Jones Women's Stratos
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
“A powder-first freeride deck defined by its radius, not its flex: at 5.9m on the 140, it is the quickest-turning women's Jones board we carry.”
The Jones Women's Stratos is a directional freeride board whose most interesting number is not its flex but its sidecut. Jones cuts it a 5.9m radius at the 140, rising to 6.7m at the 152 — where the men's Stratos, built from the identical core, glass, stringer and 3/5 flex, runs 6.5m to 8.0m. That is not a scaled-down men's board so much as a differently-intentioned one: it comes around early, links turns in a short rhythm, and threads tight terrain with very little steering input.
Jones grades the Women's Stratos Powder 10, All-Mountain 8, Freestyle 4, and the build reads the same way. Jones puts the stringer on the list and says no more. Carbon is springy and flax soaks up buzz, which is us reading the ingredients rather than quoting Jones. The outline is Medium Tapered, the profile rockers at both ends and cambers between the feet, and a High 3D Contour Base rounds the nose and tail edges to cut drag at the contact points and push the nose up in deep snow. High Traction Tech serrates the steel edge, which is Jones's stated answer to the grip that rocker gives away.
On snow that translates cleanly. The Women's Stratos plants its nose early in powder because the shape is directional and most of the board is ahead of your bindings — the tip lifts without you hanging off the tail. On a groomer the cambered midbody and serrated edge hold the arc, and the short radius makes that arc a tight one. The cost is where you would expect: a board that wants to close the turn is not the board for long, opened-up, high-speed carves, and 3/5 has a ceiling in cut-up snow at pace. A stiffer, longer-radius deck stays quieter there.
In Jones's women's line, the Howler (4/5, full high camber, Freestyle 9) beats it for pop and technical camber grip, and the true-twin Tweaker 2.0 owns switch and park outright. What the Women's Stratos owns is float plus agility, in one deck, for a lighter rider. It arrives as a bare board — Jones's factory bindings for it are the Mercury FASE and the Aurora, and we stock the Aurora.
Bindings we'd pair with it
Mount point: Float Pack inserts (Jones). Our pick: Jones Aurora.
- Jones AuroraThe factory pairing we actually stock — matched to the Stratos's medium flex
Jones names the Aurora as one of two factory matches for the Women's Stratos, and it is the one we keep on the wall. Sold separately; bring the board back to us and we will mount it and set your angles.
- Jones Mercury FASEJones's other listed match for this deck
The catalog's 'works best with' line names the Mercury FASE alongside the Aurora. We do not stock it, but it is the pairing Jones itself puts against the board, and it is worth knowing about if you already own a pair.
Common Questions
- How is the Jones Women's Stratos different from the men's Stratos?
- Not by construction — both decks use a Power Core, biax glass, a Bcomp Carbon Flax stringer, a Sintered 8000 base, and a 3/5 flex. The difference is geometry: lengths of 140–155 instead of 149–164W, narrower waists, and a 5.9–6.9m turning radius against the men's 6.5–8.0m. Jones also grades the women's board Freestyle 4 rather than 5. Choose between them on your weight and boot size.
- Can I ride the Women's Stratos in the park or switch?
- It is not the right tool. A Freestyle score of 4 out of 10, a tapered outline, and a directional profile add up to a board that resists riding backwards. Jones builds the Women's Tweaker 2.0 as a true twin — symmetric in shape and flex, scored Freestyle 10 — and that is the board for switch landings and park laps.
- Which length should I take, and is there a wide?
- There is no wide version of this model at any length, so boot overhang is worth checking before you buy. Length drives turn shape: the 140 has a 5.9m radius and turns very quickly, while the 152 opens out to 6.7m and floats more. Send us your riding weight and boot shell size and we will tell you which of the five lengths to take.
- Does the Women's Stratos come with bindings?
- No, it is sold as a bare deck. Jones lists two of its own bindings against it, the Mercury FASE and the Aurora, and the Aurora is the one we carry. Add a pair with the board and we will bolt them on and dial in your stance angles before you ride it.
