This article will show you how to find the best snowboard stance setup for you. Getting your set up right should make a significant difference to your progression and enjoyment on the mountain.
Whether you’re a beginner, or a more advanced rider that is yet to play around with his/her stance, it is worth spending a bit of time getting this right and finding that sweet spot.
Everyone’s ideal stance is going to be different so it’s necessary to experiment to see which feels the best for you and your style.
This post will cover the following:
- Regular or Goofy?
- Stance Width
- Binding Angles
- Set back or centred?
- High Back Angle
Regular or Goofy
If you are not sure which way down the mountain you prefer to ride then this is the place to start. Most riders will know this already but if you’re just starting and not sure if you are regular or goofy, then you’ll want to figure this out first.
For me I already knew I was goofy as I was always goofy on a skateboard and it just felt way more natural for me.
Just to clarify regular means you go down the hill with your left foot in front and goofy means your right foot is in front. Generally speaking right-handers are regular and left-handers goofy but this is definitely not always the case. Case in point – I am right-handed but ride goofy.
How to tell
The first way you should test this is try to imagine yourself speeding down a hill on a snowboard (even if you’ve never done it before). Imagine you are going really fast. With which foot forward would you fell in most control?
The second way is to have someone push you in the back from behind, when you are not expecting it – not too hard now! You don’t want to fall over, you wouldn’t learn anything then. Take note of which foot you used to step forward with. If it is your left foot then you are most likely regular if it is your right you are most probably goofy.
An alternative to the second method is to stand on the edge of step (the bottom step! Don’t try this at the top of a flight of stairs!). Count backwards from ten and then step off. Take note of which foot goes first.
The Slide Test
And finally, my favorite way, if you have good sliding socks and a smooth floor to slide on you can do the slide test. This is easy – just put on your slidiest (this is the technical term!) socks, take a short run up and slide on the floor. Take note of which foot you naturally led with – if it was your left then you are regular and if it was your right you are goofy.
Stance Width
Generally this is going to be slightly wider than your shoulder width.
If your stance is too wide it will be more difficult to manoeuvre the board. Imagine yourself on a snowboard with your feet really wide – it’s going to be really difficult to make any kind of sharp turn.
If your stance is too narrow it is going to give the board a really loose, unstable feel. Imagine yourself standing on a board with your feet almost together. It is going to be really hard to control the board and whilst your manoeuvrability will be awesome you aren’t likely to be able to control it very easily.
Figuring out your stance width
Try standing on a binding-less board and try out some different stance widths and see what feels most comfortable for you. To start with, get into a shoulder width stance, then move both feet slightly outwards until you feel more comfortable with bent knees than straight knees.
Measure from the centre of one foot to the centre of the other and then use this measurement as a guide when setting up your bindings.
When measuring for your bindings measure from the centre of one binding to the other.
If you’re still not quite sure the table below can act as a starting point based on height.
| Height in feet/(centimetres) | Width in inches/centimetres |
| <5’1” (155cm) | 17-18″ (43-45.5cm) |
| 5’2” to 5’4” (156cm-163cm) | 18-19″ (45.5-48cm) |
| 5’5” to 5’7” (164cm-172cm) | 19-20″ (48-50.5cm) |
| 5’8” to 6’ (173cm-183cm) | 20-22″ (50.5-56cm) |
| >6’ (184cm and up) | 22-23″ (56-58.5cm) |
This is only a rough guide and you should experiment to see what suits you best.
To some extent you want this may depend on your style. A freestyler might want a slightly wider stance for a more solid base for landings. If you require more manoeuvrability then a slightly narrower stance will help.
Binding angles
What angles you have your bindings on will depend on your ability level and your style of riding.
Stance angles is a topic in itself which I have covered in the article linked to below. Check that out to find your best stance angles.
Setback
Whether you have your stance setback (and how much setback you have it) or centred will depend on what you like to do on the mountain.
Setback refers to where on the board the bindings are in relation to the centre of the board.
A centred stance means there is an equal distance between the front binding and the nose of the board as there is between the back binding and the tail.
If the stance is “setback” then the back binding moves closer to the tail and the front binding closer to the centre of the board (further from the nose) so that there is a greater distance between nose and front binding as there is between tail and back binding.
Freestyle riders and some all mountain riders who like to ride switch a lot prefer a centred stance. This makes it easier to ride switch.
Free-riders and some all mountain riders will ride with a setback stance. How far setback that stance is depends on personal preference and the conditions you are riding in. A larger setback stance is great if you are riding in deep powder. This is because your weight is at the back of the board which assists with keeping the nose up and out of snow allowing for great powder float.
High-back Angle
The high back is the high part of your bindings that press against the back of your boots holding them in place. What angle you have on your high back will depend on your preference and comfort.
You don’t want to be too upright when you are snowboarding. You want your knees slightly bent even in a relaxed position. For this reason the high-backs should be on a slight angle tilting forward (towards the board).
