neni

I rode +30/+15 with 23.5 last year. But since I've got a new board this year, I took the center stands (about 21.5?) to begin, now with +27/+12, and feel comfortable with it. The board rides great in pow and on tracks so I'll leave it like that. The front hi-back is leaned forward (less at the beginning of the season until the front thigh gets used to it, then progressively adjusted bit by bit), helping me to get more weight on the backside edge, the hind one is more straight giving freedom tho move (my impression). Tried lower angles and other hi-back positions but never got used to them, it felt as if I have to twist my knees when riding at higher speed. In springtime, the hi-backs will both be more straight again for relaxed sludge-surfing

I newly adjusted the hi-back to be completely parallel with the board edge (bit of work for the front one) and that made a big difference: when leaning foreward at straight lines the hind knee doesn't get twisted anymore

wernersl

Good point. Thanks for bringing that up. I, too, have adjust my highbacks to be parallel with the board edge )well as close as they will adjust). Eliminates leg pain and made me quicker on my heel edge.

ig88

This season I am using +15/-15 as usual, and have rotated the highbacks parallel to the board for the first time for curiosity's sake. Seriously I cannot feel a difference with the highback rotation. Maybe I am just too insensitive damn.

BigmountainVMD

I used to ride a positive angle on my back foot when I would strictly freeride... like 21/9 or so... but as I've been getting more in to freestyle and riding switch more, I have been adjusting that stance. I was at 18/0 for a bit, then started angling my back foot to negative angles. Eventually I felt too duck at 18/-12 so I went 15/-12 and have been perfect right there. I tried to go symmetrical (15/-15) but it was just a bit painful for my knees. 15/-12 is my sweet spot for sure!

neni

It might not be such a difference with minus degrees... but I don't know for certain. Never tried it and I surely couldn't manage one single turn. Got a directional pow board and the purpose of those angles is pow, carving, and riding fast. Switch, park 'n' stuff? No way

herjazz

to answer the original question, stance makes your body feel flexible and comfortable enough to do what you want to do on your board. how wide or narrow, how angled your bindings are, these are all individual and different per person. so someone might give you a reference point to start with, but adjust a little here and there (one at a time) to find your own sweet spot. once you have it, set it and forget it is my logic.

when i first started, i played around a lot with the settings and found the right combo for my equipment and also my style.

i'm a bit dreading having to set everything up again from scratch as i've gotten new board and bindings now, and i know it's going to be different, but i will go by feel to fine tune what works on that particular board/binding/boot combo...

i've had the same set-up for the past 10 years lol, cos frankly, it's exactly what makes it most easy for me to control the board and flex the way i ride: 18" wide stance on slightly directional 153cm board, F +24, R +12 both angled forwards like a racing/carving setup. i'm mostly all about big carving and racing down the steep stuff. occasionally will do a few jumps or pipe. can't ride switch for more than 5 seconds lol

(oh, one thing i found out is that the burton EST system has a maximum allowable binding angle. incidentally +24 front +12 back is about their limit. haha. so anyone running like +40 or +60 or whatever you can't use their system... traditional disc bindings will let you mount them at +90 degrees if you wanted... just FYI)

jellyjam

On a slightly different note, would it be fair to say a wider stance (ie: 23 inches as opposed to 20) will give you a more stable platform and perhaps eliminate some of the boards speed related unwanted behaviour? Chattering and the like?
I imagine that would come down to what's comfortable as well but in theory?

notfound

I ride 18/-9 on a 23" stance.. Zero park, although learning how to ride switch. I tried 18/+6, 15/-6 etc, but my current stance just feels more natural

herjazz

wider will make it more stable, but less quicker to rotate the board, theoretically.
i think chatter has more to do with the board itself and maybe your bindings' cushioning, boots, how they interface, etc...

but i think the stance width has more to do with you as a person (height, comfort, etc.) than anything. a short guy with a wide stance will look like he's doing splits on his board rofl... a rule of thumb is your your butt/waist should slide between your bindings, but that might an old rule (like the "board length should go to your chin" which everyone knows is not necessarily true)...

mhaas

I ride 24/-21. My ankles are kind of messed up so that stance is the most confortable for me. I dont know what my width is but its roughly shoulder width IMO, the ideal width for doing anything athletic.