Before You Buy: Wide Boards Explained
anniefast
- October 19 2009
- 3,990 views
- 46 comments
There are a lot of riders out there who need a wide board for their size eleven, twelve (or bigger) feet, but keep in mind that your goal should be to find the narrowest board possible to insure a better-performing and less-tiring ride.
Travis Rice rides the Lib Tech C2 BTX which, like a lot of men's boards these days, is available in both regular and wide widths (24.7–26.5). PHOTO: Tim Zimmerman
The defining features of a wide board are that the width of the board from edge to edge is wider, the board is often built a bit stiffer, and they’re often available mainly in longer lengths.
How wide should you go?
There is no exact formula correlating a person’s foot size to a waist width. A rider with size eleven boots can fit comfortably on a 25 centimeter wide depending on a number of factors:
•The actual footprint of your boot in one brand can be completely different than in another brand, so shop diligently for small-footprint boots.
•The stance angles you ride can create more toe drag, so avoid flat angles (zero degrees). Instead, increase your angles to reduce the drag.
•The sidecut of the board—the waist width is the narrowest point on the board between your feet, but the actual width out at your feet could be smaller or wider depending on the depth of the sidecut.
How wide is wide?
Boards are available in regular widths, wide and mid-wide. Wide is considered about 26 centimeters on up. But there isn’t an industry standard (the K2 Podium 163 Wide has a 26.6. centimeter waist while the Burton Custom 162 Wide has a 26 centimeter waist) so there is a little frustration.
3 Tips Before You Buy:
- Stand on the board at your correct stance and angles with your boots on.
- Check for toe hang.
- Buy the narrowest board you can fit those dogs across.
The K2 darkstar is available in waist widths ranging from 24.4 to 26.5.
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October 19th, 2009 at 10:48 pm
I still have my k2 Fatbob from 1996. Hoo-Ray wide boards!
You know what they say about guys with big feet
October 20th, 2009 at 1:20 am
first. ha
October 20th, 2009 at 1:24 am
Finally wide boards are coming out more. Yahhh!!!!!!
Wait are wide boards going to be the new tight pants/ skinney stance????
October 20th, 2009 at 3:05 am
Yeah buddy… big boots!
October 20th, 2009 at 3:41 am
who ever wrote this is pretty dumb. It's only tiring if your little and riding a big board. To most big foot people, like myself (14, 6'6", 195) in porportion these boards are still too small. All you small folk get the virtue of having no drag. I have a 29.5 cm wide and my foot still hangs off an inch of both sides.
October 20th, 2009 at 3:47 am
give up
October 20th, 2009 at 4:06 am
Wil, that IS what he meant, you misinterpreted it bro'. Do you have the El Grande or something? You sound like you're gonna be one seriously big guy…, pretty skinny right now but you'll definitely "fill out" more than likely. Sound like a bigass b-ball or maybe even football type guy someday, but anyway, doesn't mean you can't have FUN snowboarding! Later Wil, peace!
October 20th, 2009 at 4:15 am
shit! LoL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 20th, 2009 at 5:03 am
does anyone know any wide rail-specific boards ive been riding the rome machine for the past 3-4 seasons because as far as i know its the widest park board but it doesnt seem that flexy to me but ihavent ridden my 2010 yet. i think the WWW has a wide model now but are there any others
October 20th, 2009 at 5:12 am
dude i hurd dat automaton is coming out with a whole size run of wide decks in two seasons? thats tight
October 20th, 2009 at 6:23 am
Not even no b-ball, no football… westcoast soccer. I Ride the king 159w. I'm a park and pow guy. They dont make boards intended for big athletic people. Took me 3 years to find one and even the wide isnt big enough.
Why make size 14 boots if you cant make a board (or bindings for that matter) that fit 'em?
October 20th, 2009 at 10:53 am
Anyone know of a wide board that runs lighter than most models.? I wear size 13's but im not a big guy
October 20th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Wide boards are better for pow flotation. I have size 9 boots a Rome Agent 154 and 158 and I wish they were wider on pow days.
October 20th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Hi there,
1/ Twsnow, next time you want to make an article about big feet, don t ask Annie who might be size 7… but rather a size 13 guy, it will sound more serious.
2/ Ok, without going though the history of wide boards, they came on the market about 13 years ago and rapidly became popular.
3/ When you decide to buy a wide model what you have to pay attention to is the width : wait and nose/tail.
To me the nose/tail with is more important than the waist one. BECAUSE, the pressure will be on those points when going down the icy slope while doing turns. as simple as that. Usually a size 13 man is 31 cm, so if nose/tail width is about the same or 296 mm, it should be ok.
4/ The industry answer big foot riders by doing wide boads. Fine. but isn t there an another feature they should take care of??? let me think… wide board… for big foot… foot… wait a sec foot… maybe the the boots then!
Indeed my friend, the "problem as to be considered globally. If you have big foot or if your customer have big foot you should provide boots that are minimalist. Get it!