What feels best for you will depend on personal preference and riding style and you should experiment with this.
As a general rule of thumb freestylers and beginners prefer a more upright high-back as it is more forgiving and easier for landing jumps and allows greater room for error for beginners.
For more aggressive riders who are into backcountry riding or if you are in the pipe then a greater forward leaning angle is typically preferred. It forces your knees to be bent to give you that lower centre of gravity and control in your turns.
What to do next?
Now that you know all of the elements of setting up your stance it is time to get on the mountain and start experimenting. Once you have all of these elements set up just how you like them, you are going to get even more enjoyment from your riding.
If you have any questions or any other tips for stance setups please leave a comment below. I try to get back to all comments within a 24 hour period.
Top Photo Credit
By Burtonbluntsnowboard (Picture taken with cellphone.) [CC BY 3.0, GFDL or CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Hi Nate,
I have 6.2, my binding is 26 front leg 9 back leg, 21 space between.
It feels comfortable for me.
If i use 18 front I feel pain on my finger
Hi Lucas
Thanks for you input. Appreciated.
I’m guessing you meant pain in your foot, or knee or something like that, rather than finger?
Hi, thanks for answering,
I feel pressure in my fingers when I use 18 on my front foot, it means for me i need turn my binding to be comfortable, but at the same time I am afraid that my foot is turning too much using 26.
Hi Lucas
I’ve never heard of binding angles affecting someone’s fingers before. That’s a new one for me. Really interesting. If you find 26 comfortable, then I don’t think it’s too much. Some racers and slalom riders have much greater angles than that.
Hi Nate,
I have a question about hi-back rotation on bindings? I’ve received conflicting advice on whether or not the hi-back should be rotated to be parallel to the heel side edge. Some say that gives you more power but others say you should keep the hi-back true to the angle of the binding. Anything thoughts on this?
Sorry if you answered this someplace else and I missed it. Many Thanks!
Hi Frank
Thanks for your message.
I’m fussy about a lot of things in snowboarding (and generally speaking) but high back rotation is one thing that I’m not that fussy about. I do it, if the binding allows it, but if it doesn’t, then I’m not too worried. It’s not something that I notice makes a lot of difference to be honest – and I tend to notice differences that others don’t. So, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I think it helps, ever so slightly, with power transfer, but it’s very subtle, so there’s no harm in doing it, if your highbacks are capable of it, but if they’re not, it’s not something I would lose sleep over.
Hope this helps
Hi Nate, I am having trouble finding my sweet spot with my stance and my binding angles. I am 6’3″, my stance width is 22ins and my binders are +12/-6. I mainly ride one directional at the moment, but I have been trying to ride switch as well. When I push down on the nose, my back knee pushes inward which causes knee pain and my board feels loose/wobbly as if I’m losing control. What I have been reading says, if stance is too wide then knee will push inward and if stance is too narrow then the board will feel loose.. I am having both issues, I have slowly been narrowing my stance trying to get my knee not to push inward, but it still pushes inward. Any suggestions on how to fix these issues? Thank you in advance for any tips…
Hi Jason
Thanks for your message.
Hard to say for sure but you could certainly try some more experimenting to get that sweet spot. 22″ doesn’t sound wide for someone 6’3″, but still might be worth trying something a little narrower than that, if you haven’t already, to see if it affects the back knee. Narrower does tend to feel looser, so I get that if you’re getting a loose feeling, that you don’t want to exacerbate that, but it’s worth trying.
The other thing would be to try changing up your binding angles. I would first try going +15/-15 or something like that and see how that goes. No idea if that will help with the knee pushing in, but it’s worth a try, if you haven’t already.
Also, if you could let me know the board you’re riding plus your weight, boot size, the size of board you’re riding. The looseness could be down to the board being too small for you – or it could simply be a loose feeling board.
Hope this helps a little
Getting back into riding after a 15 year hiatus. Went the other day and felt more comfortable riding heel edge than toe edge. Tips for setting up the board to make riding toe edge more comfortable?
Hi Jason
Thanks for your message.
The only thing I would really look out for is that your boot overhang is even heel and toe. If there’s a lot of heel overhang and not a lot of toe overhang, then it’s going to be harder to get leverage on that edge. But I wouldn’t go with a lot of toe overhang versus heel overhang. If you really want to you could try it with just a touch more toe than heel overhang and see how it goes, so long as the toe overhang isn’t so much that you’d risk boot drag. But I certainly wouldn’t go too “toe heavy” with the overhang. But if it’s the case that you currently have more heel overhang than toe overhang, see if you can adjust your bindings so that you can get that more even.
Otherwise, I think it’s one of those things that will come back to you as you ride more.
Hope this helps
I am pretty big dude at 6’4 and shoulders are pretty wide would it be smart for me to have a stance approximately shoulder width or maybe a bit longer I feel comfortable I just don’t want it to close.
Hi Keith
Thanks for your message.
