 Poster: A snowHead
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ok, looked at this originally, and then havent checked it, and now totally confused!! 
Firstly - uneducated input on a board for instructor - having switched boards recently, and spent most time in a fridge, but now ridden both in both situ's, I would say a shorter board, twin or like twin would be best - and probably something you dont mind getting dinged by beginners! My understanding of centered and set back, is that the bolt holes are simply laid back so a 'normal' set up is slightly back for more powdery riding. Park boards I believe tend to be more centered as they are ridden switch more often supposedly. I think the boards are designed to flex the same if they are centered or set back twins (Im guessing true twins are never set back).
As for a mountain board and stevomcd's suggestion, I bought a 2011-12 Custom for my trip in Feb (it was brand new) and thanks to epic snow, I got to really test it out in the fresh stuff (only on piste, but still amazingly deep). I went from a 156 to a 162W and the difference was amazing. The custom is a great board, although for hardpack piste bashing Ill probably go back to my UnInc 156.
Ok, now on to my riding, as this thread is full of much more experienced riders and instructors (I live in the desert so go easy on me). During my learning, I had been taught that you have to keep everything over the front foot, you even held your leading hand over the tip during turns. Now Ive moved more towards the Steve McNab way of thinking, and practice often with my hands on my knees, which obviously evens things out, but my wife has a tendancy to lean back away from the turn and Ive always encouraged her to move out over the nose to help intitiate a turn, but could this be causing her to have more skidded turns rather than carves?
Some feedback on this would be great as I really want to get her carving properly this year, and she has been scared off by a poor instructor and would rather listen to me tell her the wrong things. (I am a qualified teacher in golf so i 'guess' she just likes the way I communicate stuff to her).
My plan next year is to try to force her to have a lesson one morning, and then for me to find a local SH in Avoriaz/Morzine who wouldnt mind showing me some 'beginner' off piste in the area as Ive not progressed on to that yet  Im in the 'look at me im outside the piste markers' stage.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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dennisp, encouraging learners to get their weight over their front foot is fine. Indeed, it's really useful in the early stages as most people (like your wife!) tend to lean back and therefore struggle to turn properly.
IMO, it's a bit of a side effect of most snowboarders quitting lessons as soon as they can get around the mountain in a basic manner. They maintain the idea that weight on the front foot is a good thing.
Movement to the front foot is important to initiate a turn, but it should be a brief thing, with weight moving to the centre and then the back of the board pretty quickly. If the turn is going around a clock face, then you're on the front foot to intiate the turn at 12 o'clock, but getting the back foot engaged by 2 o'clock.
If you keep weight to the front, yes, you will skid your turns, as the back end won't grip and will slide around.
Carving is a slightly specialised type of turn. Moving the weight from the front foot to a more centred position alone won't create a carved turn (although it should create a grippier one).
A way to introduce carving might be J-turns:
1. On a gentle slope, drop-in and ride straight down the fall line to gather a little speed.
2. From a centred stance, roll the board onto an edge (try toes first).
3. Maintain the centred stance and allow the board to follow it's own path (this should be a curve based on the sidecut radius and the amount of edge angle you're creating).
4. Focus on maintaining the grip (same as when traversing) and just holding the position, let the board define the size/shape of the turn.
5. Do the same thing on the other edge, before eventually looking at changing edge across the fall-line to go from one carve to the next.
Once you can carve clean arcs on easy terrain this way, there more dynamic techniques to give you more control over the turn shape - the above is a bit "park and ride" (i.e. static).
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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By the way, Steve McNab ? Have I secretly infiltrated Neil's thinking somehow? 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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stevomcd, lol, sorry, maybe you are moonlighting as Mr McNab.
Really appreciate the response, its most helpful. What you are saying would certainly be contradictory to what she (and probably we) are doing, so will work on that for sure. Going back to J turns on a super wide slope so she can hold the full edge through turns to start with would be a great start for her.
Now I just need her to be able to rock from edge to edge down a narrow road with a drop on one side, and we will be all good! (the traverse type path ways I mean. In Whistler she was far happier on the steeper blues, than on the narrow greens  )
Thanks again
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