Best Stance Angles - Snowboarding 101 - Proper Binding Set Up

Mark and Shane Deep Dive What we all should think about when deciding what stance to set up. Additionally we get into proper binding set up , and a whole lot of banter around Carving , FreeRiding & Freestyle!

There is no "right" way to set angles and we encourage all of you to experiment with this - most importantly always remember - there is no Set Angles for all riding styles... we are always adjusting to the terrain of the day!

Team Riders
- Mark Morrison
- Takumi Tosaki
- Hylas Millard
- Jacob Erickson
- Carmen Leung
- Teddi Whillans
- Charles Pratte
- Zach Aller
- Mikey Doyle

Thanks To Salmo Ski Hill for the Hospitality and killer Night Shredding!

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Hosts :
Shane Johnsen & Mark Fawcett
Filmed & Edited by Mark Morrison - FSM Productions

[malcolmmoore]

This is a question I get all the time and I will now reference this video as the answer. I saw it pop up and to be honest I expected it to be a bit of a snooze fest, I've just watched the whole thing and found it all very well put together, entertaining, and informative - not that you need my validation at all, you guys clearly have way more experience than me! Good work with the channel I look forward to following it and seeing what comes next!

[Nick_Logan]

Radiology tech here. FYI, ducking your feet allows better mobility in hips for getting low and doing grabs easier. More zero angles will limits hip flexion. Since I just turned 40, I’m ducking my feet out more to compensate for loss of mobility

[coolbathroom]

I've been riding duck forever because...20 something year-old me made that decision and I stuck with it. It's been a couple decades since then and you guys inspired me to try out some posi posi this week and it was great. Just felt right. Turns felt noticeably stronger and it brought a smile to my face. Thanks for the video.

[KurtAndersen-crup]

Great stuff, always positive and kind and yet with substance, and without better-knowing although you do know better than most of us! In the summer it is great to watch these videos while waiting for the winter ❤

[gauntlet]

Great video guys. I would love to see a similar video about the positioning of the hole patterns on different boards, and mounting options of the bindings on them: ie reference stance, setback, stance width, typical measurements, etc. for different types of boards/conditions/riding styles. Keep up the good work!

[Badgers_beard]

I've been +15 -15 for as long as I can remember, I don't ride switch much on my Solomon sickstick, so thought I'd try something different.
This evening I tried +21 +6 at Seymour, game changer.
Thank you guys

[ayadal]

Thanks for posting this. I've been riding +15 and -15 for the past two years learning switch and freestyle. My knees have been hurting after riding recently. I'm going to try +12 and -12 and experiment with other angles to see if it helps.

[RollingQuarters]

Local Mt. Hood boarder who has been riding every season since 1987. Just found your channel and absolutely love it. Thanks for taking the time and putting in the fine details. Keep it up. Love, New Subscriber.

[DazDaz]

Any negative back foot angle causes me knee pain and has for years. These days I stick with +30 +12. Sucks for riding switch of course but looking after my knees is the higher priority. Posi posi with a directional all mountain board is still a riot and I'm happy with my setup.

[mankybrains]

Dang, this was a gold nugget for binding setup! Never saw anyone do this for the highback. Explained very well and advising to have those high back adjusted in alignment with the board.

I didnt even think about it because as an beginner youd figure it would automatically work as it should out of the box for those high backs. Now time to really dial in my bindings.

[haydenmurakami]

I work at a snowboard shop up in Washington, and man have I learned a lot from you guys, thanks for spreading the knowledge!!

[scfussen]

Would love to hear Mark's thoughts on cants and boot choices in the formula of stance set up.

[jimmin]

One of the best things about snowboarding is there are so many ways to enjoy it. The only governing bodies are fun and stoke. Great job in covering different styles with equal enthusiasm. Been doing this since the Sims yellow banana days and it’s still fresh, thanks to open minds like yours.

[timrross]

Great video. Very thorough.

I have always thought about binding angles from a biomechanical perspective. When I do a squat, I want my knees to point over my toes. If they don't, it puts a lot of stress on my knee joints. Whether my knees point over my toes depends on my natural turn-out, and how wide my stance is.

You can try it for yourself:

put your feet 12 inches apart, pointing at 0 degrees and do a squat. your knees will point straight forward. Now, rotate your feet out to +20 -20, and do another squat. Your knees probably still want to go straight forward, but it feels much more uncomfortable on the inside on your knee joint.

Now, get your feet wide at 24 inches apart and try the same thing. With your feet pointing at 0, your knees will point outwards and stress the outside of your knee joint, but with your feet at +20 -20, your knees will point over your toes, and it will feel natural.

Obviously, this is an extreme example, but it illustrates the point.

So, for every individual, there will be different angles that feel perfect, depending on how wide you have your feet. You can use those angles to work out the "difference", and, like you said in the video, that should be used to workout what your back binding is at for a given front angle (posi/posi, duck stance etc).

Everyone is different, so experimenting with stance is the best thing to do to get it dialed in.

I had a friend that rode +12 on the front, -18 on the back, because he broke his ankle once, and the back foot healed crooked!

[cedricsportes]

Guys, I have been watching hours and days of videos and read articles on this exact subject and this vidéo you just made is the most outstanding, learning and genuine analysis I have seen. Very objective and also rich in options and ways to improve. Thank you very much 🙏🤟

[absher]

I switched to posi posi this year and it made a huge difference in my carving. +25 / +5. Can’t believe it took me 30 years to figure that out. Haha

[corran-soul]

I’m an old racer gone snow surfer, and like Mark, I move my stance around a lot. Different boards respond better to more or less stance angle, and different conditions also require that. Generally I vary from +45/15 on my directional groomer carver, to about +35/10 for open powder bowls, and closer to about +25/5 for trees and steep terrain. I also like a super flex boot, and very flexible binding almost always so I can have ankle rock and roll on the board like a surfer. Even my stance width will vary from between 20.5” to 20” depending on boot angles. But even on the same board, I might start the day with more angle, and as conditions deteriorate during the day, I might relax the angles in the lift line to handle more challenging terrain. I only ever ride duck in park on a true twin.

[wannagoforarip]

Noice. I keep telling my kids, simply having a Dad(or mom, or buddy) that can set up your bindings correctly early on makes all the difference in the world i the beginning, and even as you progress. The mysterious art of binding setups. The Well done, dudes.

[jasondavies]

Spectacular video guys. Love the deep dives from guys that have lived this since the beginning!

[neverforgettr]

Thanks very much. After all these years, learning new stuff about my snowboard is still super fun.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge.