So you’ve just bought your new snowboard, have your bindings and you’re about to set them up – but you’ve just realized you aren’t sure how to tell nose from tail on a snowboard!
So you’re not sure where to set up your front binding.
Why Do I need to Know Nose from Tail
If you have a true twin deck then it’s no problem and it doesn’t matter which way you set it up. But for anything but a true twin it’s important that you set your board up so that it’s riding in the correct direction.
For example if your board has a setback stance and you set it up the wrong way then you’ll end with a stance that has you closer to the nose than the tail – and that’s just going to be awkward!
But there less obvious reasons why your board won’t perform properly if you set it up backwards. Things like the side-cut, the camber profile and the length and width of the nose and the tail can all make riding your board backwards less than ideal.
Related: Snowboard Shape
Related: Snowboard Setback Stance
So How Do I Tell?
There are a few simple ways to tell so that you know which way is nose (aka tip) and which way is tail.
Nose or Tail Test #1: Measure the Setback
If your snowboard has a setback stance then use this one.
Measure from one end of the snowboard to the first set of binding holes (those closest to the end).
Measure from the other end of the snowboard to the first set of binding holes at that end.
Whichever distance is the greater distance will be the nose end.
Nose or Tail Test #2: Check the words/graphics
Check the graphics. If there are any graphics or words that have a certain way up and they run width-ways across the board then if you stand the board with its tail on the ground and nose at the top then the writing/graphic will be the right way up. See image below.
Nose or Tail Test #3: Check out the Board at a an Online Store
If test #1 or #2 still don’t help – maybe because the writing run from tail to nose or nose to tail (rather than across the board width-ways ) or the graphics are symmetrical or don’t have a particular way up – then try this one.
Go to an online store that sells the board or to the manufacturer’s website. Usually the board will be shown vertically (like the shots above). The nose is at the top and the tail at the bottom. If the graphics are completely symmetrical and there are no words then you won’t be able to tell from this but otherwise you should be able to work it out by doing this.
Thanks for Reading
Hopefully one of those methods will help you to determine where the nose of your snowboard is and where the tail is.
If you’re still having trouble determining this then leave a message in the comments section below and I will try to help you figure it out. Or if you have any other ways that you know of for determining the nose and tail let us know in the comments below.
I bought my daughter a new snowboard and we have been out at Breckenridge for 2 days. She didn’t have a stomp pad so we bought one and when I was about to put it on I said to myself this looks weird because the writing on the board was upside down. Anyway, thanks for your great post and explanation. Of course it was backwards so we reset the bindings, put on the stomp pad and we are all set for tomorrow!!
Hey Neil
Glad you were able to figure it out and correct it. Hope you had a great day!
So I saw a guy sittin on his butt as I was going up the lift the word on the bottom of his board was upside down and back wards, so I thought o he must be guffy, not so.
Just wanting to know the nose side of my Burton LTR wave 150cm blue snowboard
Color side or black side ?
Hi Eddy
Thanks for your message.
It’s hard to say, as the LTR is just a rental board usually, not a production model, so it’s hard to find specs for it. And there are several different colorways over the years. But I think I found an image of the model that you mean. And I think, at a guess, it’s the end with the white Burton symbol – so the black end.
But since the LTR, from what I can tell, is a true twin, centered board, it doesn’t actually matter which end you set up for because the board is, as far as I know, completely symmetrical.