Snowboarding is a sport that people of all ages and abilities can enjoy. It is a great way to stay active in the winter, and there are many different ways to enjoy the sport. One important thing to consider when snowboarding is stance width. This article will teach you how to measure snowboard stance width and explain why it is essential.
Many riders struggle with finding the correct stance width and end up riding in a too wide or narrow stance for them. Riding in an incorrect stance can make it more difficult to control your snowboard, especially when turning. The good news is it’s easy to measure your stance width at home without help from anyone.
Things You’ll Need
- Ruler
- Measuring tape
- Pencil, pen, or marker
- Snowboard
A Stepwise Guide on How to Measure Snowboard Stance Width
Step 1: Determine Your Stance Width Preference
There are three common stances used in the snowboarding world:
Narrow
Your boot heels will be touching or almost touching when standing over your board on a flat surface.
Wide
You’ll have about an extra one or two inches of space between the heels of your boots when standing over your board on a flat surface.
Even
This is technically considered narrow and wide since your feet will naturally fall into this position when standing over your board on a flat surface but typically falls between narrow and wide.
Step 2: Measure the Stance Width
When measuring your stance width, you can place your boot directly into the binding or use a ruler. The advantage of placing your boot in the binding is that you will have a nice flat surface when determining how narrow/wide your feet are in comparison to each other, but once you remove it from the binding, make sure to mark where the bindings rested on your boots since this will help know where to set up.
The disadvantage of placing your boot directly in the binding is that every snowboard/binding is built differently, so it might not fit snugly. However, if you happen to have an old pair of boots laying around, then using them with an old snowboard would be perfect if this is the case. Using a ruler might have more accurate measurements, but this time you’ll have to get your feet wet, so mark where the waterline was on your boots after taking them off before drying them thoroughly.
Step 3: Measure
There are two ways in which you can measure your stance width:
Inside Edge
Place your board flat on the ground and stand over it with one of your feet. With one foot directly inside each binding, lean down until you’re shoulder is parallel to the snowboard and record how wide (in inches) between your boot heels when standing directly in each binding; this will be useful for knowing how wide (in centimeters) that particular boot’s binding should be.
Outside Edge
Do the same as you did in the previous version, but this time make sure to stand far enough away from your board so that both bindings create a 90-degree angle; record how wide (in inches) between your boot heels when standing outside each binding.
Step 4: Mark Your Stance
You can either use a pencil and ruler or a marker and ruler depending on what equipment and tools are available. However, there are three standard markings used in setting up one’s snowboard:
- 1″/2.5cm marks: Mark each line at one-inch intervals for measuring. This is helpful if you’re planning on using centimeters for setting up your stance width.
- 5cm/7.5cm marks: Mark each line at five-centimeter intervals for measuring. This is helpful if you’re planning on using inches for setting up your stance width.
- Repeat the following sequence until both boot heels are marked directly across from each other: “X,” “-,” “+.” If done correctly, the heels of your boots should ultimately be opposite one another with no gaps or overlaps in between them when standing over your board on a flat surface. You can also use this method to find out how high off the ground that particular binding’s resting spot would be if it were mounted onto your board without taking measurements first. This trick will help save time and give you more leeway when setting up your bindings.
You Can Check It Out to Clean Snowboard Base
Step 5: Set Up Your Stance
Once you’ve found out how wide (in centimeters) that particular boot’s binding should be and marked each heel directly across from the other, here are a few options of how to go about setting up one’s snowboard:
For Carving
You’ll typically want to start with having at least one foot positioned more comprehensive than the other. This will give you better board control and allow for tighter turns since all four corners of your board will lean into each turn just slightly more than if both feet were planted down completely flat on the board.
Note
If you’re either left or right-handed, then make sure to keep this in mind when setting up your bindings; your feet should be placed in positions that will allow you to use your dominant hand for turning (if you use both hands equally, then it doesn’t matter which foot is positioned where). Generally speaking, the heel side of your boots should lean slightly more than the toe side.
For Freestyle
You’ll typically want to start with having equal stance widths regardless of if either foot is pointing towards the nose or tail of one’s board. This will give you better balance since all four corners of your board will evenly distribute weight between both feet, allowing equal amounts of pressure on each edge when spinning or doing tricks.
Note
If you’re either left or right-handed, then make sure to keep this in mind when setting up your bindings; your feet should be placed in positions that will allow you to use your dominant hand for turning (if you use both hands equally, then it doesn’t matter which foot is positioned where).
Toe Side
Place your binding directly under the toe. The angle that your front foot will be turned in should ideally create a 90-degree angle between both feet when standing now over one’s board on a flat surface. This method is mainly used for freestyle stance setups since it makes it easier to balance one’s weight evenly between both feet, but you can still use it for carving if you want to take things even further towards creating an opposite stance width.
Heel Side
Place your binding directly under the heel. The angle that your front foot will be turned in should ideally create a 90-degree angle between both feet when standing straight over one’s board on a flat surface. This method is mainly used for carving, with sometimes being used for freestyle if one wants to take things even further towards creating an opposite stance width. These steps will help in how to measure snowboard stance width.
Additional Tips
- When measuring your stance width, try to keep the measuring tape parallel with the board’s centerline. If you are slightly angled off towards one side or another, your measurements will be incorrect.
- A common mistake is to measure from side edge to side edge at the tail and tip, i.e., where the bindings are located. This measurement does not consider how far forward you mount your bindings, which can significantly affect stance widths for many riders. If possible, try to get an approximate reading of your mounting position before taking other measurements. It could make a significant difference in what numbers you end up with for length and width.
- Do not measure your stance width with any spacers between bindings and board – this will give you an incorrect reading.
- Most new snowboarders will find that they need to adjust their stance once or twice a season as they become more comfortable and confident on the slopes and start to ride in different conditions.
- Many new snowboarders stand too far back on the board, which is common among new riders who want to “get low” and try to mimic what they see professional snowboarders doing in videos. However, standing too far back makes it hard for your knees to absorb impacts from jumps and properly initiate turns when riding.
- How wide or narrow your stance can be influenced by personal preference, snow conditions, the riding you enjoy most (park vs. powder), and even the width of your boot soles.
Conclusion
So, how to measure snowboard stance width is quite simple. You will need a friend to help you out and a ruler or a tape measure. First, stand in your riding stance flat on the ground with your board. Next, have your friend measure the distance from the middle of one binding to the center of the other binding. This is your snowboard stance width. If it’s not perfect, don’t worry! You can always make minor adjustments to get it just right. Now that you know how to measure it go forth and dial in your stance width for maximum shredding potential!