SNOWBOARD STANCE

How to set the correct snowboard stance or how to adapt your snowboard stance to your stile of riding? Changing the stance angles, stance width or stance setback can make a lot of difference, but there is no right or wrong snowboard stance as long as you stay within the limits. What feels best probably works best!

How to set your snowboard stance?

There are three basic measurements you need to decide on when you are playing with your snowboard stance:

• stance setback
• stance width
• stance angles

Stance setback and stance width are usually set when you mount your bindings and then you leave them as they are, but you can play with your stance angles to find out what feels best for you.

Snowboard Stance Setback

What is snowboard stance setback (offset)? Stance setback is the distance that tells us how far back the centre between the bindings is from the centre of the snowboard (actually from the effective edge centre of the snowboard, nose and tail can be different length, but do not influence the effective edge centre of the snowboard).

Snowboard inserts are two metal inserts integrated into the snowboard. Inserts have several holes, which are used for mounting your bindings onto the snowboard. When you mount your bindings you need to know if the inserts already have some setback put in. That means they are not centred in the middle of the snowboard but set a little towards the tail of the snowboard. In this case - even if you put your bindings in the centre holes, they will be a little closer to the tail of the snowboard. Insert setback is very common and the amount of setback is related to the type of snowboard (freeride, freestyle...).

Why stance setback?

Stance setback puts the weight of the snowboarder towards the back of the snowboard, so the snowboard nose sticks more out of the snow. That is a very good idea in deep powder, not so useful in the park. That is the reason that freeride boards have inserts setback and 100% freestyle snowboards do not.

What stance setback to use?

If you are asking this you should put your bindings in the centre holes. Since the insert setback is already integrated into the snowboard you will be just fine. Only if you have some special needs like - you are going to ride really deep and soft powder, then mess with the setback and put your bindings one hole towards the snowboards tail. If you are changing your setback - setback should never be negative and bindings should never be centred forward on the board.

Stance Setback chart

• zero stance setback or centred stance - snowboard turns easily and you will have a good board control
• default holes are normally set backward for about 1 inch (or 25mm) - snowboard will behave as if it has a shorter and stiffer tail, you can make more aggressive turns, ollie higher, and float more easily in the powder
• more setback, up to 2 inch setback (50mm) - to ride deep powder in a more relaxed stance without worrying about a nosedive into the deep snow (if you set your bindings too far backwards, snowboard will be harder to turn).

Snowboard Stance Width

What is snowboard stance width? Stance width is the distance between the centres of both bindings. Stance width is simply how far appart are your feet when you are strapped in. Stance width depends mostly on your height. The width should be roughly equal to the distance from the middle of your kneecap to the ground, or about 1 inch (2.5 cm) more than the width of your shoulders. If you have chosen the right board for your length, then you shouldn't worry much about the stance width as it should be about the same as distance between the default holes on the board. If you are not an expert snowboarder just let it be.

Why different snowboard stance width?

Snowboard stance width effects your board control and you can feel even small differences in the stance width:

• Wider stance - more stability, harder turn transitions (used more by freestyle snowboarders)
• Narrow stance - less stability, easier turn transitions (used more by freeride snowboarders)

Snowboard Stance Width Chart

For some reference use these numbers:

Stance angles

Snowboard Stance Type: Regular or Goofy?

What is regular and goofy snowboard stance? If you do not already know, now is the final time to find out what your stance type is. Are you goofy or are you regular. The difference between the two is which leg is in front. If you put your left foot in front when you go downhill, you are regular and if it is your right foot you are goofy. Most of the snowboarders are regular. Using the right stance type makes it much easier to learn snowboarding.

You can know your stance from skateboarding, wakeboarding, surfing etc. or you can try sliding in your socks over smooth surface. The foot you put in front normally corresponds with your stance. The last and most sure test of your stance type is the first day of snowboarding. You will be able to tell the difference right away - try it both ways and you will feel the difference!

Stance angles

What are stance angles? Stance angle is the angle at which the snowboard binding is mounted on to the snowboard. If the snowboard binding is totally perpendicular to the snowboard length the the stance angle is zero. If the front of the binding (your toes) is angled towards the nose of the snowboard, you have a positive stance angle and if the front of the binding (your toes) is angled towards the tail of the snowboard, you have a negative stance angle.

