First Look: Jones Snowboards Women’s Mountain Surf Bibs Review
The iconic snowboard and backcountry brand premiered its inaugural lineup of apparel for female snowboarders and splitboarders. Here’s an early look at the collection’s snowboard bibs for off-piste missions and resort days.
This upcoming winter already has something huge to celebrate with the launch of ladies’ apparel from Jones Snowboards, an addition to the brand’s newly pioneered Jones Outerwear collection.
Cast last year, the brand’s cardinal outerwear featured men’s apparel across three collections: Shralpinist, Mountain Surf, and Uphill. Now, a round of women’s snowboarding and splitboarding pants, jackets, and bibs are hitting shelves, too.
We snuck in a spring preview with a handful of the new goods, which prioritize sustainability. All of the Jones Outerwear materials are OEKO-TEX and/or Bluesign certified, the majority are 100% recycled, and they utilize PFC-free DWR (except the GORE-TEX Pro fabric).
In short: The Jones Snowboards apparel for women that I’ve tested so far, including the Women’s Mountain Surf Bibs, is ergonomic and facilitates freedom of movement — without being too baggy — and is made with supple, sustainable, durable materials plus simple key features. The spacious pockets, unique style, and relaxed fit of the Women’s Mountain Surf Bibs stand out.
Jones Snowboards Women’s Mountain Surf Bibs
Specs:
- Shell: 2-layer 46% recycled polyester ripstop fabric combined with 58% recycled polyester 75-denier stretch fabric, 100% recycled stretch polyester liner, and PFC-free DWR
- Waterproofness/Breathability: 20K/20K
- Weight: 750 g
- Insulation: Lined with 100% recycled stretch polyester
- Pockets: 8
- Seams: Fully taped seams
- Zippers: YKK Natulon recycled zips
- RECCO: Yes
- Fit: Relaxed
- Cuffs: Reinforced interior cuff reaches nearly 10 in. across and 7 in. high
- Sizes: XS, S, M, L
- Our favorite perk: The pockets are spacious
- Best for: Backcountry tours and resort laps
Jones Snowboards Launches First-Ever Women’s Apparel in Jones Outerwear
Jones Snowboards was founded by big mountain pioneer Jeremy Jones in 2008, a year after the legendary athlete launched Protect Our Winters, an organization that unites the global winter sports community to combat climate change.
With a primary focus on technical snowboards, splitboards, and backcountry accessories, the brand recently added performance outerwear to its product lineup for the resort and backcountry.
After 3 years of research and development, the outerwear was released and organized in three categories:
- The Shralpinist collection features the most high-end, tenacious apparel for alpinism and withstanding the elements on remote alpine adventures.
- The Uphill collection provides movement-oriented performance pieces for splitboarding and endurance-focused or speed days in the backcountry.
- The Mountain Surf collection is made for everyday riding at the resort or on the skintrack. The designs are functional, comfortable, and warm yet breathable.
For 2022-2023, women’s apparel will premiere six pieces total in the Shralpinist and Mountain Surf collections. Tiffany Jones, Jeremy Jones’ wife, took the reins of the ladies’ product development alongside outerwear designer Heida Birgisdottir.
The overall mission was to create outerwear that’s functional, moves well, and boasts one-of-a-kind style. Those marks were met.
Jones Snowboards Women’s Mountain Surf Bibs Review
With everyday riding in mind, the Women’s Mountain Surf Bibs ($430) are made for snowboarders to wear throughout variable weather conditions from sun to snow flurries at the resort or while taking casual tours in the backcountry.
Not many brands dedicate development to women’s specific bibs for snowboarding and splitboarding. Volcom, Airblaster, Burton, 686, Roxy, Dakine, and DC are among the teams that deliver snowboard-tailored bibs for ladies.
However, of the current product models, the women’s Volcom Elm GORE-TEX Bib Overalls ($360) and women’s Dakine Stoker GORE-TEX 3L Bib ($480) are among the few pairs comparable to the new Jones bibs, given the integration of tenacious materials, increased breathability and waterproofness, and nonrestrictive fit for backcountry tours. With the new Mountain Surf Bibs, it’s commendable to see not only another snowboard bib option added for women but also one built with top-tier materials.
We’ve also covered women’s ski bibs, and some of those designs work well for snowboarding and splitboarding.
The Jones Outerwear collection comes with a lifetime warranty, and the brand has authorized repair centers to help fix any snags you hit. So, that higher price tag comes with additional perks.
I put these Mountain Surf Bibs through testing rounds at Crested Butte Mountain Resort in sunny and warm, super-windy and stormy, and very frigid conditions. I bootpacked several inbounds sections in the bibs. I also wore the bibs heli-skiing at Silverton Mountain Ski Area in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.
Pockets Galore
One of the best design aspects of these bibs is the many functional pockets.
Two large thigh pockets are more than 7 inches wide and tall. Inside each pocket is a smaller mesh pocket that easily stretches to hold a very wide phone. Often, interior mesh pockets are too small. Not these.
