What are the advanteges and disadvantages of wider snowboards for beginners?

Question

What are the advanteges and disadvantages of wider snowboards for beginners?

Answer 1

The main advantage of having a wider snowboard is stability, other than that the disadvantages weigh out the advantages- especially for beginners. Wider snowboards are generally harder to turn and often don't have the flexibility that helps when you're just starting out. The ideal snowboard for a beginner is forgiving and has a mellow sidecut that isn't too aggressive on turning.

Answer 2

The point of a wide board is to keep a rider's toes and heels from dragging, which would cause you to loose a hold in a carve.  If you're riding a wide and your feet aren't big enough, you won't be able to utilize the edge as well, and it would weigh a little more.  Your toes and/or heels wouldn't be in optimal position to apply pressure onto your edges which is pretty much what turning is.

Just get a board that fits your feet.  Large bindings require a wide deck.  The best thing to do is to bring your boots to the shop and put them on as if you were to have them in your bindings on the board with a rough estimate of the angles.  If your toes/heels hang over, get a wider board.  I say bring your boots because different companies' boots fit differently.  I know that for example, DC boots tend to be a bit larger than other companies.

Answer 3

A wider board is mainly used for, people with big feet. A wider board is normally good for jibs or pow. But unless your feet or over size 11 dont worry about how wide the board is.