Regular or Goofy
There
really is no benefit between regular or goofy despite what the name might
suggest. Regular is left foot forwards Goofy is right foot forwards. You want
to lead with your dominant leg although again its different for everyone I know
a guy who wakeboards goofy and snowboards regular. When I was first starting
out one of my friends got me face away from him and pushed me, I put my right
leg forward first to stop myself stacking it so we worked out I was goofy and
its worked out pretty well. A lot of people when learning will try and chop and
change. It’s best to just stick with it.
Setting
up boards is super easy and not remotely scary when looking at your board there
will be three different ways in which you can stick your bindings to your
snowboard.
Standard
Most
boards will look like this with the binding holes set up in parallel rows. For
this configuration, you should be able to use the standard base plate provided
with your Snowboard bindings.
Burton Boards/3D
Burton
of course want to be different and have their own set up known as the 3D where
the holes are set up in an almost diamond configuration.
Regular
plates from your Snowboard bindings do not fit on these Burton Snowboards so
its advisable to try to get the plates for Burton Snowboards from your local
dealer. For example, if you have some Union bindings for a Burton snowboard and
do not have the correct Base Plates for the bindings in the box, ask the shop
you got them from and they should be able to source you some from the binding
manufacturer. They look like this:
EST
The
last and newest binding system is the Burton EST Channel or Rail system, there are loads
of different names, all the same thing. Invented by Forum and now used by Burton
it’s aimed at giving you the maximum amount of stance options with the best
possible flex. Your board will look like this with two grooves going down the centre
of the board.
If
you just bought one of these boards but still have your old bindings, not to
worry as all the main binding companies will have their own conversion kits like
these from Union bindings.
These
will help you put your regular bindings on to an EST board with total ease. If
you get your bindings from a shop you should be able to get these free
otherwise your looking at £20 for a set. Making sure you have the right
hardware is important as you don't really want to come undone half way down
the mountain or push the wrong screws though the bottom of the snowboard.
Stance Width
Setting
up your stance is super easy. Put both feet near the centre of the board and
move them outwards until you feel comfy, remember that you will need to be in a bending knee position like you were
snowboarding and hopefully you’ll be doing it all day, so you want make sure
your comfy and you feel like you could hold this position for a short while.
Once you found the sweet spot get your bindings on the board as close as
possible to those positions.
Angles
When
it comes to what angles to put your bindings, everyone’s different. I like mine
straight duck -15 +15 which is great if you have a twin tip board and want to
try going switch. A buddy of mine rides with both of his facing forward. There
is no right or wrong stance it is whatever works best for you and helps you
have the most fun. If you set them up
and you’re aching in a specific point after a few runs like a real deep burning
on the outside or inside of your legs play around with them. Its not set in
stone and super easy to change just undo the screws enough to let the binding
rotate around the disk. Most hills will have a bench with screw drivers tied to
it for this very purpose. Or if your riding in a dome, go to the board hire desk
they usually have an ultimate set of tools.
We
get a lot of people coming to get their boards serviced where you can tell they
have been doing their bindings too tight. Its easy to see when servicing because
when you look at the bottom of the board you can see where the screws have been
pulled up and created dimples on the underside of the board. You definitely do
not need your screws this tight. Sure you want them tight enough so they don’t
come off but that’s it, any more than that and you risk damaging your board by
pulling an insert.
Once
the bindings are on, its important to make sure they are set up just right for
your boot. If your bindings have a toe cap then you want this to be covering
the toe obviously. Make sure its centred and when tightening it again do not
over tighten it as the way that the ratchets work they will need to tighten
slightly in order to come undone. The straps are there to hold your foot down
not cut the circulation off to your feet. Same with the ankle strap make sure
it’s over where it needs to go. If you buy your stuff from a shop they should
offer to help you do this but if you do end up changing your boots it’s
easy to make the adjustments necessary. Lastly the high back, this is the bit
at the rear of the binding that will support your calf. You want this running
along the back of your boot, so adjust as necessary. It’s usually connected via
two screws at the sides and a clip at the very back to adjust the angle. More
angle will force you to bend your knees more which will help your riding as it
will get you in the proper stance.
Have fun playing with your board and go shred!
Enjoy
S2AS Team Rider Ian Mosby