Unfortunately the issue of the right setup doesn’t get enough attention.
And binding angles are one of those setup things that can make a big difference. Too often snowboarders just stick to what they started out with – which is often just the angles that were given to you by an instructor or the angles that were set from the hire shop.
The shame about this is that there might well be a “setup sweet spot” just waiting for you that would be more suited to your style and physical characteristics.
Things Change
Even if the angles you were given from the hire shop or the instructor were right for you at the time, things change. As you become a more advanced rider you might find that different angles will really help you to perform.
If you are still a beginner then I recommend that you check out my post on beginner binding angles.
All Mountain Binding Angles
Whilst I definitely encourage you to experiment with your angles and find what feels the best for you, you need some kind of a starting point to work from.
This post is for all-mountain riders and such is the versatility of the all-mountain rider, there are a wide range of starting points to work from.
So in order to narrow it down a bit more – so that you’re not trying a different angle setup every day of the season! – I have split this into recommended binding angles for 3 different styles of all-mountain riding:
- All-Mountain-Freestyle;
- All-Mountain; and
- Aggressive All Mountain
All-Mountain-Freestyle Binding Angles
If you like your riding more casual/playful or if you like to ride a lot of freestyle (without being purely freestyle) then you are probably best categorized as a freestyle-all-mountaineer.
For freestyle-all-mountaineers I would suggest starting out with some kind of a slight duck stance.
Freestylers often (but not always) ride with some kind of duck stance (be it a mirrored duck stance or a slight duck stance).
A duck stance basically means any stance where the back binding is on a negative angle.
You may also want a forward stance so I’ll give an example of a forward stance to start with below too.
I would suggest staring with one of the following and then making slight adjustments to see what feels best for you.
E.g. if you start with slight duck +15/-3 then try +18/-3 – if you preferred +15/-3 then maybe try +15/-6 or +15/+3 and so on until you find your preferred stance.
Slight Duck +18/-3
Slight Duck +18/-6
Slight Duck +18/-9
Slight Duck +15/-3
Slight Duck +15/-6
Slight Duck +15/-9
Forward Stance +18/+3
Forward Stance +15/+3
All-Mountain Binding Angles
For all-mountain riding – somewhere in the middle of aggressive all-mountain riding and freestyle-all-mountain riding – I would suggest the following binding angles as a starting point.
Forward Stance +18/+3
Forward Stance +15/+3
Slight Duck +18/-3
Slight Duck +15/-3
Again these are starting points and I definitely recommend that you experiment to find the stance that you like the best.
Aggressive-All-Mountain Binding Angles
I would definitely ride with some kind of forward stance if you like your riding fast and steep.
That’s not to say you can’t use some kind of a duck stance but I wouldn’t personally do it. Of course, as always, experiment to find what’s best for you but I would recommend one of the following as a starting point.
Forward Stance +18/+3
Forward Stance +18/+6
Forward Stance +21/+3
Forward Stance +21/+6
Forward Stance +15/+3
Over to You
O.k. now it’s time to start experimenting. Pick a starting point that you think is appropriate for you and ride that stance for a bit.
Then switch to something quite different and see which one you preferred.
Then experiment with something closer to the one you preferred and continue until you find the angles that feel the best for you.
Thanks for reading and I hope you’ve found this post helpful for finding your binding angle sweet spot.
Related: Binding Angles for Freestyle
Related: Binding Angles for Beginners