Look, 99.99% of the boots on the market have an inner boots plus the waterproof outside boots. Plus all boots are designed by the size 10 or 10.5, so on a size 13 the boot become a boat and make your problem even worst than it is already. 3 seasons ago brand like DC, B started to offer boots with smaller foot prints. I say good but not enough. I belive in the future, boots for big foot, size 11 and upper will have their own model, with no inner boots but top warm and proof materials in order to reduce the lengh of it. About 9 years ago Airwalk had those Jack model, it was perfect for big foot. But Airwalk blew their team up, one of the best at the time (Sarvel, De Marchi, Ainonen, Hjelmstadstuen, and this American guy really at skateboarding too) R Hansen goes to Burton with Romain and the Airwalk focus on skateboaring, and big foot riders break their nose when toes acting as a leverage to get the edge off the snow.
5/ You guys at tws should do some more investigated search when publishing your product issue. Cause now I have to go though all the brands, all the models in order to checked if any is made for big foot especially. (K2 or Deeluxe is working on it I think).
6/ Tip for riders with big foot.
- Make sure your heel is at the end of the binding when you strap. For that you can put your toes first and then scratch your heel all the way to back of the binding.
- More counting you have on the spoiler, better it is, especially on your back binding. DON T RIDE SPOILER STRAIGH.
- My angles are +24 front, +3 back
- Ride pow
October 20th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
We plan to add the "wide" icon back into the Buyer's Guide next year showing which boards are available in wider waist widths which should help narrow your search. While I did indeed write this article, my sources for were three board designers: JG at Burton, Sean Tedore at K2, and Dave Appel (formerly at Forum). I hope it sounds "more serious" now.
Was Andy MacDonald on the Airwalk snow team? Damn, that was a long time ago …
October 20th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
this could possibly be the dumest thing iv ever read….
October 20th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
In annie's defense, I thought it was an excellent article.
I'm someone who is on the fringe of needing a wide board, and I've definitely found that you should try and get onto the thinnest board possible (esp if you want to ride park). You are quicker edge to edge and it feels a lot lighter to spin
October 20th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
Hey i have same problem: size 15, 6'6'', 209 lbs. (in European: EU 48,5, 2,02 m, 95 kg)
I rode the nitro misfit (26,8 wide), wich wasn't enough, looking for a bigger sized twin board now and can't find it.
Btw do you know any light, responsive bindings for big feet? (what bindings do you have at the moment?) + any recommendations on a big sized twin board, because all the wider boards (nitro magnum, elan el grande are directional)
cheers
October 20th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
That was like reading a William Burroughs novel. I'm pretty sure "Babass" wrote this on toilet paper, tore it up and then randomly pieced it back together. My brain hurts.
October 20th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
How wide is your stance? where does it fall on the board? this will you get to the widest part of the board. if you ride a narrow stance, low angles, or are hecka set back you're losing out on that width. Keep up the good fight. My roommate had a 16 boot and he was able to find the right combination.
October 20th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
I've got the ride Kink 159w now with K2 Auto bindings. And just broke my gnu CHB 156wide. I'm sure if you go for a bigger size it might work. I set my stance as wide as it will go with 15degrees on either side.
I did this with my old board and bindings, but to get some extra stance width(more board under your feet). I grinded down two of the washers on the bolts of my bindings so that on the 8×2 system, they would sit right next to each other. Without the gap in between the bolts.
October 20th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
I wear a size 9 and ride a lib banana 152 and a GNU CHB 157.5 W on powder days and riding the wide board is alot less work then riding my smaller board in pow.
October 20th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
I'm 6'3" 180 lbs, size 12 boots. Rode the Lib Tech Skunk Ape 162 (26.8 waist) all last season with barely any toe drag. Sick twin wide board!
October 20th, 2009 at 9:17 pm
no, maybe Cardiel
October 20th, 2009 at 9:26 pm
Stance is widest with 15 degrees either side just like Wil. I just saw the widest twin board available: Artec Phenom (28cm wide), problem is that it is quite expensive.
I might join the rockermania. Here are some wider twin-rockers:
- Nitro gullwing wide (27 cm rocker, widest rocker available),
- k2 www wide (26,7 wide (transworld goodwood 2010)),
- lib tech Skunkape (26,8 wide, magnetraction),
- gnu rider's choice (26,8 wide, magnetraction).
All wider twins then normal.
I don't get what your saying about your bindings Wil..
Could some1 tell me something about the advantages of the omega-sidecut of the Artec phenom or the Elan el Grande?
October 20th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
maybe check out teh simon chamberlain midwide
October 20th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
Annie, in one of your articles on what the pros are rocking…… Jon Kooley wrote that he customized his boots by cutting out his inner soles and buying gel heel cups. This would allow him to run smaller boots. I run size thirteen now. Which boots have a smaller footprint. Or would cutting out the soles in smaller boots help run smaller boots?
October 20th, 2009 at 11:12 pm
Hey I have size 10 boots and a 152 lib tech skate banana would i need a wide board?
October 20th, 2009 at 11:28 pm
yeah, ive been riding machines for quite a bit now too..getting a www this year.
