First Look: Jones Snowboards Women’s Shralpinist Stretch 3L Jacket Review

The iconic snowboard and backcountry brand debuted its first-ever lineup of apparel for female snowboarders and splitboarders. Here’s a first look at the collection’s inaugural shell jacket for backcountry missions and resort laps.

Jones Snowboards is making its next mega impact on the rider experience. This winter, the brand is launching women’s outer apparel, an extension of the brand’s newly pioneered Jones Outerwear collection.

Debuted last year, the brand’s cardinal outerwear featured men’s apparel across three collections: Shralpinist, Mountain Surf, and Uphill. Now, a collection of women’s snowboarding and splitboarding pants, jackets, and bibs are hitting shelves with the same premium materials and thoughtful design.

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 utilize PFC-free DWR (except the GORE-TEX Pro fabric).

The Jones Snowboards apparel for women I’ve tested so far, including the non-insulated Women’s Shralpinist Stretch 3L Jacket, offers ergonomic freedom of movement — without being too baggy — and is made with supple and sustainable yet durable materials plus simple key features.

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 bridged its mission to include performance outerwear for the resort and backcountry.

After 3 years of research and development, the outerwear was released and organized into three categories:

For 2022-2023, women’s apparel will feature 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 has a unique style. They met those marks.

The Women’s Shralpinist Stretch 3L Jacket ($550) is a premium pick for snowboarders to wear from sunshine to winter storms, season after season on backcountry tours, or while taking resort laps.

The outerwear 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 this jacket through testing rounds at Crested Butte Mountain Resort, while snowmobiling, and on tours in the high-altitude Colorado backcountry.

It’s a mystery to me how this material is so buttery soft yet tough. While the fabric seems to mark up easily, it is super durable and pliable.

But there’s no tradeoff for sustainability, which is at the forefront. The 40-denier and four-way stretch face fabric is 100% recycled polyester. The 20-denier polyester backer is 100% recycled, too.

The fabric is treated with PFC-free DWR, which adds resistance to moisture without being toxic to the environment. The whole package is OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified, which verifies the safety of the materials for health and the environment, and it also has Bluesign-certified materials.

We had a fairly dry spring in the Rockies, and I didn’t get out in full whiteout blizzard conditions, but the material does barricade cold wind and a bit of snowfall.

One of my favorite features of this jacket is how deep and large the two exterior chest pockets are. Each zipper length is 8.5 inches, and the pockets are nearly 7 inches wide with approximately 14 inches in length.

Inside, two square mesh dump pockets are easy to throwgloves into. The interior zippered chest pocket offers additional security for items, and it snugly fits a large cellphone — it’s almost too tight to quickly pull in and out. (Be sure to keep your beacon at least 20 inches away from electronics, according to National Ski Patrol.)

There’s also a small zippered pocket on the left arm near the wrist for holding an ID, snowmobile registration, medical card, ski pass, or credit card.

For venting on a hot spring day on the lift or while working up a sweat on the uphill, the underarm vents are plenty big. A streamlined, super-durable zipper stretches 14 inches in length and is fairly easy to open and close. (I found it quicker to open and close with two hands.)

The spacious hood easily slides over the top of a snowboard helmet. The collar can be fully zipped when the hood is up — though, the range of motion is not as good, which is pretty standard with a zipped hood over a helmet.

A soft microfleece interior liner protects the mouth and chin from abrasion while adding comfort and warmth. For a snugger fit, the whole hood and hood rim can be tightened down through a pull cord in the back or two in the front, next to the chin guard.

There’s also a firm, accentuated visor integrated into the hood to help block moisture.

The fixed powder skirt is minimalist and adds a bit more security. There’s a slender dual-snap closure in the front and a single elastic snap closure in the very back to attach the skirt to a belt loop.

Though I didn’t use the powder skirt, I also didn’t even notice the material because the design is so streamlined.

Some of the most unique features of this jacket are the integrated avalanche rescue and management tools.

First, there are the RECCO detectors, which don’t replace beacons but help rescue professionals during searches in case of an emergency.

On the left forearm, there’s an integrated infographic called “5 Red Flags” with signs related to avalanche stability that splitboarders should consider, watch for, and keep in mind as they make a group plan and manage their terrain choices throughout the day. The list includes new snow, recent avalanches, collapsing and cracking, a rise in temperature, and strong winds. (I’m not sure how the color of this exterior infographic might fade over time.)

Inside the jacket is a second laminated and very durable infographic that will likely never wear down — Avalanche Rescue Steps. The list starts with the scene size-up (Is it safe to rescue?) and goes all the way down the checklist to assessing the victim for traumatic injuries, keeping them warm, and calling for a rescue helicopter if needed.

The icon includes images of the patterns for the beacon search and the probe pattern, the proper emergency hand signals for a helicopter, and the emergency phone numbers for the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Japan.

Overall, the fit of the Shralpinist Stretch 3L Jacket is comfortable, ergonomic, and great to move in whether you’re uphilling, backcountry snowmobiling to the base of a climb, mountaineering, or carving slopes at the resort.

The underarm ventilation is key for ascending slopes in the backcountry, and the pockets are super functional yet streamlined and smartly placed. At only 650 g, the material feels feathery light.

I appreciate the additional avalanche travel instruction included on the interior and exterior of the jacket, which doesn’t replace formal avalanche education. But it does help backcountry travelers as they manage countless life-defining decisions while wearing this jacket.

One drawback: The zipper teeth on the two exterior chest pockets and the full-length front zipper are chunky and not smooth or comfortable to slide my bare hand against when I’m moving quickly.

Overall, the Shralpinist Stretch 3L Jacket is a well-tailored design for a wide range of movement outside, and the construction is robust. This jacket withstands exposure to various weather conditions, from sunny and warm to windy and snowy. And the materials are the most sustainable options available.

For lady shredders who want durable apparel for snowboarding at the resort and splitboarding in the backcountry, this shell is an excellent investment.