Each snowboard binding can have (actually they always do or should) different stance angle. The angles are normally written like +24°/+9°. That would mean that the front binding is set at 24 degrees (positive stance angle) and the back binding is set at 9 degrees (also positive stance angle). Stance angles should be always in sync. If the front angle is bigger then also the rear angle should be bigger and vice versa. Do not make a really big angle difference between both bindings. The goal is to always put your body and knees in a natural position. Rear angle should never be larger than the front angle (your knees will not be thankful)! Depending on the angles you could say stance angles are:

• Alpine stance
  
• Forward stance
• Duck stance

Alpine Stance

What is alpine stance? Alpine stance is a setup used for alpine (or race, or carve) snowboards. These snowboards are so narrow that small stance angles are impossible as your feet will quickly overhang your snowboard and you will wipe out. Front and rear angles are anywhere between +70° and +35° degrees and are usually set by the width of the snowboard. These angles together with hard boots allow you to carve aggressively. For better control in short turns, the difference between the front- and rear angle should be at least 5°.

Forward stance

What is forward stance? Forward stance is the usual stance used by most of snowboarders. Both snowboard bindings have positive stance angles but they are much smaller than with alpine stance. Stance angles can be smaller because the regular snowboards (freeride and freestyle snowboards) are much wider that race snowboards. Stance angles can vary between +40° and +15° degrees for the front binding and between +30° and 0° degrees for the rear binding. Keep the difference between the front and rear angle under at least 21° degrees. Some stance angles setups:

• Stance angles: +21° on the front and +6° on the rear - this is a common all-mountain setup,
• Stance angles: +30° on the front and +15° on the rear - this is common setup if you are more carving oriented rider or if you are just starting out (stance for learning snowboarding).

Duck stance

What is duck stance? Duck stance is a stance where the front binding angle is positive and the back binding angle is negative. This stance makes your toes face different directions like Donald ducks feet. Duckstance gives you more stability as your body is aligned with the snowboard and is useful for riding halfpipe. With duck stance, the front angle is anywhere between 30° and 0° degrees while the rear angle is negative, between -1° and -20°. Keep the angles apart by at least 10 degrees. Duckstance angles setup:

• Stance angles: +18° on the front and -6° on the rear - this is more laid back duckstance
• Stance angles: +15° on the front and -15° on the rear - this is 100% (mirror) duckstance.

Stance angles and toe overhang

What is toe overhang? Toe (or heel) overhang is when your snowboard boots hang over the snowboard or better - over the snowboards edge. Toe overhang must be avoided, because if your boot overhangs the edge it will come in the contact with the snow when you turn frontside. Your boot will cause the snowboard edge to loose contact with the snow and you will fall on your face. If your overhang is really small this will happen only with deep carving turns, but it is still a bad idea. To get rid of the overhang you must adjust your stance angles. With the boot centred in a binding, rotate the binding until the boot toe and heel are directly over the edge of the board with no overhang. The larger your snowboard boot is, the greater angle you should use. If your feet are really big you should consider buying a wider snowboard. There are special WIDE snowboard models, that are (duh!) wider than regular snowboards and are made for people with big feet.

Most snowboarders do not want big stance angles so this is not a common problem but still - If the stance angles are to big the boots are inside the edges and you will not be able to put enough pressure on the snowboard.

Choosing your stance angle

As ewe said - there is no right or wrong snowboard stance (if you stick to the limits mentioned above). Start with a commonly used stance, bring a screwdriver with you and play with your angles. What feels right usually works.

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Comments (56)

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Josh D. said:

... Thanks for the informative guide.

February 06, 2007

Leah said:

... Sweet website dude, it's well written so it's relaxed and not over the top 1950's doc., and it has some great info!

February 14, 2007

admin said:

... thanks !

