Getting the Right Snowboarding Stance

Toby Russell

If you are considering snowboard snowboarding you will need to determine which stance you intend to use. This refers to how you actually stand on the snowboard. This is important because it will also determine how you mount the bindings on the board.

Regular or Goofy ?

One option for your stance in snowboard snowboarding is to ride with your left foot forward. This is known as a regular stance. Another option as known as goofy and this stance has the right foot forward. Many people have an almost built-in preference that is much like being either right handed or left handed.

If you have experience in the past surfing, waterskiing or skateboarding you may already know what your preference is. Be aware; however, that this preference can switch from one sport to the next. Some professional snowboarders prefer to ride one way on their snowboards and actually skateboard with a different stance.

Some people may not know whether they prefer a particular stance until they have tried both ways. If you don’t want to give it a try on the side of a mountain there are a few other ways you can determine which stance is best for you while snowboard snowboarding.

Trial & Error

One way would be to slide down the hall or across the kitchen floor in your socks. When you come to a stop look to see which foot goes in first. Another way to determine which foot should be your front foot is to try biking downhill and stand up on the pedals. Look to see which put you automatically put in front.

After you have determined which stance you want to use you should give some thought to how wide you should set your stance. Ideally, the width of your stance should be slightly wider than shoulder-width. It should be balanced, stable and comfortable. For most people this will fall somewhere between 18” and 24”.

Getting your Angle

When snowboard snowboarding you will also need to find the right angle of your foot in relation to the board. Once again there is some room for personal preference here but riding style can also impact the right angle for you. If you are riding freestyle or free ride, the front binding should fall between 10 and 30 degrees. The rear binding should be angled somewhere between -15 and +10 degrees. The exact angle should be whatever is comfortable for you.

Try to avoid the temptation to compare your stance to someone else’s No two stances are alike. Your stance should be unique and what is comfortable for you. Over time, as you gain experience snowboard snowboarding your stance will also likely evolve and change. Your style of riding may also impact your choice of stance from time to time.

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