Your snowboarding stance plays a significant role in how your board will perform to match your style or preferences. And the angles you mount your bindings at are one of the most critical factors in this setup.
I’ve been a certified snowboarding instructor for the last ten years. I’ve helped many of my students figure out their binding angles to help them develop their skills and become better riders.
This post will give you some suggestions for what binding angles to use. Everyone has personal preferences or style considerations, so I’ll give you a breakdown of different angles to use for various reasons.
Time to get your bindings mounted and get after it.
Initial Thoughts on Binding Angles
Before we get started on some suggestions for what binding angles to use, I want to mention a few initial thoughts on the matter. First off, everyone is different, and everything you’ll find here is a suggestion. You can always tweak the angle however you prefer.
It’s also good to know the basic terminology for mounting bindings to your board. When your bindings point toward the nose of the board, that’s known as a positive angle. When they point toward the tail, that’s known as a negative angle.
Most snowboard mounting plates make it easy to adjust the binding angles, so you don’t need to worry about figuring out your angle. Also, keep in mind that your stance setup includes the width between your two feet and the setback of where your center is on the board.
Which Binding Angles Should You Use?
The sections below will break down different angles you can use for various purposes. These are basic suggestions that many riders of a particular style will use, but you can always adjust your bindings to an angle that works best for your preferences or style.
Beginner Angles
Most beginner riders will have their front foot at a positive angle of 15 degrees and their back foot at zero or maybe a positive angle of a few degrees. This gives you a little twist towards your leading foot, which can help you stay balanced and engaged as you ride.
This 15-degree stance will make it easy to ride in one direction and is the most common stance setup for beginners. If you don’t know your dominant foot or want to explore riding in both directions, you might want to consider a slightly duck-footed stance as a beginner.
As a beginner, I wouldn’t ever set an angle of much more than the 15-degrees mentioned above. It can be challenging to learn the basics of turning, stopping, and leaning if you have a very aggressive stance.
All-Mountain Angles
All-mountain snowboarding is one of the most popular styles of the sport because it gives you the freedom to ride just about anywhere on the mountain. The boards also give you a lot of versatility in terms of what type of terrain you can ride, and your stance angles play a part.
I usually go with a 15-degree positive angle front foot and a 6-degree negative angle back foot for all-mountain riding. This is a slightly duck-footed stance that still gives you plenty of control in your natural foot forward. The negative back foot can help you ride switch.
You can easily tweak these angles slightly and get similar performance. 18 positive up front and 9 negative in the back is another common all-mountain angle, but this is somewhat more duckfooted.
Freestyle/Park Angles
Freestyle and park riding styles have unique stance requirements. The main thing with this style of riding is that you want the ability to ride switch very easily – meaning you need to be able to ride in both directions comfortably.
The key to accomplishing this is having a duckfooted stance where your lead foot is at a positive angle and your back foot at a negative angle. That way, when you flip around switch, the angles basically stay the same.
The most common freestyle binding angle is a 15-degree positive angle in the front and a 15-degree negative angle in the back. This gives you the same angles no matter which way you ride.
Some freestyle riders like to extend the front positive angle a few degrees and reduce the back. This results in more like an 18-degree positive angle up front and a 9-degree negative angle in the back.
Freeride Angles
Freeride snowboarding is one of my favorite styles. It involves tackling challenging terrains that you don’t always find at the resort. You need to have high-level skills for this style, and you also need to have your binding angles dialed in for quality performance when you need it.
Nearly every freestyle board is directional, meaning it’s designed to be ridden in a single direction instead of riding switch. This means that the angles of your bindings will be pointed further forward than with any other style.
My ideal freeride binding angle is a 21-degree positive angle up front and a 9-degree positive angle in the back. This is a bit extreme in the back foot, and most other riders I know like to keep the back foot at a 6-degree positive angle or less.
Regardless of which exact angles you choose for freeriding, I suggest that you go with positive angles for both feet. This will help you stay balanced and engaged when the conditions call for it.
FAQs
Here are some quick answers to several common questions relating to snowboard binding angles.
What angle should my snowboard bindings be?
Snowboard binding angles can be adjusted to meet your style or personal preferences. If you are just getting started, your front foot should be angled forward about 15 degrees with your back foot at zero or pointed perpendicular to the board.
How should snowboard bindings be placed?
Snowboard bindings can be placed in many different ways. You can adjust the angles that your bindings point, the width between the two bindings, and where the bindings sit in relation to the center of the board.
What is the best stance for a beginner snowboarder?
The best stance for a beginner snowboarder is to have your front binding angle pointed forward about 15 degrees and your back foot left at zero degrees or pointed perpendicular to the board. You can adjust this a few degrees one way or the other for personal preference.
What snowboard stance is best for Park?
A duck stance is usually the best snowboard stance for the terrain park. This involves having your binding angles pointed slightly away from one another and can help you ride switch more easily. The angles can be anywhere from 5 to 10 degrees.
Final Thoughts
Getting your binding angles set correctly can play a significant role in the performance and ability you get out of a board. But remember that it’s also a personal preference adjustment, and what works for one rider might not be ideal for you.
Follow the suggestions mentioned here as a starting point, and adjust things until you find the perfect angle for your needs.
About Lorraine
Terence
Hi Lorraine. Thanks for the super helpful article! Do you know of any binding systems that allow a rider to easily change stance angles, preferably without stepping out of the binding? I’ve had 4-screw bindings that make it a big-ish deal to change angles. Do you think the channel style bindings would be easier? For resort riding I’d love to set up angles for half the day riding the mountain and then switch to terrain park mode without having to hit the pro shop. Thanks!
Lorraine
Hi Terrence,
Thanks for the kind words, and I’m glad you liked the article. I’m not familiar with any specific bindings that allow you to change angles on the fly, but they might exist. I recommend getting a pocket snowboard tool, though. This will allow you to change your angles right on the mountain without needing to go into the pro shop. A lot of mountains have tool stations at the top of the lift or terrain park, too, giving you the ability to make adjustments quickly. But having those tools in your pocket will allow you to make quick work of the changes you want. Cheers to a solid winter!