February 19, 2007

AJ Boarder said:

StanceFind? - The world?s first dynamic board riders? stance calibration device. Hi Guys great website. Thought your readers would like to hear about a new device which addresses the age old problem of "which snowboard stance is right for me"? The StanceFind? machine is the world?s first dynamic board riders? stance calibration device. Developed by professionals and tried and tested by expert and novice alike, StanceFind? is the only accurate way to determine the stance that suits YOU. StanceFind? will be available at select retailers in Colorado and Europe for the start of the 07/08 season. Check it out at http://www.cre8iv-uk.com/stancefind.htm

July 02, 2007 | url

anxious said:

great guide! I've been snowboarding for 5 seasons, and i am gonna try more park this year. I read through your guide for width and angle adjustment. I have decided to make my stance an inch or 2 wider, and install my bindings in the "laid back duck" stance. thanks so much for this guide!

August 26, 2007

Vince said:

Snowboard Stance With the help of this site, I was comfortable during the setup of my first snowboard. Thankyou

October 18, 2007 | url

3G said:

... Thanks again. Blogging is hard work

October 19, 2007

dswissmiss said:

Stance width Great info! I thought I was the only one with a 30/15 setup on a freeride board(grew up with a hardboot/carving setup). Just a small typo; under "why different snowboard stance width", a narrow stance is used more by freeride snowboarders no?

December 07, 2007

3G said:

... Ups, you are right dswissmiss, it should say freeride. Thanks!!!

December 08, 2007

yo said:

dum Going back the to the toe overhang. you wouldnt have to necessarily get a new wider board. All you gotta do is invest in some risers which lifts your feet up. this is obeying the law of physics

December 10, 2007

faceplant said:

... great guide, it's very helpful! but i have a question that the guide does not seem to address. what is the advantage of setting up your bindings with steeper, positive angles? I understand this will rotate your your hips forward keeping your body "focused" downhill to simplify transitions, but do higher angles affect the amount of leverage that can be applied to your board while turning? if anyone has an answer it would be appreciated.

January 09, 2008

3G said:

Gas pedal Yes, if you have only a little toe overhang problem you can also get raisers or gas pedals for your toes. I find it a bit clumsy well, if you have really big feet, you really should get a wider board.

January 10, 2008

boarder said:

Steep positive angles Hm, I would say that with steeper angles the body of the snowboarder is better aligned for deep carving turns and the body movement is more natural, maybe even the force is more focused on to the snowboard rails, so they hold better. But I wouldn't say that the force itself is bigger because of the steeper angles. You do however get more centripetal force when doing carving turns... not sure if this answers your question just my 5c

January 10, 2008

faceplant said:

steep positive angles thanks boarder i appreciate the nickel. the reason i ask is that i have been a casual rider for a few years, but recently i have become addicted to speed. i am a small guy and NOT very strong. my understanding is a close binding set-up puts alot of pressure on the thighs (quads). if i keep my bindings around 24, 10, and preferably a 25 inch stance, then i can get low to utilize more power from my glutes (a bigger muscle group) and lower center of gravity to rail turns. i was wondering if i was thinking about this problem the wrong way. i just haven't had time get out there and experiment with a different setup. lastly, i understand that the amount of force you can exert on your board really dosen't change upon binding placement; only your mass and gravity can determine that. but if your bindings are closer together, the force you are applying to the board is over a smaller surface area. this will allow someone to apply the same force as another who is riding a wider stance more effectively into a turn (by loading the camber more evenly, which will flex the heck out of that board, thus dig into that carve!). i guess i was wondering if in a wider stance would (like my 25 inch stance which may only be 1-3 inches wider than an average freeriders stance over a 63 inch snowboard) would affect my ability to direct the board? my intuition tells me no. but if i am going straight down the hill, who needs to turn anyways? just my 1c face_plant

January 17, 2008

em said:

placement of bindings? Hey bro, can you comment on the placement of bindings, with regards to the toe and heel edge. That is, the screws in my baseplates can be moved to move my bindings closer to either the toe or the heel edge. How do you know what you want? I know that you don't want any toe hang, but but how do you know if you're shifted too much toward the heel edge?

January 21, 2008

3G said:

... Hey, you want to stay centered over the middle of your stick, this is best for your balance. I would only move the bindings back if I would have toe overhang problem in which case that would again make me centered over the board.