Ideally you want to experiment a little. Start with something around 23″-24″ for you I would say. And then try something slightly wider. If you preferred the wider stance, then go with it. If you preferred the first stance you tried, then try something narrower. Then decide which one you liked between them. If that makes sense. It’s what you feel most comfortable with. But yeah, I would go slightly wider than shoulder width at least to start with and then experiment from there.
Hope this helps
On my snowboard the bindings can be adjusted forwards or backwards towards the toe or heel side and I can’t find anything about this on the internet. Should I have them more toeside or heelside? Or in the middle? Thanks
Hi Nico
Thanks for your message.
The best setup is so that it makes your boot overhang roughly centered (i.e. similar amount of heel overhang to toe overhang). If you can’t get it perfectly centered, then going with more overhang on your heels is preferred, particularly if you have a lot of overhang (just because it’s harder to get deep enough on a heel side carve to get boot drag, than it is on your toe side).
I find that this typically mean’s that the actual bindings baseplate is typically closer to the edge on the toe side than it is on the heel side (though sometimes both might be close to the edge), but it depends on the binding’s size, the heel cup and whether that can be adjusted or not, the width of the board. But the key point is to get the boot overhang as close as possible to centered while keeping the bindings inside the edges of the board.
Hope that makes sense/helps
Look at the range your binding suggests for not size: if it’s a large binding for size 10-14 for example, and you are size 10, push the binding towards the toe edge, size 12 in the middle, size 14 push towards the heel… I find this a good guide line.
Then put your boot in the binding so you can look to see how much over hang you have on both sides.
Hey Nate, not sure if you still answer these but I recently started snowboarding again. I am 5’8” tall and ride a 167 wide gnu carbon high beam.
Should I still setup the same as described or do you recommend anything? I’m 33 and ride some park stuff! Thanks!
Hi Dan
Thanks for your message.
Yeah, I think the only thing maybe is to have a slightly wider stance, but you still want to be comfortable in your stance, so I would certainly still go with a stance width that you’re comfortable with. Binding angles, you could go with a mirror duck (like +15/-15) or a slight duck, like +18/-9 (but lots of other variations), depending on how much you ride switch and what you find feels best. I like to ride +15/-15 even doing all-mountain freestyle stuff. More of a slight duck if riding a freeride board and not planning on doing any freestyle stuff.
Hi Nate!
How critical is it to ride the reference stance of a snowboard? How bad is it to have a narrower stance?
I seem to have a narrower “natural” stance (49 – 51 cm) compared to reference stance of many 150 – 152 cm boards. I weigh 63 kg and my height is 166 cm.
For example, Jones Frontier 152 has ref stance 56 cm and centered – 54 cm. If I set my stance to 50 cm, will the deck perform noticeably worse?
Thank you!
Hi Ivan
Thanks for your message and great question.
Jones boards do typically have wider reference stances. Typically for my size their reference stance is around 60cm – I usually ride them at 56cm instead, as that’s more comfortable for me. I think it can certainly make a difference being too far from the reference stance if you end up on a significantly different section of the camber profile. But for most boards I don’t think it matters too much if you’re only moving around 4cm narrower or wider. It depends on the board too. For some boards where the rocker and camber sections change at around the insert pack, then that can have a greater effect, but in the case of the Frontier, I don’t think it’s going to make a significant difference in terms of camber profile.
Generally speaking a narrower stance will offer more maneuverability and less stability and a wider stance will give more stability but less maneuverability, so there’s that to consider. However, if you feel your natural stance being narrow and you feel more comfortable in that position, then that’s the most important factor. You can certainly experiment to see where is the best compromise. You could try a little wider – like 52cm to see how you like the feel, but if you prefer going to more like a 50cm overall, then that’s what I would stick with.
Hope this helps
This is 100% spot on. I got a Jones 2022 Frontier 159 this winter and also found the reference stance at 60cm (23.6″) to be too wide. I’m 6ft and typically ride more like 21.5-22″ so I moved both front and back bindings 1 insert toward the middle (about 22″ or 56cm), to stay in the middle of the sidecut. Rides like a dream, absolutely love the board!
Hi Mark
Thanks for your message.
A lot of those Jones boards have that 60cm (23.6″) stance width – I always bring it down to 22″ when that’s the reference stance. Also 6ft. Glad your loving the board!
Hi,
how does placing bindings behind or in front of reference points affect the behavior of a rocker/camber/rocker board ?
Board examples; Rossignol Circuit-wide,40/20/40 or a Rossignol Angus-wide,30/40/30
Thanks !
Hi Kevin
Thanks for your message.
In my experience has very little effect if you’re only subtly away from the reference stance. The further from reference you get the bigger difference it will make. Probably less so on the Circuit, which has only a very subtle camber zone. But on the Angus, potentially if you went to wide of the reference points then you could loose pop as you’re further away from that camber zone.
