How to Set Binding Angles on a Snowboard
You’ve finally done it. You’ve learned to snowboard. You’ve rented enough gear to know which board and bindings match your style of riding. You’ve found the best deals on gear, ordered it, and eagerly waited for it to arrive.
Your new board and bindings are laid out in front of you. The only question now is how do you actually set the bindings on your board?
The ASO Mammoth team wants to get you on the snow as quickly and easily as possible, so we’ve written a short guide to setting the stance on your snowboard bindings below. Check it out, and then stop by the ASO Mammoth shop for the best ski and snowboard gear in Mammoth Lakes!
What Are Negative and Positive Angles?
If you’re looking at your bindings right now, then the first step is to remove the base plate that your foot touches. Underneath that, there will be a disc with numbers all around the edge and arrows pointing towards the front and back of the binding.
These numbers represent the angle of the binding in increments of 15. The further the number is from 0, the further the binding is pointing away from the toeside edge of the board with a 0 pointing directly at the edge. On a snowboard, a positive angle is pointing towards the nose of the board, while a negative angle is pointing towards the tail.
The Three Common Binding Angle Setups
There are three common ways to set the angles on your snowboard bindings. We’ve broken down each below.
Positive Zero
By positive negative, we mean that the front binding is angled towards the nose of the board and the back binding is set at zero, or directly towards the toe side edge of the board.
The reason why the front binding is angled positive is because that allows the rider to better control the direction of the board while also putting weight on the edge when necessary. With the back binding set at zero, the rider can put more of their weight on the edge and apply greater force, faster, while stopping or carving. For that reason, we recommend that beginners ride with their bindings set at positive zero. A good place to start for the angle of the front binding is +15.
Positive Negative
A positive negative stance means that the front binding is angled towards the nose, while the back binding is pointed towards the tail. The advantage of this stance, sometimes referred to as duck stance, is that you can ride switch better since your back foot is angled towards the tail.
For that reason, positive negative stances are best for park riders who often approach or land jumps and rails switch. If you ride switch often while on the mountain or like to ride switch in the park, then a positive negative stance will help you do so. A safe place to start your positive negative stance would look like +15/-5, and then you can adjust based on your preferences.
Positive Positive
Lastly, a positive positive stance means that both bindings are angled towards the nose of the board. This stance is ideal for carving since it gives the rider the most control of the board and their edge, but if you start riding switch then you could easily lose control since your bindings are set towards the nose.
We recommend this stance for experienced riders who need to carve aggressively, but don’t set your back foot more than a few degrees positive as you start out so you can get comfortable with the positive positive stance.