Jones Dream Catcher - Women's Review
Our Verdict
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Jones Dream Catcher - Women's | |||||
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Awards | ![]() | ![]() | |||
Price | $500 List Check Price at REI | $549.95 at Evo Compare at 3 sellers | $629.99 at Amazon Compare at 2 sellers | $599.99 at Amazon Compare at 2 sellers | $499.95 at REI Compare at 2 sellers |
Overall Score ![]() |
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Star Rating | |||||
Pros | Fun-loving, tons of pop, good in powder | Fantastic all-around board, great in powder | Unmatched pop, great edge hold, supremely stable | Cool graphics, fun for freestyle riding | Fast, fun to ride |
Cons | Could have better edge hold in icy conditions | Not the best beginner board | Not the best board for powder | Not our favorite powder board | Not the best edge hold, struggles to float on the deepest days |
Bottom Line | This solid all-mountain board has decent float but it wouldn't be our first choice | If you want the best of the best all-mountain board, it’s hard to find a better option | Earning the highest honor, it did exceptionally well in all our tests | If you want a fun freestyle board that can rip across the entire mountain, this is a good option | A twin board for aggressive riders but definitely isn’t for everyone |
Rating Categories | Jones Dream Catcher... | Yes. Hel Yes - Women's | Gnu Ladies Choice | Lib Tech No. 43 | Capita Birds of a F... |
Edge Hold (25%) | |||||
Powder Performance (20%) | |||||
Stability (20%) | |||||
Playfulness (20%) | |||||
Pop and Jumping (15%) | |||||
Specs | Jones Dream Catcher... | Yes. Hel Yes - Women's | Gnu Ladies Choice | Lib Tech No. 43 | Capita Birds of a F... |
Shape | Directional | Directional Twin | Asymmetrical | Freestyle Twin | True Twin |
Camber/Rocker | Rocker | Hybrid | Hybrid | Hybrid | Hybrid |
Flex | 6/10 | 7/10 | 4/10 | 5/10 | 5/10 |
Tested Length | 154 | 155 | 148.5 | 152 | 152 |
Measured Weight (Tested Length) | 6 lbs. | 5.4 lbs. | 5.6 lbs. | 5.2 lbs. | 5.6 lbs. |
Available Lengths | 139, 142, 145, 148, 151, 154, 156 | 146, 149, 152, 155 | 142.5, 145.5, 148.5, 151.5, 153.5 | 146, 149, 152 | 140, 142, 144, 146, 148, 150, 152, 154 |
Core Material | Poplar | Poplar, paulownia, and bamboo wood | Aspen, Colombian Gold, and paulownia wood | Aspen and paulownia wood | P2 Superlight Core |
Waist Width | 24.4 cm | 24.4 cm | 24.2 cm | 23.9 cm | 24.4 cm |
Radius | 7.2 | 7.3 | 8.2/7.9 | 8 | 7.8 |
Our Analysis and Test Results
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.
Performance Comparison
Edge Hold
As mentioned above, we weren't impressed with the edge hold of the Dream Catcher, which is responsible for a quarter of its total score. It did alright but still paled in comparison to the grip of the top boards.
The Dream Catcher boasts Jones's 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 love to hold turns. It's a softer board, and we felt that it was prone to slipping in choppy or icy conditions.
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 a high score 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.
Stability
Moving on to our stability metric, the Dream Catcher delivered a so-so showing. 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.
We feel hard-charging, and aggressive riders should 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.
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.
This board is tons of fun and exceptionally flexy, making it super easy to butter. It's a blast in the park and 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. This snowboard has a premium Slovenian core, which, according to its specs, gives it tons of pop — and we would have to agree. This board is excellent for ollies and will really launch you. The Dream Catcher offers 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.
Value
The Dream Catcher isn't the best value, as there are other boards that we liked quite a bit more for similar price points.
Conclusion
The Dream Catcher by Jones is a fun and flexible board that is great for anyone looking for an all-mountain freestyle board. This playful and flexy board is an excellent complement to a rider with a mellower riding style, though we feel it wouldn't be the best bet for anyone with an aggressive riding style. 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.
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