# Why do little guys with small feet ride wide boards?



## snowklinger (Aug 30, 2011)

Seriously I see this shit all the time, wtf.

I'm vertically challenged with size 9 boots, but I ride a normal board. 

One guy I saw was wearing and riding 100% gear from a single brand: board, bindings, clothes, talking about the ppl he "rides for" and what not.

I mean sure, personal preference...but why?.....

Anybody here wear under size 11 and choose wide boards? WHatUP?


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## Irahi (May 19, 2011)

I wear 7.5 boots and ride a mid-wide board most of the time (258 mm) and a somewhat narrower board (245 mm) sometimes so maybe I have some insight...

Advantages for the extra width:
-No heel or toe drag ever
-extra float in powder
-Additional stability on flat landings

Disadvantages
-slightly slower edge to edge on hardpack
-difficult to find bindings that center properly


It's definitely slightly worse on hardpack than riding something closer to my foot size, but of all the things I do on the mountain, hardpack is the last thing I give the slightest shit about. For me the advantages in float, stability, and the lack of heel/toe drag in the steeps far outweighs losing some quick carving ability. It is a huge bitch to find bindings that I can center myself with, most simply don't have the necessary adjustments to keep me balanced, but such is life. All that said, the whole board width thing just isn't as big a deal as most people make it out to be, I can hold and pressure my edges just fine without any toe or heel overhang. It may not be ideal if all you roll out on is groomers, but it makes up for it by rocking extra hard in the pow.


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## d15 (Jan 12, 2012)

skl,

You are so not alone. I've seen people with smaller feet who have edges right up to the tips of their toes. 
I'd like to assume most people ride their boards way too wide. Just like how some people assume their shoe size is actually bigger than needs to be. 

I'm size 8, and any cambered board more than 24.7 wide I dislike.

On reverse camber boards, you can accommodate much wider widths since the rocker will make side to side turns much easier to initiate.

In the end, I wish more companies made narrower waist widths for boards around 153-156.


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## AAA (Feb 2, 2008)

I think there's a fairly common (mis)belief that wider boards are somehow inherently more stable overall and are the thing to get, instead of seeing wide boards are being for people whos gots big feets.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

I have size 7 feet much perfer narrower boards...24.7 is great and I ride women's cambered boards 155 and 158; I can ride wider but find it really cumbersome edge to edge. Also have a charlie slasher 164 for my deep pow board and finally have it dialed by using 20mm risers to get better angles/leverage for edge to edge.


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## dreampow (Sep 26, 2011)

wrathfuldeity said:


> I have size 7 feet much perfer narrower boards...24.7 is great and I ride women's cambered boards 155 and 158; I can ride wider but find it really cumbersome edge to edge. Also have a charlie slasher 164 for my deep pow board and finally have it dialed by using 20mm risers to get better angles/leverage for edge to edge.


This is off the thread topic but how do you like your charlie slasher?

I am looking for a pow specific board as we have so much pow here in Japan.

How does it hold up going through lengthy groomed areas to get to the deep stuff?

Can you do jumps and grabs of natural features with it?

As for the OP, I dunno. I am 11 and I usually ride a 252 or a 258 waist. I have reduced footprint boots and 252 is the limit. 258 is sweet. 

Lots of people with little feet here in Japan and also short boards, they are light weight in general too.

Don't find many wide boards.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

dreampow said:


> This is off the thread topic but how do you like your charlie slasher?
> 
> I am looking for a pow specific board as we have so much pow here in Japan.
> 
> ...



I like the slasher especially in dry deep bottomless...like 16+ inches and would think it would work quite well in that fluff I've seen in your vids...if pow is wet heavy 12" pnw stuff I'll ride my 158 freeride to blast throw the chop. I think the rockered shovel nose is great and like the tapered cam tail...however I think the improvement would be abit of cam up the front of the front binding inserts instead of it being flat...idk...haven't ridden a board like that. The slasher likes to plane/float, excells at big surfy turns, no back leg burn, and can do quick turns but not as good as flicking a fish or malolo type for tight trees. For drops and hits in the pow...I like the cam tail and shovel nose compared to a rockered skate banana because the tail and nose you have something to push againist so you can land abit more tail or nose heavy and with the banana it tends to fold up...so you have to land fairly centered in the pow. Slasher works fine on packed groomers...just got to be on the nose for turning and it rides fine switch. Anywhoo I would like to demo a salomon powder snake since BA raves about it.


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## dreampow (Sep 26, 2011)

wrathfuldeity said:


> I like the slasher especially in dry deep bottomless...like 16+ inches and would think it would work quite well in that fluff I've seen in your vids...if pow is wet heavy 12" pnw stuff I'll ride my 158 freeride to blast throw the chop. I think the rockered shovel nose is great and like the tapered cam tail...however I think the improvement would be abit of cam up the front of the front binding inserts instead of it being flat...idk...haven't ridden a board like that. The slasher likes to plane/float, excells at big surfy turns, no back leg burn, and can do quick turns but not as good as flicking a fish or malolo type for tight trees. For drops and hits in the pow...I like the cam tail and shovel nose compared to a rockered skate banana because the tail and nose you have something to push againist so you can land abit more tail or nose heavy and with the banana it tends to fold up...so you have to land fairly centered in the pow. Slasher works fine on packed groomers...just got to be on the nose for turning and it rides fine switch. Anywhoo I would like to demo a salomon powder snake since BA raves about it.


Sounds pretty good, I will look into the powder snake as Solomon is more available here. 

My vids show the pow here as fluffy and it is, but it can get pretty heavy when we have big dumps. It gets compacted from the weight above. Its the top layers only that gives off the amazing trails of fluffy white. Once in a while we (Nagano is where I board) get conditions where its light and fluffy all the way, but Hokkaido is the best for that. 

I have no complaints at all, the pow here is amazing, but you definitely need the ability to cut through heavy pow on a board here too.


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## readimag (Aug 10, 2011)

I ride a mid-wide with a size 10 foot and there is no reason I need to ride it, but I do like the feel of the board when doing butters or rails. Really it all comes down to how a rider likes the board he is on. Yeah some people are trying to let the tech ride for them, but that happens in every sport.


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