Hey Nate,
I currently bought myself the NS Harpoon with money I had stored away for a long time :D, and will probably purchase the Nitro Phantom Carvers from 19/20 which I got quite a good price for. At this point you’re probably pretty sure I’m inclined towards the allmtn/freeride style, and indeed I do. I’m not the best freerider tho, and have still very much to learn about and improve in both backcountries/pows and offgroomer riding.
I meant to ask you what kind of stance would you suggest for me, agressive groomer ride but also the freeride.
Btw I’m 179cm in height and about 70 kgs.
Thanks so much in advance, and stay safe in these troubled times!
Hi Patrik
Thanks for your message.
I always recommend experimenting and seeing what feels best. I know if you’ve got limited days on the mountain, you won’t want to spend too long experimenting, but spending a bit of time getting the stance setup right is well worth it, IMO. Hopefully I can help get you to a good place to start with and will only take a little bit of tweaking and experimenting from there.
In terms of stance width, I would try it out at home and see what feels comfortable and measure that stance and use that as a starting point. Likely to be around 540mm to 580mm for your height. If you want a number, I would start out around 560mm (22″) and then experiment from there. Note that going narrower usually leads to more maneuverability and less stability and going wider the opposite.
For binding angles, on this board and with a more freeride/aggressive all-mountain kind of style, I would probably try a more forward stance rather than like a mirror duck stance, unless you have a big preference towards riding duck. Maybe try a forward stance like +21/+3 or something like that and see how it feels. Then try a more duck like stance – maybe like +18/-9 or something. Decide which you liked better then try something in between. E.g. if you preferred the +21/+3, then maybe try +18/-3 or something then decide again. If you still liked +21/+3 better, then you could keep that. If you preferred +18/-3 then keep that. Again, if you initially preferred +18/-9 over +21/+3, then try something in between like the +18/-3, then decide again.
If you’ve got the time, try to find one or the other (stance or binding angles) first, before experimenting with the other.
For setback I would stick with the reference setback on the board. If you have the time/inclination to test that, you could also see how you like the feel of increasing the setback a little, but otherwise just stick with reference setback.
Hope this helps
Hey Nate
Thanks for all you knowledge & help, so i have another question for you, decided i’m getting to old for park & freestyle and wanting to get more into freeride, so much so that i purchased the K2 Simple Pleasures, which you helped me with sizing, thanks again, so my sweet spot for stance angles on my all mountain board was 21/18 with a centered stance of 22″. Would this carry over to the k2 SP & would you recommend staying with the suggested setback or try & get it more centered for the conditions down here in NZ or keep with the setbaack & my usual setup ?
Cheers again
Phil
Hi Phil
I would ride it at the suggested setback. It’s only a 20mm setback on effective edge, so it’s not massive in any case, and unless there’s good reason not to, I usually try to ride at the setback the board was designed for. And if you’re not going to be riding switch much, which I’m guessing you wouldn’t be with the Simple Pleasures, then yeah, I would stay on that reference setback, even when there isn’t any fresh snow. If you wanted to change it up, then the only thing I would potentially change is increasing the setback for powder days, but it’s not a board I would personally ride centered.
In terms of binding angles you could try a more forward stance if you wanted, again assuming you’re not planning on riding a lot of switch on that board. But in saying that those angles would be fine too, if that’s what you feel most comfortable with. But there’s no harm in experimenting and seeing what you like. I would start out with the angles that you liked on your other board and see how that feels, then I would try something like +21/+3 or something like that, where you’re back foot is flatter (I’m assuming when you say 21/18 that it was +21/-18). See which you like better. If you preferred the older stance, then that might be your sweet spot regardless of board. If you prefer the 21/3, then you could stick with that, or try something in between and see what you prefer. But yeah, no harm in doing a little bit of experimenting there.
In terms of stance width, again, I think you could try some things out, as it’s a different board with a different feel. I would try it roughly a 22″ stance to start with, to keep your stance how you’re used to it to start. Then I would see if you prefer the 21″ reference stance on it (assuming you went for the 156 in the end?). Up to you whether to test angles or width first, but ideally you’d test them one at a time.
Of course, if you don’t have the days to use to try these things out, then you could stick with what you’re used to. But if you’ve got the opportunity I think it’s a good idea to try some different things. Especially if those things aren’t too extreme – even if they end up feeling not quite as good, they shouldn’t make things terrible.
Hope this helps and hope you have a great season down there – I’m jealous that you’re season is starting!
Awesome thanks again Nate
Just a quick one, so i’ll be running my Malavita’s & Vans Aura Pro’s with the K2 SP, would these be a good match or maybe something else
Also what are your thoughts on the burton Step On? Really liking the idea of the ease of it all, especially at my age
Cheers
Phil
Hi Phil
I think the Malavitas and Aura Pro would work on the Simple Pleasure’s if you didn’t want to have to change them. I haven’t ridden the Simple Pleasures, so I don’t know for sure how the board feels, but K2’s flex rating seems to match the Malavitas and Aura Pro’s fine. I have seen some people rate it a little stiffer, in which case going a little stiffer in boots/bindings, might be ideal, but not like completely necessary or anything – and again, I’m not sure how the board feels in reality myself, so that’s just a guess based on what I’ve heard from others.
