it super easy to butter. It's a blast in the park and in natural features and rides switch decently well, even with its directional profile.
Pop and Jumping
The Jones Dream Catcher wrapped up our testing process with a good showing in our final metric, earning another 8 out of 10. This snowboard has a premium Slovenian core, which apparently gives it tons of pop — and we would have to agree. This board is great for ollies and will really launch you. The Dream Catcher has a fun and forgiving freestyle ride and is quite fun on jumps — both man-made and natural. It's pretty good at stomping the landing, but it is a little soft if you are planning on sending it off the biggest kickers.
Best Applications
This playful and flexy board is a great complement to a rider with a mellower riding style. However, it doesn't really have the edge hold or stability at speed for a super aggressive rider.
Value
The Dream Catcher isn't the best value, as there are other boards that we liked quite a bit more and retail for less.
Conclusion
The
Dream Catcher by Jones is a fun and flexible board that is great for anyone who is looking for an all-mountain freestyle board. However, we found its second-rate edge hold and stability at higher speeds to be a bit of a turn-off, precluding it from winning an award.
