Wide vs Midwide

I have pretty big feet (about size 12 in the US) and have noticed that my feet and heels hang a little too much off either side of my board.  My toes drag on turns and I think its making basic turns much more difficult than they need to be.

I want to get a new board that is a little wider, but I’m not sure exactly how wide it needs to be.  I see Wide and Midwide, but I dont really know the difference.  Is it just a matter of how wide they are or is it where the board is wider?  Any idea which I should be looking at for my boot size?

Thanks!

I’m a US 11, and I comfortably ride boards with waist widths down to 248mm.

Granted, my current Burton SLX boots have ‘shrinkage’ tech, which gives them the footprint of a US 10 - but even with my previous boots I was riding a 250mm waist width without any problems. Anything from about 256mm - 262mm is ideal for a US 12 - but some prefer even wider.

Waist width isn’t everything, though. Stance width, stance angles and sidecut depth all factor in.

Stance width: The wider your stance, the narrower you can go.

Stance angles: The further your angles are from 0 degrees, the narrower you can go.

Sidecut depth: The deeper your sidecut radius (ie. smaller number = shorter radius), the narrower you can go.

Different board manufacturers have different ideas about what rates as ‘wide’ and ‘mid-wide’ - so look at the actual board specs, and not the classification.

Would that 256 to 262 range be considered Midwide? 

The board that I have been using is 248.  I can make shallow turns with it but otherwise I end up dragging.  Im not the best to begin with, so I think a wider board would be good for m.

To account for the width of the board, I basically have a wide stance with both feet turned outward.  It helps, but it isnt really comfortable. 

I appreciate the details!

These days, some manufacturers consider upwards of 253mm to be ‘mid-wide’. Considering that size 11 is the starting point for that classification, I guess they have a point.

Unless you’re riding a 25 inch stance width and extreme stance angles, your current board is definitely too narrow.

thanks for the help Chucky!  What do you think would be too wide?  Above 262?

Yeah, I think so, but some may disagree. Unless you’re always riding pow, I just can"t see the sense in going any wider than you absolutely have to. 262 would be considered a ‘wide’ board these days.

I have size 12 feet and ride 255 as my waist width without dramas but I ride with a wide stance and +15 -15 which helps.

I’m not sure this is correct, but to my understanding Mid Wide is between a normal width and a wide.

Eg. If the width of a normal board was SMALL and a wide board was LARGE. Mid wide would be a medium.

I have no idea if this is correct, but this is what I think mid wide means.

Can any of the shop guys or board reps confirm this?

Of course that’s correct, Andy.

Mid-wide and Wide are just the next two sizes in width up from the normal board - I’m unsure how that is confusing. That being said there is no standard as to what a mid-wide or wide have to be, even if the original is super wide, it’s still just going up by mid wide and wide - hence why it is important to check a board’s specs as some boards are naturally wide or skinny, although even then, some brands measure their width from different points; smallest point, widest point, and under foot/inserts.

I’m with chucky on this. Don’t pay attention to the terms “mid-wide” and “wide” - just look at the actual specs of the board, most importantly the waist width. I wouldn’t go over 262mm with size 12 boots. I think something around 255 and 260 would be ideal, depending on what stance you’re rocking. Try demo some boards if you can; try different waist widths and see what feels right under your feet. Once you know what waist width(s) work for you, it will be a lot easier narrowing down your options.

I thought toe dragging was cool?