I still haven’t had a chance to get on the Step Ons. I hope to this winter (though I said the same thing last winter!). But yeah as of now I don’t have any personal experience with them unfortunately.
Hi Nate
I wish I found your website before buying any of my snowboard equipment, thank you for all the valuable and clear info!
I have a question about the setback. I bought a Burton Custom Camber snowboard and it’s considered directional shape with a little longer nose. If I want to have a center setback to focus more on my freestyle riding, where do I measure my Center setback from? If I do it from the Center, the nose will be slightly far compared to the tail. If I measure from the nose/tail, the Center of the snowboard won’t be the same distance to the binding. So where should I make the distances equal from? The Center of board or nose/tail?
Hi Hamad
Thanks for your message.
A 12.5mm setback is often a little tricky to center up. That said, with the channel on the Custom, you should be able to do it fine.
That 12.5mm setback is the setback along the effective edge of the board – so the overall setback is a little more with that longer nose. On a directional board like that you don’t want to have equal distance between the back binding and the tail and the front binding and the nose. If you were to do that, then you would end up with a “set forward” stance on effective edge. So you will want to center on effective edge, rather than the overall length of the board.
To do that, the best way to go is to start out setting up in reference stance. In reference you’ll be setback 12.5mm on effective edge. The simplest way to do it is to either move the front binding 12.5mm towards the nose of the board or the back binding 12.5mm towards the center of the board by 12.5mm. Moving the front binding towards the nose would give you a slightly wider stance and moving the back binding towards the center will give you a slightly narrower stance than reference stance.
Given that you’re looking to focus more on freestyle, I would be leaning towards moving the front binding to give you a slightly wider stance width – as it’s typically better for freestyle riding – but you could certainly try doing either, depending on what you find more comfortable.
After doing that, if you measure from the center of the back binding to the tail and the center of the front binding to the nose, the distance from the center of the front binding to the nose will still be longer, because the nose is longer than the tail. But that will just be outside the contact points, so you should only really notice that when in powder. I wouldn’t try to get perfectly centered between nose and tail, because you’ll have a set forward stance on the effective edge, which would likely feel a bit weird.
Hope this helps
I am not sure why 12.5mm setback is required, wouldn’t it make more sense to Center the stance along the effective edge? This way the distance between the Center of the front binding and nose will still be longer than the distance between the Center of back binding and the tail.
Hi Hamad
Setting back on the effective edge can help with float in powder and also a lot of people prefer a setback feel when carving
Hi Nate. I`m a bit confused about my width stance. I have some questions…
I’m 177 cms and my board is a Yes Standard 156. My style of riding is all mountain closer to freeride.
This year i want to try +18 and +6 angles, what do you think????
And about the width stance I have some doubts, according to my riding style what do you think about 54 cms??? 54 cms is the referenece of the board. Maybe 53 cms would be better???
And the last question, I have it clear that I must have a setback stance, but i don’t know how many cms, 2 cms would be enough????
Thanks for you articles, them are very helpful!!!
Hi Mario
Thanks for your message.
With all things stance, I find the best thing to do is experiment. What feels best for you is a pretty individual thing. Some things can point you in the right directional for sure, but from there I would highly recommend experimenting to see what works best.
For angles, typically, if you’re more freeride oriented, then trying a more forward stance is a good idea. Especially if you’re not going to be riding switch much or at all. I would try something like +18/+6 as you suggest, then if you like it better than what you’re currently riding, you could try something in between, and then decide which you like the most.
For stance width, I would try something narrower and try something wider and see which you feel most comfortable with. Typically you get a bit more maneuverability, at the sacrifice of stability, when you go narrower and visa versa if you go wider. Wider is typically done for more freestyle oriented riding and narrower for more freeride. But again I would experiment to see what the sweet spot is for you.
In terms of setback, if you’re not riding switch at all, I would try setting back more than 2cm and see how it feels. If you don’t like it, then go back to something like 2cms.
Hope this helps
Hi Nate
I have been Snowboarding for 3 years now (1 week each year).
The one thing I really can’t seem to get the hang of is bending my knees enough,
I feel like I bend them loads but I’m continuously getting told by friends that I need to bend them more. Which I will do then I just naturally seem to straighten them out again.
So when Im snowboarding I’m not very fluent and also spend far to much time on my heel edge.
I was hoping I would just naturally get better, but 3 seasons later I’m still struggling and not feeling totally comfortable.
I have been using a DC PLY 156 board with burton bindings for the last 2 years.
Iv tried widening my stance to force me to bend my knees more but it doesn’t seem to work.
Do you have any tips for me to get past this hurdle?
Or any tips on making it more comfortable to turn on to my toe edge?
Cheers
Carl
Hi Carl
Thanks for your message.
