When shopping for a new snowboard, you may encounter snowboard models being offered in a wider form. This will leave people wondering whether they should purchase a wide snowboard.
Pros of a wide snowboard include more stability, lesser chances of your boots touching the snow, easier to land tricks, easier to gain speed, and floats better in powder. Cons include increased weight causing feet and calf cramps and being harder to turn.
Below, we cover the benefits and drawbacks of using a wider snowboard in more detail.
Pros of a Wide Snowboard
Wide snowboards have some distinct advantages that set them apart from regular-sized snowboards. These advantages are outlined below.
1. More Stability
Wide snowboards are more stable than their normal-sized counterparts, granting you more balance over your board as you’re trying out various tricks and tactics when going down the mountain.
The greater size of wide boards is what affords you greater stability as compared to regular snowboards.
Here read our article on the differences between wide and regular snowboards.
2. Wider Stance
You can also maintain a wider stance when on a wide snowboard.
If a wider stance is more comfortable for you, you will have more control going down the mountain on a wider board.
Wider stances tend to afford people more stability and more control, and so the ability to maintain one is crucial for many snowboarders.
3. Accommodating if You Have Larger Feet
If your feet are on the larger side, you might find that narrow snowboards aren’t comfortable for you, with your boots jutting out too much on either side, leaving your boot to drag along the snow when making a turn.
Wide snowboards remedy this issue by giving you more room to play around with on the board itself, making it less likely that you’ll have an uncomfortable time snowboarding.
This means that you’ll find yourself on your board that works best for you and your body.
Additionally, older boots tend to be a little chunkier than newer styled boots, so if your feet are on the larger side and your boots are old and bulky, a wider board may be your best option.
4. Less Likely to Boot Out
To boot out refers to losing your edge hold when your boot touches the snow.
As wider boards offer more room for larger feet, you’re less likely to have this issue happen to you, making it safer and a lot more fun for the many snowboarders who find this to be an issue.
5. Better Float
When you hit a large soft pile of snow on the mountain, you might find that your board doesn’t float over it as nicely as you would like, leading to a harder time gliding through fresh powder.
Wide snowboards provide a solution for this, as due to their wider design, they’re able to float over snow with much more ease than a regular snowboard.
While a lot of the ability to float is in one’s technique, it’s also crucial to have a board that works with you as you face these issues.
6. Better Speed
Another reason to ride a wide snowboard over a regular snowboard is their quicker speeds on the mountain.
Wide snowboards will increase your speed universally across the different terrains, and it’ll be a noticeable distinction compared to a thinner snowboard.
It’s something to be mindful of, as the increased speed can be dangerous if you don’t know how to control the board when shredding down the mountain.
However, the dangers of a quicker speed are offset by the better stability that comes with riding a wide snowboard, as its stability allows for better maneuverability on the mountain.
7. Easier To Land Tricks
It’s easier to land tricks with a wide snowboard due to its added stability.
Stability is everything when trying to ride in the park, as without a stable board, you’re much more likely to fall.
This added stability makes doing tricks easier, as you can experiment and try new things with much more ease than using a regular width board.
This isn’t to say it’s always easier to land tricks on a wide snowboard, but the added stability can only help rather than hurt when trying to ride in the park.
Cons of a Wide Snowboard
While wide snowboards have many benefits, there are also a fair amount of cons to keep in mind when deciding what type of board to purchase.
1. The Boards are Heavier
While wide snowboards are easier to gain stability over and are simpler to control, one major drawback is that they’re heavier and may lead to difficulties with control for people with smaller feet.
The lighter a board, the easier it is to maneuver swiftly, and if you aren’t used to heavier boards, then a wide snowboard may be a poor option as it’ll be harder to control the board with the added weight.
2. Harder to Turn
Due to the added weight of the snowboard, they’re much more challenging to turn than a regular width snowboard.
Additionally, as the board has a larger surface area, it adds to the difficulty of turning your board, meaning you could have less control over the board.
This isn’t to say that the board is impossible to turn. However, it is worth keeping in mind the difficulty that comes with trying to turn a wider snowboard.
3. Harder to Get an Edge on Deep Carves
Due to the added weight of the board, it’ll be much harder to get an edge when trying to do deep carves.
This can cause trouble with trying to do a carve of any sort, as you need to gain an edge to get the traction required to complete the turn.
The heavier state of the board will make this much more challenging to do, as you will need to put a lot of your body weight into the turn, which increases the risk of falling.
4. Increased Likelihood of Cramps
Due to the additional weight of a wide snowboard, you have to put more effort into turning it, and this effort will add extra stress to your calves and feet.
As the majority of the pressure in turning is placed on your calves and feet, you will have to exert more pressure to be able to turn a larger and heavier board.
This increases the likelihood that you’ll experience cramps and pain when on a wider snowboard than a regular-sized snowboard.
However, this is likely to be mitigated for those with larger feet.
Final Thoughts
With a wide snowboard, there are several pros and cons that can either make or break your day on the mountain.
Some advantages include increased stability, better ability to gain a wider stance, less likely to boot out, easier to land tricks, and you’ll have a better time floating through powder and gaining speed.
Additionally, a wide board is best if you have large feet.
Some cons include that the board is heavier and harder to turn, that you’re more likely to get feet cramps, and that it’s harder to get an edge in on deep carves.