January 23, 2008

backfall said:

more...placement of bindings So I'm a relatively new snowboarder who was using step in bindings and doing great on them. I got a new board and new strap in bindings and boots and went on up the chairlift. I then realized I COULD NOT SNOWBOARD!!! I'm 5'2, the board goes up to my chin, I used my old binding placements which were 19" apart, 15 on the front and 0 on the back. Is there a better way to place my new bindings so I can actually turn my snowbard. Maybe it's the sharp edges I'm not use to but whatever it is it has to be fixed. Please help.

January 28, 2008

3G said:

... Your old binding placement should work, but there is no wrong or right angles, try experimenting a little. Otherwise I would say that the "problem" is in your new board, not the bindings. Bindings can give you different feel how your legs are attached to the board, but the snowboarding motion, snowboarding feeling stays the same. But another, new board can handle and ride quite different from your old stick. You can have different sidecut, different stiffness... that shows a lot when you first step on a new board. You just need to get used to it.

January 28, 2008

kcearl said:

... can normal sized riders, ie normal feet size, use wide boards? Ive just been offered a good deal but its a W board but Im a size 9?? any help appreciated

February 06, 2008

boarder said:

... kcearl: IMHO - don't take it. Only if you really need your board mostly for powder, then a wide board would be the way to go. Otherwise you will have problems turning your board from one edge to another. Well... maybe not problems, but you will feel the width and you won't like it

February 07, 2008

Steve said:

Ankle problems I've been boarding on and off for about 4 years now and I've always had problems with my front ankle. After a few hours on the slope my ankle is killing me, on the outside of the leg about 2 inches up from the ankle bone itself. I'm thinking it is something to do with my setup, either the stance angle or maybe the width. I have tried setting quite a postive front angle, 30 but although this helps a bit it doesn't actually resolve the problem. Has anyone else had a problem like this or does anyone have a suggestion for improving things? Thanks in advance.

February 25, 2008

3G said:

... Steve: what are your stance angles? If you don't have some really weird angle setup I think it's more likely that your stance is to wide. But it's really hard to say. Try borrowing different board and bindings, maybe even shoes. If you can ride switch, try riding the whole day switch and see if the pain is still there (and in the same ankle).

February 26, 2008

mech board said:

buying new equipment hi there..... i have been boarding for 3 seasons now and i am looking into buying my own Equipment.... i am lost and dont have that much info on where to start for a newbe board and binds, boots... my mate told me to just by my boots this season then invest in the rest can u please give me advise on what to do and what to go for as of eqwipment. mech board

March 03, 2008

3G said:

... @mech board: Hey, first take a look at these snowboard buying tips. If you are boarding for 3 seasons you should have some idea what you want. Anyway... if you are renting stuff then boots are the most common sense thing to buy first.

March 05, 2008

Sm0t said:

0 deg on the back foot Hi, I'm more of an all-mountain rider who also loves the powder. I've always ridden with a 15 / 0 stance and never really played around with diferent settings. If I want to make curving through pow easier, would you recommend making my rear stance positive and my front stance more aggressive?

March 25, 2008

3G said:

Powder stance @sm0t: well, if the stance works for you then keep it. Most of the time I use duckstance - even for powder because I am so used to it that anything else feels weird. But generally for all-mountain and freeriding you can use more aggressive stance with both angles positive. You can try it next time and see if it works for you.

March 26, 2008

Joe said:

Quite tall, not v. wide stance I'm 5'11" and i recently moved my front binding forward to make my stance more centered (freestyle rider/freeride board). But my stance width is still only 17 inches. It feels fine on Dendex but will it be the same on snow?

March 29, 2008

Joe said:

Angles Oh and my binding angles are 15 -15

March 29, 2008

3G said:

... @Joe: 17 inches does sound a bit narrow. The best snowboard stance width is the width of your shoulders (rotator cuff to rotator cuff, no muscles) and the distance from the bottom of your heel to the top of your knee. Measure these two, and find your stance width somewhere in between.