What’s the forward lean like on your highbacks? If they’re quite upright, then you could try increasing your forward lean. That kind of forces you to bend your knees more. It can be uncomfortable to being with, if you’re used to quite upright highbacks – but once you/your muscles get used to it, that’s one way you can encourage your knees to bend more. You could even gradually increase the forward lean – a little more each day you ride to slowly get used to it.
You could also experiment with binding angles. Even just standing in your snowboard stance on the ground and try moving your feet to different angles and see what kinds of angles feel more comfortable for you in terms of bending your knees in those different positions. If there are particular angles that make you feel more comfortable you could try adjusting your angles to that position for when you ride.
One last thing you could try is squats. It might be that you’re muscles aren’t adept to being in that bent position and training your muscles before you hit the slopes could help. Now, I’m not a personal trainer or anything – so that’s not a recommendation or anything – but I personally like to do some pre-season stuff to get my body ready for snowboarding and find squats to be a good one for me.
Once you start bending your knees more, you’ll most likely naturally start feeling better on your toe edge.
Hope this helps
Hi Nate
Thanks for the reply.
I just got my bindings out to have a look and they are set at there most upright position (F1), so I have angled them a bit (to F4) it doesn’t seem to look or feel like a massive difference but I’m hoping that it will on the mountain.
As for the angles I have always used 15degrees on my front foot and 9degrees on my back foot. I will play around with different angles this year though. Do you have any recommendations of a good starting point?
As for the squats, I actually made it a mission of mine to hit the gym this year (after feeling so unfit last year) so have been doing plenty of squats and will continue to in preparation.
Thanks again for the advice, it’s greatly appreciated
You’re very welcome Carl.
In terms of binding angles, I like to test extremes first then work my way in. Like starting with +15/-15 – mirror duck – and then going for something like +18/+3 or something like that, that’s completely different. Then continue to test the one that I like against something that’s closer. E.g. if I preferred +15/-15 over +18/+3, then I would see how something like +18/-9 might feel and then reassess again. For your case, since you’re already used to your +15/-9. I would see how something like +18/+3 feels. If you prefer the +15/-9, then try +15/-15. And see what you prefer of the 3.
Good job on the squats and hopefully that in itself can make a difference, in addition to those high back angles. They never seem to look like much difference, but I find they do make a good bit of difference when riding.
Hi Nate. I got into snowboarding to give my daughter a partner to go with.. I’ve been out practicing and seem to favor my toe edge. Do you have any recommendations for how to get over that. I dont know if it’s because I’m scared to fall backwards. And I lean foward to much?
Hi Andre
Thanks for your message.
It could be a number of things. A lot of people are actually more comfortable on their heels to begin with, but everyone is different.
It could be that you’re scared to fall backwards, though your back is facing up the hill when on your heel edge, so usually people are more afraid to fall forwards down the slope when on the toe edge. It could be that you don’t bend that way as easily, which is something that will come with repetition.
It could be that your setup is off. If you have a lot of boot overhang on your heel edge, compared to your toe edge, you might be feeling that you’re over-balancing when on your heel. So, I would check your boots to make sure that there is a relatively even heel and toe overhang.
Can you also let me know the board that you’re riding. I’m guessing you’re not riding an asymmetrical board, but just in case, as that could be a factor. If you’re hiring, then it won’t be.
You could try adjusting your stance width and binding angles too, to see if that makes any difference.
Otherwise, it might just be technique and something you need to work on. I highly recommend getting at least one lesson. A qualified instructor should be able to point you in the right direction technique-wise.
Hope this helps
Hi! I just got a Morrow Truth (directional twin) When mounting my bindings I used the center holes on the pattern. (There is no reference markings) By doing that I have my perfect 22” stance. However when I measure center of the front binding to the tip of the nose it is 2 and a half inches longer than the center of the rear binding to the tail. Does this seem correct to you? Thankyou and Happy New Year
Hi Mat
Thanks for your message.
I’m not that familiar with Morrow boards, but if it’s a directional twin, then it’s likely that the nose (beyond the contact points) is longer than the tail. However, 2 1/2 inches longer is quite a lot, if there’s no setback. From what I can tell, the Truth is supposed to be centered, so that sounds like quite a big difference.
Are the bindings setup on the same part of the hole pattern on both bindings? If that makes sense? So, are there the same amount of holes showing on the outside and inside of each binding.
It could be the case that that’s how it’s supposed to be as I don’t know the baord, but given the specs of the board, it seems like it shouldn’t be like that to me.
Hi,
I recently got a new board, and the holes are forcing my stance to the setback, it’s almost like I need two more holes. I have only had a centered stance since I began 4 years ago. My width between bindings is 18 inches, I measure the front to binding to be about 16 inches and the tail to be about 15 inches. I read this is a freestyle stance but that’s not what board i have or ride. Any suggestions?
Hi Stefanie
Thanks for your message.
