It wasn’t a matter of if, it was a matter of when…
Introducing the 2019 Ultra Mind Expander LTD, a new super charged version of the Mind Expander that Jeremy Jones and surf shaper Chis Christenson have been dreaming about for years.
The Ultra Mind Expander is a high performance alternative all-mountain board designed for high speed slashing and freeriding. This is not your standard Jones surf series design. The Ultra Mind Expander is a serious weapon that blends the power of a directional freeride board with the nimble maneuverability of an alternative all-mountain shape. We stepped up the top speed of the playful Mind Expander by adding camber, premium materials and a substantially stiffer flex.
Hear from Christenson about what makes the Ultra Mind Expander so unique and powerful.
"When we were doing the original tests on the Mind Expander shape we went back and forth between the surfer rocker version and the camber version," said Jeremy Jones. "We decided to make the surf rocker version first because I really wanted to make a super playful, user friendly board, but I knew we had to make them both at some point. The cambered Ultra Mind Expander is also a very special board. It has a totally different vibe than the standard Mind Expander."
Jimmy Goodman detonates a high speed turn on a not-as-deep as it looks day at Mammoth Mountain.
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 maneuverability of a directional board matched with the freestyle abilities of a directional twin. Directional rocker nose + tail, camber underfoot and Traction Tech 3.0 give the Ultra unmatched float and edge hold while the Ash Wood Veneer topsheet, Basalt Power stringers, FSC Power Core and Triax Carbon Innegra suck up chatter in rough terrain.
Christenson eyes up the Ultra’s camber profile in his High Sierra surf shaping room.
"The simplest way to define the Ultra Mind Expander is that it is an alternative Flagship. If you are a Flagship rider that likes a stiff, responsive board, but you want to bring some surf funk into your world, the Ultra Mind Expander is your board," said Jeremy Jones.
So why would you ever ride a standard Mind Expander? The Ultra Mind Expander will not be as forgiving in deep pow and it is not as easy to ride as the standard Mind Expander. The Ultra offers much better performance in hard snow and rough conditions, however. The directional camber profile delivers incredible edge control on ice and the floaty, blunt nose is virtually unsinkable in pow or crust. The key to riding the Ultra Mind Expander in hard snow is to move your stance all the way forward. This allows you to get over your nose better.
Jimmy Goodman rips into a glory panel at Mammoth Mountain.
The Ultra Mind Expander is designed to be ridden 4-6cm shorter than your traditional freeride board. The 154cm rides about as long as a Flagship 158 or 161cm.
"What I love about it is that it has the feel of a traditional cambered board matched with the snappy, turning radius of a surf shape," said Jeremy Jones. "It’s a really powerful board, but it’s still playful."
The Ultra Mind Expander is only available at select brick-and-mortar retail shops. This limited edition, late release model will not be sold online. See the full list of shops that will carry the Ultra Mind Expander here.
Photos by Andrew Miller.
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