How tight do you ride on a snowboard?

Novice snowboarders have an easier time sliding on wide slopes and taking big, rather than tight, turns. As you get more advanced in your riding, you can take a more narrow path down the mountain.

As I’ve started to look into mountain biking, I’ve been amazed at how narrow single-track riding is, but I never put a number on it. One cycle shop (perhaps using industry guidelines)  did: “We recommend the following trail guidelines: 36-inch-wide trail for beginners, 24- to 30-inches wide for the more experienced; and for experts, 12-inches wide.”

12 inches wide? Wow. I realize that’s “for experts,” but that’s a tight ride. Even 36 inches–more narrow than even a subcompact car–is pretty tight.

Of course, riding a bike is not the same as riding a bicycle, so the comparison between winter slopes and bike trails isn’t exact. But I wonder if riding 12-inch, 24- or even 36-inch mountain bike trails affects a snowboarder’s riding on the snow.

Bike-riding snowboarders, what do you say?