Can you let me know the board that your ride? Also, can you measure from the center of the binding to the center of the binding for your stance width and from the center of the front binding to the nose and the center of the back binding to the tail. At the moment it sounds like you’re measuring from the edge of the bindings – as when I total 18, 15 and 16 inches it comes to just 49″ and I’m guessing you’re riding a board longer than that? It’s just a little easier to work with measuring from the center of the binding.
It might be the case that you have a directional-twin board, which would mean that the nose is a little longer than the tail but that you are still centered along the effective edge. Setback is calculated along the effective edge of the board, as that’s what makes contact with the snow, rather than the overall length. Unless you have a twin board, then there will be a different distance between the front binding and the nose and the back binding and the tail, even when centered on the effective edge.
But yeah, if you can let me know those measurements and the brand, model and year of the board, then i’ll be able to say for sure.
Hey Nate – as usual great information, thank you! Hoping you can give me some clarity here. So I played with stance width and my board does seem to initiate turns quicker if I’m a bit more narrow (which is what I was looking or). My question is on setback and binding angle. Taking powder out of the equation, is a centered stance or setback stance more conductive to quick turn initiation? Also, how do binding angles play into the mix? Is a duck stance better for quick initiation or something else (not riding switch currently) ? Looking for the best control potential and quick turn ability – consider myself a low intermediate and trying to progress onto some steeper terrain. Thanks again!
Hi Nate,
First of all thanks for your great page, it helps a lot. I am 174 cm tall and used to ride a 51.5cm width (Rome Buckshot, length 251cm). Now I have a pretty neat new Rome Gangplank (length 254cm) that allows either a width of 50cm or 54cm. I tried both, and both havent felt really great (probably because I’m so used to the old width). What’s your opinion?
Second question, is there a good order for fine-tuning stance width, angle and highback setting?
By the way I am doing a lot of buttering and jumping but mainly on the slope, less in parks on rails and big jumps etc.
Greetings from Germany, Simon
Hi Simon
Thanks for your message.
I’m a little bit confused about the numbers that you’re giving me.
For the Buckshot you say a length of 251cm – I assume you mean the 151cm.
But for the Gangplank you say 254cm – there’s a 152cm and a 155cm – did you mean the 152cm?
I assume it’s the 152cm for the gangplank, as the 155cm has a minimum stance width of 52cm and you say you have width options of 50cm and 54cm. But that’s the other thing that confuses me here. The reference stance on the Gangplank 152 is published as 53cm. So it seems strange that you are weighing up 50 and 54 options.
Also, the reference stance on the Buckshot 151 is also 53cm – the narrowest is 49.5cm – so I get you could have gone narrower on that.
Is there something I’m missing here? Or maybe they have different sizes in Europe?
But regardless of those numbers you should be able to have more stance options than that. i.e. if you do have the option at 50cm and 54cm you should also be able to adjust to 52cm, and still remain in your centered stance (i.e. moving each binding by 1cm each) assuming your running your binding discs horizontally. If you’re running your discs vertically (which you might be doing to ensure even toe and heel overhang) then yeah you’ll only be able to move each binding by 2cm increments. If that makes sense.
Generally speaking at 174cm tall, I would say somthing around that 51cm, 52cm stance width would be typical, but everyone is a little bit different as to what feels best. It sounds like something around 52cm feels best for you – and for the type of riding you’re doing I would say that sounds about right. 54cm isn’t too wide though, at all. I sometimes ride with 58cm (and even have done 60cm and still felt comfortable). I am 183cm so there’s certainly some difference there. But I wouldn’t say that 54cm is overly wide for 174cm – so I think that’s still doable. But it’s mostly what you feel most comfortable with. If you only have the option between 50cm and 54cm, then it’s really what feels best for you. If I had to make a call, I’d be leaning towards 54cm over 50cm – but definitely what feels most comfortable to you.
In terms of the order for fine tuning. I would say probably find a width that feels right first, then experiment with binding angles and lastly highback settings. Typically speaking for the style of riding that you’re doing something like a +15/-15 or other duck stance is the most common – and a good place to start, IMO. And for the highback having it as flat (i.e. no forward lean) as it can go is a good starting point for freestyle type riding – then you can play around with it from there.
Hope this helps – and if we can clear up those numbers and also if you can let me know if you’re running your disc horizontally or vertically, then I can have another think about it
Hi Nate – sorry if this is a double post, seems my first attempt failed. Appreciate the great information. Playing with stance width, I have noticed a bit quicker turn initiation with a narrower stance. My question is on setback and binding angle impact. Will a centered stance (removing powder from the equation) initiate turns quicker? Also, does a more forward style stance (ex 18/-9) initiate turns quicker than a more duck (ex 15/-15)? I don’t ride switch or park, and am a low intermediate just trying to progress to handling steeper terrain on piste. Thanks again!
Hi Dale
Thanks for your message. I got your first message, but they just have to be approved before being published.
Personally, even if you’re not riding in powder, I like the feel of a bit of a setback stance for carving, particularly on steeps. I wouldn’t say that it improves edge-to-edge quickness necessarily but I prefer the feel.