April 03, 2008

Joe said:

... Cheers. but i realised i was measuring from the inside of each binding. oops

April 07, 2008

Ryan Paul said:

Freeride board/boots Hi, I'd love to catch your opinion on two issues of mine: 1) I'm conflicted over purchasing a strictly-freeride board for fast, black-carving and blue/black mogul runs. It's all I do. At the moment, I'm torn between the 08 Burton Supermodel X, the 07 Ride UL Concept, and an 08 Flow Whiskey X board. Any pros/cons come to mind for any of these boards? 2) I could use a point in the right direction for top-of-the-line boots for the freeriding I do described above. Was currently looking at the DC Judge. Can you toss out a few boots in particular that you would recommend me to research? Thanks in advance. - Ryan

September 08, 2008

Mark said:

Reply to more...placement of bindings Just a thought on this one. I had the exact same experience with a new board. I'm fairly experienced but had always ridden my reliable Burton Custom. Well, I bought a new Donek, took it to the top of the hill and could not turn it, plus I was catching my edges like crazy. Turns out the edges had not been detuned (beveled). If you're still having problems, take the board into a tech and have them look at the edges

September 14, 2008

SuperMex said:

Keeping it Simple. Great article. Love the fact that you kept it simple. I haven't snowboarded in a couple years and your width chart gave me a great starting point to figure out my stance. Thanks.

December 01, 2008

RomeAgent09 said:

Burton Custom Bindings Hey guys, quick question. I have angle placements on the back of my Burton Custom bindings (ranging from 1-6), and I'm assuming these increase the angle of your toe/heel inclination so you can carve better/easier..So im freeriding with the purpose of also being able to hit the park so what would be a good level (I have 2 now, 1 is perfectly vertical) Any suggestions, any experience

December 02, 2008

3G said:

Highbacks? @RomeAgent09: I guess you are talking about highbacks? Changing angle here will not incline your whole foot... if you have a bigger angle you can put more pressure on your backside turns. Bigger angle also means that you start putting pressure on your heel edge sooner since the highback is "closer" to your boot. This is good for carving and freeriding. For freestyle..park you don't want that. You want your board to be a bit loose so it absorbs little mistakes you make while doing tricks. For instance, if you land a bit on your backside edge you don't want your bindings to immediately put pressure on your board and make a turn, you want to ride out straight etc... So what is the best angle for the combination of both ? 2 seems alright to me, but it just depends on what it feels like for you. Try different angles and choose the one you like. I don't think I have ever changed these angles

December 05, 2008

Dimitris said:

Stance angles Great article! I've been experimenting with my angles but I'm a bit stuck. I ride all-mountain but have committed myself to spend more time in the park this season. I wonna be able to ride out switch from 180s or 5s, so at the moment I'm trying to bring my switch riding a level up. I've set up my bindings to full duck (+15 -15) thinking that I need a symmetric set-up if I wonna have hopes to be equally good at both sides. Is this approach incorrect? I've been ridding for 2 weeks like that, but it still feels like I'm fighting my setup. When regular, my back foot wants to push more than required on a healside turn. When sitting down to load for a big ollie, my body is not aligned properly and I end up spinning out of control when airborne. Needless to say, I didn't have this problems with my previous forward stance. Today I tried a less aggressive symmetric (+12 -12) which worked better in that regard, but I felt I was not very stable at high speed and also caught my back edge a few times (again, that was a first...). Any advice greatly appreciated.

December 18, 2008

Howie Roll said:

... Bong rip for boot stances.

December 23, 2008

Bradford said:

Thanks! Great guide. I think I'm gonna try Ducky stance...

December 31, 2008

John John said:

Difference in angles with duck you dont need to keep the angles between front and back bindings at 10. A lot of pro rides keep front and back bindings set at the same angle +/- ex: front foot 21+ back foot 20 -

January 17, 2009

Pascal said:

Freeride current angle is +30/+13 and have used this angle for many years. Now with new binding/shoes (Salomon)on my Burton Custom wide it feels occasionally like I have to carve around my back foot. Any ideas whether I need to change the angle on my back foot forward or backward to get rid of this ackwardness? Thanks.

January 21, 2009

ryan said:

ankle problems dood, i got the same problem!!! I have no idea what it is either and ive been boarding for 14 years. it started like 2 years ago. i think im just gettin old. lol. im riding 23.5 inches wide, 15/-5, offset .5in on the front, 1.5 in the back. ridin a custom x ics system. im 6 foot 3 tall. maybe stretch it before you ride? tape the ankle? ice hot? lol!!

