Binding stance setup

Since the dawn of boardsports, the goofy vs. But then snowboarding was born. And suddenly there were many more factors to consider than just which foot goes in front.

In boardsports a stance refers to the placement of your feet on the board, with one foot in front of the other foot while standing sideways. Because of this sideways orientation, balance is extremely important, and most riders naturally select a stance that provides maximum stability. In snowboarding, stance includes four main factors: footedness , width , angle , and setback. All of these factors work together to allow the rider optimum comfort and control.

It is worth noting that stance is largely preferential, and we recommend that you modify your stance based on what feels best for you and your riding style. Snowboards have a front nose and a back tail when pointed down the mountain and which foot is closest to the nose determines your stance.

There are two types of stance: regular and goofy. Regular footed means your left foot is in front and your right foot is in back; goofy footed means that your right foot is in front and your left foot is in back. Generally, your more dominant foot will be in the back to power the board and control steering while the front foot provides the balance. Interestingly, there is a strong correlation between handedness and footedness, resulting in more people riding regular right foot back, left foot forward than goofy, but there are no rules that say this is required.

For example, if you normally ride goofy right foot forward, left foot back and you spin around to ride with your left foot in front, you are riding switch. Until you have developed a comfortable riding style, the general recommendation for stance width is to place your feet and bindings slightly wider than shoulder width to start; this offers the ideal balance of stability and responsiveness. To make this simpler, most manufacturers include a reference stance that is optimized for the specific snowboard model.

Pro tip : As you ride more and better understand how your board feels under your feet, adjust the width to align with your preferences. The angles of the front and rear bindings are important because this geometry directly impacts how power is transferred to the snowboard from your hips and knees.

And as with the previous stance factors, binding angle is also very dependent on personal preference. This means your weight will be in the middle of the board and is commonly used for freestyle snowboarding. When your bindings are set back you'll have more nose than tail, with your weight being at the back of the board.

This keeps your board's nose up, so it is especially useful in deep or powdered snow. The uneven weight distribution makes it less efficient for switch riding. A duck stance is where both feet are angled away from each other. A mirrored duck stance sees both feet are at the same angle. These are commonly used snowboard binding angles for freestyle riding as it gives the rider more freedom for riding switch.

Carving is turning using only the sidecut of your board; this is usually done at speed and sets you up for riding pipe and spinning jumps.

Both feet would be at a positive angle for this, as it cuts out the overhang and positions you forward. It is not as commonly used as it once was - but it does work. You will find a personal preference for snowboard binding angles as you become more experienced. This will be down to comfort and performance and will determine whether you opt for a positive or negative angle. Here's our quick guide for what snowboard binding angles will suit you best to give you a better idea of the setup you might want to use.

If you are starting out, you might have an idea about the style you want to progress in, but a slight duck stance setup should be a good start that is comfortable and helps your progression. Finding your comfortable position within this range should be a good starting point for beginners.

If you find yourself in a terrain park, most often, an aggressive, mirrored duck stance can be useful, especially for riding switch. Your stance width is also an important factor that you will need to consider. Generally speaking, your stance should be a little wider than the width of your shoulders. A wider stance is more suited to freestyle snowboarders as it offers a more stable position and makes hard turn transitions easier, whereas a narrow stance is not as stable a position and is more commonly used by freeride snowboarders.

Now you know a bit more about stance and binding setups, you might want to find out a little more about the bindings themselves. Strap-in bindings are the most commonly used due to how easy they are. You simply slide your foot in and adjust the straps. They offer a secure and responsive hold, making them a popular choice. These have a high back that pops open, allowing you to slide your foot in before closing around your boot.

They also have a single strap at the toe for adjustments. Compatible with Burton Step On boots, Burton Step On bindings are quick and easy to use - just step on, and click your heel into place. As far as sizing goes, you will find that bindings come in general sizes from small to medium, medium to large, and large to XL. You should be able to check the manufacturer's size chart to make sure you get the right size. You can check your boot in a binding by placing it in and adjusting the straps to secure it without being painful or having any slack.

On the second photo above, notice how the highback runs more-or-less parallel to the heel edge. The majority of bindings have an extendable and retractable toe pedal. Adjust to ensure the front of your boot aligns with the front of the pedal. Some bindings offer cant in their footbeds, i.

See photos above. You should be able to sus out a great setup in no time. Apart from that, everything else has been pretty constant. Do you have any questions regarding setting up your snowboard bindings? If so, please leave a comment below! Save this for later on Pinterest! Mick is a lover of speed runs and hitting every feature on the mountain.

Ex road bike and motocross racer with plans to dabble in mountain bike racing. Spends a lot of time looking at fast cars and bikes. Sometimes an optometrist. There are some things that people just don't tell you about when you're just starting out. I really did think at the time that I would never try snowboarding again. Obviously, I got over that. But I wanted to share with you the few minutes where it could have gone either way and why snowboarding is so much more to me than just strapping on a board and riding down a mountain.

But are custom snowboards really worth it? If you had just one day to explore Cardrona Alpine Resort, where would you ride? Read on to find out what our ideal day would look like. This article is designed to teach you to keep your skis or snowboards in great condition between shop visits.

Settings I would record would be: Stance width. Front binding angle. Rear binding angle. Further to the above, the setback if any. High back angle.