The backside features one wide, zipper-enclosed pocket that is 8 inches across and in length. I never noticed the zipper when I sat on the lift or on hardpack snow.
Up front, there is a righthand small chest pocket with a side-zipper entrance. The pocket has one angled side, so it’s not uniform but is close to 4 inches wide and 6.5 inches tall. However, the zipper itself is 5 inches long, so you need to slide certain objects in at an angle.
The larger chest pocket has a top zipper that’s 5.5 inches wide. Also not uniform, the pocket is nearly 6.5 inches deep and broadens even more to around 7.5 inches in width. Another stretchy, sizable mesh pocket, which is large enough for a phone, is woven inside the center chest pocket.
Placing and pulling my phone in and out of the mesh pocket is a tad more time-consuming compared to dropping it into the larger pocket, given the fit is so streamlined and my gloves or mittens are usually bulkier for warmth.
One critique of the five exterior pockets is the burly zipper teeth feel a bit rough and uncomfortable to slide my hands past.
Side Ventilation and Drop Seat
While heating up on groomers, the ski lift, or lunch deck, the generous side vents provided ample space for airflow, which I appreciated during spring temperatures that swung from the single digits to the high 40 degrees F each day.
Each side zipper features two dual-direction zippers and measures 23.5 inches in length. The zippered side ventilation doubles as a dual-sided drop seat. Ladies can unzip one or both sides as low as they need to, pull the fabric aside or to the front, slide down their base layers, and squat (or sit on a toilet) to relieve themselves. The drop seat is functional both indoors and in the backcountry.
Some drop seats only have a single zipper on one side, which limits access. It’s nice to have zippered access on both sides, because if your shoulder mobility is limited on one side, you can use the other side instead. Or, if you’re wearing a pack or are on a steep skin track, sometimes it’s easier to reach one side over the other.
There’s no interior mesh panel, which works well for the drop-seat design.
One critique of the drop-seat design is the small snap at the top of each side zipper. The snap isn’t the easiest to reach, close, or remember after going to the restroom. The side zippers also had a tendency to slide down, leaving the flap open, which was annoying. I needed to stop, completely unzip my jacket, and reach inside with both hands with no gloves to get the zipper back to the top.
Durable, Sustainable Material
The two textiles used in the design are two-layer 20K waterproof/breathable, which is among the highest breathability and waterproofness for women’s snowboarding bibs on the market. The women’s Volcom Elm GORE-TEX Bib Overalls have a waterproof rating of 28,000 and a breathability rating of 20,000. The women’s Dakine Stoker GORE-TEX 3L Bib has a waterproof rating of 28,000 and a breathability rating of 25,000.
Thanks to a body-mapped design, sections of the bibs’ textiles are tailored to either be more breathable or more durable against friction and the elements. Along the backside, upper back thighs, chest pocket, and over the knees (from the mid-thigh to shin) is a four-way stretch ripstop fabric that’s super durable. The thighs, torso area, and below the knees are constructed with a more breathable fabric.
The two fabrics both feature recycled polyester and are coated with a PFC-free DWR treatment for additional protection against moisture. The lower back also has an integrated stretch, woven back panel, which is comfortable and breathable.
Reinforced Cuffs and Gaiters
Most notably, the interior of each pant leg is reinforced with a burly material to protect against one-footed skating in the lift line at the resort or split-ski edges during kickturns on the skintrack and crampons while booting up a face. The patch reaches nearly 10 inches across and 7 inches high, which I appreciate. All the way around the cuff is a minimal, strong quarter-inch-wide reinforcement.
There are gaiters, too. One critique I have is there’s no side zipper on the cuffs to help adapt the fit while pulling each pant leg over the top of my boots. Though streamlined, the circumference doesn’t give much, so sliding the pant leg down is snug and slow.
Jones Snowboards Women’s Mountain Surf Bibs: Conclusion
The fit of the Women’s Mountain Surf Bibs is relaxed and conducive to movement whether you’re carving huge turns on the groomers or bootpacking remote runs at the resort or skinning in the backcountry.
With wide, smooth, elastic straps that easily slide through their buckles, the length is easily adjustable — not something all bibs have achieved, believe it or not. Though I don’t wear a belt with bibs, there are also stout waistbelt loops, which are wide with a fairly spacious circumference.
While I didn’t have a chance to test these bibs in the backcountry, and I didn’t get out in blizzard conditions due to the dry spring we had in the Rockies, the construction does withstand cold wind and moisture well.
Even when I worked up a sweat, I could easily regulate my temperature with the side ventilation, and the liner doesn’t feel bulky or preserve too much heat. It’s just right for spring and variable conditions at the resort.
We also give a big thumbs up for the sustainability factor. These bibs are OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified, which verifies the safety of the materials for health and the environment. The design also has Bluesign-certified materials.
Overall, the Women’s Mountain Surf Bibs feature a higher-end design with stout construction, supreme materials, and no points of physical restrictions. In a word, they’re comfortable.
The bibs withstand exposure to various conditions, and the materials are the most sustainable options available. For ladies who shred frequently in a range of conditions or want a pair of snowboard bibs that last, this design is a top contender.
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