Jones Men's Rally Cat
By PTO Ski Team, Based on the official Jones 26/27 catalog specifications, read from the printed pages · Not ridden by us — this is a spec-and-catalog read, not a ride report on this board · Not applicable — desk review of the official catalog
The take
“Full camber under a 2/5 flex: the Rally Cat is Jones's one-board answer for a whole resort day — All-Mountain 10, but not a charger and not a powder gun.”
The Jones Men's Rally Cat is the 26/27 all-mountain board for a rider who does not want to specialise. Jones rates its own boards on three terrain bars, and the Rally Cat takes the top of the all-mountain scale: All-Mountain 10 / Powder 7 / Freestyle 9. The shape behind that is a Directional Twin — Jones's own category, twin-like in outline but not a symmetric true twin — riding full camber (True Camber, at a Medium camber height) under a flex Jones grades a friendly 2/5.
The Rally Cat's build is unusually short: Master Core, Biax fiberglass, Sintered 8000 base, Premium topsheet. Nothing else. No carbon-flax stringer, no Koroyd, no basalt — none of the reinforcement Jones layers into the pricier decks. Two consequences. It is light: 5.8 lbs (2.7 kg) per board at 156, against 6.3 lbs for the Aviator 2.0 at the same length. And it is soft in the way the flex rating promises, because two-axis glass twists more freely than a triaxial layup and no stringer is there to stiffen it back up.
What gives the Rally Cat its edge is camber. An unbroken arch loads the contact points, which is where the grip and the snap out of a turn come from, and the Medium Traction Tech serrations along the steel edge add bite when a groomer glazes. A Low 3D Contour Base — the shallowest lift Jones mills — takes the hook out of turn entry and helps the tips climb in soft snow while leaving plenty of edge on firm snow. That single choice is why the board scores 10 for all-mountain and 7 for powder rather than the other way around: it slashes and planes in soft snow, but with no taper it asks you to work in anything deep.
The honest ceiling on the Rally Cat is speed. A soft board with nothing in the laminate to damp vibration gets busy underfoot in chopped snow with the throttle open — that is the price of the flex that makes it so approachable everywhere else. Riders who charge should step up to the Aviator 2.0 (4/5, High camber, Boost Core); riders who chase deep days want the Frontier 2.0 (Powder 10); riders who ride park switch-first want the Tweaker 2.0, which is the true twin. At $499.95 the Rally Cat is the least expensive of the men's boards we ordered, and it buys range rather than a peak. It sells as a bare deck — Jones pairs it with the Nebula FASE or Meteorite, and we mount and set your stance in the shop.
Bindings we'd pair with it
Mount point: 2x4 insert pattern. Our pick: Jones Nebula FASE.
- Jones Nebula FASEJones's own pairing for the Rally Cat — medium flex for all-mountain riding
Jones lists the Nebula FASE (or the Meteorite) as this board's factory match. A medium binding flex suits a 2/5 deck: enough support to drive the camber into a carve, without overpowering the board's friendly bend. Sold separately; we mount them and set your stance angles in the shop.
- Jones MeteoriteThe alternate official pairing — a straightforward all-mountain binding
The second binding Jones names for the Rally Cat. Same intent as the Nebula FASE, and it keeps the setup in the flex range the board is designed around. Bindings are not included with the deck.
Common Questions
- Is the Jones Rally Cat a true twin, and can I ride it switch?
- No — it is a Directional Twin, which is Jones's own category and not the same as a true twin. Switch is well within its range at a Freestyle 9/10, but a true twin is symmetric by definition and this board is not sold as one. If riding both directions identically is the priority, the Tweaker 2.0 is the true twin in this line.
- Full camber on a 2/5 flex — is the Rally Cat hard to ride?
- Friendlier than it sounds. The arch is set at a Medium camber height rather than the tallest, the flex is a soft 2/5, and the Low 3D Contour Base lifts the tips slightly clear of the snow, so the board bends and steers easily. What camber adds over a rockered profile is grip and rebound — plus a little less tolerance when you catch an edge.
- Which Rally Cat length should I take, and when do I need a wide?
- Length follows your riding weight; width follows your feet. Tell us both and we will settle it quickly. As a rule of thumb, a US 11 boot or larger points at the 155W (258mm waist) or the 159W (263mm), which keep a toe or heel from catching when the board is right over on edge. Width is measured off your foot, never the scale.
- Are bindings included with the Jones Rally Cat?
- They are not — the board sells on its own. Jones names the Nebula FASE and the Meteorite as its factory matches, both flexing in the range this deck wants. Add a pair at purchase and we will mount them and set the angles before you ride.