October 20th, 2009 at 11:29 pm
you must be the dumbest fucker ever
October 21st, 2009 at 12:38 am
no, i rode a banana the year they came out with a size 14 DC Superpark boot and somehow didn't get drag at all, except maybe on really slushy days
October 21st, 2009 at 1:16 am
Hey Wil, Burton started making boots last year that fit on your board a size smaller then your actual boot size. I'm a size 11 but my Burton boots fit on my board like a size 10 so I actually don't even have to ride wide boards anymore. I know that won't be the case for you but it should help you fit your feet on your board better. That one size less really makes a difference. Hope I helped!
October 21st, 2009 at 1:19 am
The Machine starts off stiff but mine was like a noodle after a season of solid riding. I'm currently riding the Burton Hero though and it's a noodle from day 1! Nice wide board and great for jibbing. My feet are a size 11 and I get no drag.
October 21st, 2009 at 3:50 am
tinny lil peepers right!
October 21st, 2009 at 4:14 am
switch to skiing then ha
October 21st, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Im 6'2 190 size 12, and this article couldnt of come at a better time, I've been considering waist widths lately, just bought a burton joystick 159w, which is 25.9 at waist, by far the skinniest board ive ridden, my pow board is a never summer legacy 166 its 26.9 at the waist., my park board is a 09 rome machine which is like 26.7 I think. I've ridden with guys who have size 12 or more that refuse to ride a wide board, they like the fast heel toe transition, and deal with the minimul toe drag. Heres the truth guys, listen up, sizes 11-12, can ride a mid-wide, no problem, especially when your ducked out, my boys got 14 sasquatch feet, and he rides a mid wide, I dont know how but he does. wider boards for pow of course. One inch heel toe overhang is fine, the only time youll feel any drag is serious carves on hardpack, and again its so minimul its almost not worth mentioning. Maybe rocker boards minimize the heel toe transition on wider boards, but I think camber wide boards are far more responsive. Burton wides, are by far the narrowest wides, why I dont know.
October 21st, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Niels, you should seriously check out never summer boards in wide, you wont be dissapointed.
October 21st, 2009 at 12:54 pm
I got last years Machine, stick with it, its probally the best true wide park board on the market. k2 www is worth checking out though, my brother just bought one, they seem so buttery and nasty, but again the machine is a sick board.
October 21st, 2009 at 7:17 pm
capita stairmasters come in wide. i guess they're not technically rail specific but they're definitely good all around park boards. especially for the price. i know capita makes other wide boards too that are probably good for rails
October 21st, 2009 at 10:59 pm
the technine split t has a wide model and its super soft… and you can find em at a pretty good price if you look in the right places. split ts are legit.
October 21st, 2009 at 11:03 pm
absolutely not. you can ride any board with a 10 boot (unless you have a big footprint and if you do you have cheap boots bc any quality boot usually has a smaller footprint) I wear a 10 in thirtytwo lashed and I refused to ride a wide and Ive never had toe drag.
October 22nd, 2009 at 12:27 am
"3/ When you decide to buy a wide model what you have to pay attention to is the width : wait and nose/tail.
To me the nose/tail with is more important than the waist one. BECAUSE, the pressure will be on those points when going down the icy slope while doing turns. as simple as that. "
This makes little sense. The waist width is the true benchmark for measuring a board's width if you have big feet as it is the narrowest point of the board and dictates how far over the edge your feet will hang. The sidecut radius also slightly dictates the width of a board (kind of what you are getting at I think). For example, a deeper sidecut board with 26.5 cm waist and a 780 sidecut will be slightly narrower right where your feet sit than a board with 26.5 waist and 800 sidecut, but that's super negligable.
October 29th, 2009 at 5:18 am
Nabbed a pair of THIRTYTWO LASHED in 14. they're a bit tight. but for sure outer is the size of a thirteen
November 13th, 2009 at 8:15 pm
Most wide boards nowadays are only .7 cm wider than a normal board on average. I have tiny ass feet so everything is a wide to me, still rock a 156w and so far i like it, plus its a lot easier for rails, a little more forgiving for 50/50's. On pow days its great.
November 15th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
I am 6'4 185 lbs, size 13 boots I recently bought a 2010 Burton Custom V Rocker 159. It is 255 mm at the waist and 298.9 at the nose and tail. I have the new Ion which I believe have a smaller footprint. Last year I was on a custom wide 162 which was 260 at the waist. Any good opinions if this will be a good size for me. I like riding trees, pow and steeps. I am pumped about the v camber, although it feels pretty soft. I have a fish for any big dumps, but would like to use the custom v rocker as my everyday board. I am either going to keep it or sell it unused.
November 16th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Im 6'3 190 size 12, Im thinking I could ride a 260 waist nicely , but I dont think you could. You should ride a board with at least 26.5 at the waist, in my opinion. I just bought a Burton joystick 159w , thats 25.9 at the waist, by far the narrowest board I have, considering my Never Summer is 26.9 at the waist. I still say ride the narrowest board you can possibly ride. If your into park riding, get a Rome machine 161…