February 27, 2009

bandageboy said:

ics and est I just got a burton custom x with C02 EST bindings and would really appreciate any advice on setting these two pieces of gear up with each other. the board and bindings have so many setting options on them that I am left a little confused. Any help would be appreciated I'm 6'6" 196lb...

April 08, 2009

Angela McLean said:

Great Info Great details here. Lets hope I do better next time now. It's easier to fall than stand for me I'm afraid!

June 30, 2009

algore said:

stance help this guide is really helpful as it sucks

July 05, 2009

Brin said:

... I agree, But in order to understand a bit more of windsurfing, you need to know that is like a surfboard but it is powered by the wind. The rig is connected to the board by a free rotating flexible joint or U joint, unlike a sailboat, a windsurfer is steered by the tilting and rotating of the mast and sail as well as tilting and carving the board. Take note that while trying windsurfing the ideal planning conditions for most recreational sailors is 15-25 knots, good luck! But why isn’t hard to go surfing? Brin @ secondhandwindsurfing.com

September 23, 2009

james said:

awsomeness thanks for ths dude it really has cleared a lot of things up. i am on my 6th season and am going on holiday in a few month,i have allways had a problem with "duck" feet. even walking normally i have a 15-20 angle, pretty retarded eh, but this was never a problem untill a few year ago i had a bad motorcycle crash and have damaged my right (leading) knee which means duck stance bindings are killin my knee. does anyone have any tips on what to do, coz im never giving up boarding just couldnt do it but ma knee is really annoying. cheers dudes

December 07, 2009

Chanceum said:

Stance and knee problems. Everyone is different, as well as injuries. After 7 knee procedures and an ACL reconstruction on my front knee, I'm forced to +45 front and 0 back for now. Weird and off the "chart" but feels good. I've messed around with duck, go back and forth, but I'm a surfer and really more into directional most of the time. I found that there's no substitute to just moving your angles and width as you feel like it. I've been coaching for years and I'm still not married to any particular stance nor width. Just go with what feels good, not what other people say Go surf and check out your angles and width if you can, I move my feet all over, but maintain my width give or take 1/8 in. And yes I am a shortboarder. Just have fun, don't stress it. http://www.morewaves.com

December 09, 2009

doyou said:

ankle pain when i hit the frontside edge hard (moguls) my backfoot hurts badly on the upper front. I have new boots and newer come across this pain before. would it help to adjust my backfoot forward? any help ...

December 18, 2009

justin said:

is this stance bad? ive been riding 0 0 for 4 years now.. because when i first got the board i didnt know that you could change it. i dont touch terrain parks and it looks like all the craving angles are larger like 30 15 for example. so my question is if i change it to 30 15 will it hurt my boarding?

December 19, 2009

Bob said:

Stance width My rock board has 4 X 2 holes in the front and 4 X 2 holes in the back. I began on this board and used the center holes. This gave me about a 21" width. My question is with my new board. It has 6 X 2 holes front and back. If I center the bindings I'm getting a wider stance. (22") Is it OK if I use the holes farthest back for the front bindings and for the back bindings use the holes closest to the front to get a 21" stance ? or must the front and back be centered in the same holes ? Hopefully not confusing, thanks much.

December 31, 2009

Adam said:

... thanks alot for the help dudes

January 01, 2010

i... said:

thanks thank you very much for the very useful info

January 05, 2010

josh said:

setup ok i just bought a new Never Summer 159 and burton c60 bindings. im setting at mirrored duck stance but every time i strap in the bindings and go down the mountain i get my left ankle about an inch from the ankle bone itself and goes up about 2-3 inches up the tendon that runs along the ankle how do i relive that problem. is it the stance is too wide or is it heel lift form the dc judge boots that i have

January 22, 2010

wc said:

toe overhang I wear a size 11.5 boot and the toe seems to overhang the board. Am I correct to assume I should adjust the stance angle so there is no overhang?

April 02, 2010

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August 16, 2010

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