The stance a snowboarder chooses when setting up their bindings makes a huge difference in whether or not they are prepared for that particular day on the mountain. But it can be hard to know how to get started. There are many factors one must consider when deciding on which kind of stance their binding should be set to: Which foot do you want in the lead? How far apart should your feet be? Set back or centered? What is your riding style? Is there a right answer or is it all about personal preference?

In this article, I’ll explain the positives and negatives in each typical option a rider has when making this decision.

Goofy or Regular

If you’re new to snowboarding the first thing you need to figure out is whether or not your stance is goofy or regular. If you have spent time surfing or rolling around on a skateboard, your stance will be the same, but if you're brand new to standing sideways, you'll have to determine which foot will be strapped in front of the other on the board. A goofy rider leads with their right foot will be in front, and a regular rider leads with their left foot. There is no benefit to being one or the other - it’s simply a matter of which is more naturally comfortable for you.

People tend to default to the belief that the front foot will be the same as their dominant hand, but there is actually no correlation, so always check before setting up your board. If you start out facing the wrong way, it will feel like you have very little board control. There are a few ways to go about finding this information, but my favorite is the socks test. Put on a pair of socks, get a bit of speed, and slide on a wood floor. The foot you naturally put forward is the same one that should go forward while snowboarding. Another way you can figure this out is the push test. Close your eyes and have a friend (lightly!) push you forward. The foot that you naturally step forward on indicates what your stance should be.

Knowing whether you’re goofy or regular is huge because learning with the wrong stance is going to be way more difficult, kind of like learning how to write with your non-dominant hand. So make sure you know which you are!

Stance Width

Another huge factor in figuring out your ideal snowboarding stance is the actual stance width, which is the distance between each binding. A general rule of thumb is to set them slightly wider than your shoulder width. If you aren’t the most experienced rider, I’d definitely recommend sticking with this width because that’s probably what you’re already used to, and messing with it could throw your balance off.

But once you feel confident with your riding abilities and want to start pursuing more technical terrain or maneuvers, it’s a good idea to experiment a bit with a wider stance and a narrower stance. Position yourself over the center of your board and use the width of your shoulders as the starting point- adjust from there. Someone looking for a slightly increased amount of stability at high speeds could try widening their stance. Conversely, if you’re looking for more maneuverability, you could move the bindings closer. I personally like to have my bindings slightly closer together, because I’ve found it allows for an easier and bigger ollie due to the increased amount of surface area of the board available to be manipulated for pop.

When you first change the width it’s going to feel a bit awkward, but not unrideable. Give it a few runs, and soon, you won’t notice the difference. The slight benefits gained from these small changes could be all the difference in stomping that backcountry booter or nailing that new trick you’ve been working on. This is more of a personal choice to make, and the best way to go finding your ideal setup is to test out the various options. Just remember to not be too drastic with either option because too wide a stance and you’ll have trouble maneuvering, and too close a stance will make you feel unstable. No need to overthink your snowboard stance width—do what feels natural, bend your knees, forward lean, and ride!

Binding Angles

You’ve probably noticed that your bindings allow you to change the angle of which they are placed on your board. Similar to the stance width, this sort of adjustment is done to favor the various kinds of riding one can pursue. Thanks to the countless possible angle configurations available, this is the most customizable of the various tweakable aspects to figuring out your ideal stance. However, there are some tried and true angle combinations that you can test out and if you decide to take it one step further you can make adjustments to them as need be.

The Forward Stance

One of those is the forward stance. The forward stance suits general snowboarding, cruising on groomers, off-piste riding, and beginner riders. This stance has both bindings angled forward. The front binding will usually be set somewhere between +30 and +12 degrees and the back binding between +12 and 0 degrees. This stance points your body forward which is more comfortable for your neck since you aren’t looking over your shoulder as acutely.

The Duck Stance

The forward stance is not the best for riding switch, though, and that’s where the duck stance comes into play. The duck-footed stance is popular among freestyle riders because the bindings are equally angled towards the nose and tail, making riding switch more of a seamless maneuver. This is the perfect stance on a true twin board. Typically, the front binding will be set to a positive angle of +15 and the back binding to a negative angle of -15. Duck stance can be slightly less comfortable, but the increased stability while riding switch can be quite useful for anyone, not just park rats. This can also be a solution if you have a larger boot size and you are experiencing some overhang with the heel/toe.

Now, just like with stance width, I’m not trying to say that adjusting your binding angles to a certain degree is a make-or-break sort of thing. You’ll still be able to get down the mountain just fine with the binding angles you’re accustomed to. However, stance angles can play a big role in the way you ride, especially in specific terrain.

Expert Tip: Keep a screwdriver in your pack to make adjustments on the fly!

Set Back or Centered?

The final factor to consider when deciding on how to set up your stance is whether or not the bindings are set back or centered.

A centered stance is when the bindings are both an equal distance from either ends of the board, utilizing the default holes and keeping your center of gravity over the center of the board. This stance is pretty equally balanced, making it great for everything from getting the basics of the sport under your belt to terrain park riding to just cruising around on some groomers. A centered stance is the more widely used of the two options, and in most cases will be the ideal way to set the bindings.

A set back stance is when the bindings are still an equal distance from each other, but set closer to the tail. This stance is really only used on powder days because it distributes the rider’s weight towards the tail of the board, which helps them keep the nose up, allowing them to float on all that fresh snow. Keeping that back foot and rear binding closer to the back of the board is well-loved amongst freeriders, so give this stance a try if you're looking for that feel, no powder necessary! Riding with your stance setback can also be really fun for carving into that toe edge, throwing big aggressive turns down a wide-open groomer.

The set back stance configuration can be done on any board, which is great for someone who doesn’t ride often enough to warrant owning a powder board. It’s not going to completely replicate the experience of using a powder board in deep snow by any means, but it will still be a noticeable improvement from a centered stance. Most powder boards will have a stiffer tail and a longer and wider nose than tail even if the bindings are centered because they are designed to be used primarily on powder days. However, you can still set the bindings back on powder boards for really deep days to accentuate these floatation features.

Some people never mess with their snowboard stance and are still great riders. But if you want to use your board to the best of its abilities for the given scenario, stance adjustments are definitely something to consider!

If you have any questions on identifying your ideal stance, please feel free to chat with a Snowboard Expert here at Curated for free advice and recommendations.