Having more of a forward stance in your binding angles, is in my opinion, probably better for riding steeps and getting more out of one directional riding. It’s also partly what you’re used to. I sometimes change to a more forward stance (Often +18/-6), when riding a more freeride board and I like the feel of that, even though I’m very used to, and mostly ride +15/-15. If you’re not going to be riding switch, then I would definitely experiment with your binding angles. But it’s different for everyone too. It might be that a +21/+6 is in theory better for charging in one direction, but it’s also what you feel comfortable with and what your body feels comfortable with. I always recommend experiencing to find the sweet spot for you. One good way to do that is try more extreme angles at either end and then work your way in. E.g. start with +15/-15, then change to a very different stance like +21/+3 or something like that. And see which you preferred. If you preferred something like the +21/+3, then try something a little more moderate, like +18/-9 and then see which you preferred and work your way through a few different stances that way.
Hope this helps
Thanks Nate – appreciate the quick follow up and I will experiment. Apologies again for duplicate posts.
All good Dale – and you’re very welcome. Hope you have a great season!
Hi Nate. Quick question. You mention about manufacturers preferred binding position for each board. How do I know what that is? Is it the centre of the back hole pattern?
Hi Gerry
Sometimes the preferred binding position (known as the ‘reference stance’) is labelled on the board – but not always. It will usually be the mid position of the inserts (middle of all the binding holes) but these aren’t always even. If you know the specs of the board and know what the stance width is supposed to be and you know the setback stance (if any), then you can figure out the reference stance by measuring.
If you’re not sure of these details, let me know the make, model and year of board, if you know it and I can see if I can find out for you.
Hope this helps
Hi Nate
Being a skateboarder when I was a kid I reckon I would naturally cross over to a snowboard if I ever go on a skiing holiday.
What I mean is(slightly confusing?) is that if I went to a snowy mountain I would prefer to snowboard than to ski any day.
I could probably balance and steer better than I would on a pair of slick sticks and a couple of poles.
Thanks for this instructional article I’ve just read as I seriously would love to get out on a snowy incline on a board sometime soon.
All the best you.
Pete.
Hey Pete.
I definitely get what you mean! I skated a bit as a kid and always saw myself far more naturally on a snowboard. I remember going skiing as a kid (wasn’t given the option of snowboarding – I think back then they thought it was more dangerous and the school trip wouldn’t let us board) and even though I picked it up pretty quickly I looked at the snowboarders and it always just looked more natural to be on one plank than having my legs separated on two planks.
You should definitely get yourself to a mountain – if you skated as a youngster and enjoyed it I guarantee you’ll love snowboarding!
Good article. Gives me more options to experiment to achieve a sweet spot. I have been riding for 5 years (around 11 days/year) but i still consider myself a beginner/intermediate. I started to really enjoy riding when i got my own board 3 years ago. The sooner you start exploring combination the sooner you get your sweet spot and help you get comfortable. My biggest issue, and is still bugging me, i can’t ride in a straight line without fear of wiping out therefore i can’t ride in narrow trails particularly if one side (backside) is a cliff.
Hey Jek. Thanks for stopping by. Glad the article was helpful. Definitely makes a difference finding that right set-up. Still experimenting with mine too but think I’m close to where I want to be. Getting your own board (and other gear) is a big part of it too. Brings consistency in your riding which is really important for progression.
When you are going staight it doesn’tean you are flat no mtter how flat the pros look like they are sliding, trust me they have an edge in they are never just sliding down the mountain, that’s why it always looks like they are in control, cause they are
Hey Nate. Great article and easy to understand. This should give beginners a big head start and avoid a lot of the discouragement that happens when your first starting out snowboarding. Good job!
Hey Jeremy – thanks for your input. Hopefully it can help beginners and also more intermediate and advanced riders who are yet to really sort out there stance. It was a good few years before I started to experiment with mine but wish I had done so sooner.
This might seem like a dumb question, but.. how do you move the bindings around on the board? Are there pre-drilled holes everywhere or do you need to put your own in?
Hey Jolie – no such thing as a stupid question and that definitely isn’t. Yes there are pre-drilled holes in the board. Depending on the board will depend on the hole pattern – so there is a limit to where you can place the bindings but usually you can get them where you want them. Some boards also use a channel system rather than holes, where the binding sits on a rail and can slide up and down and back and fourth. You lock them into place pretty much anywhere you want them. These have greater flexibility as to where you can place the bindings.
I think only Burton boards have the channel system at this stage (as far as I know) but other brand’s bindings can fit with the channel system but you often need to get special binding plates to make them compatible.
It is almost a science to get the right snowboard stance. You explain it very well. It just leaves trying it out and seeing what happens :).
Lis.
Hey Lis – yeah it can seem like a lot at first but it’s quite simple when you sit down and start to do it. And if you can get your stance pretty close the first time around – which I’m hoping this post will help people to do – then it should just take some small tweaks. Thanks for stopping by – happy snowboarding!