Gear, Stance, and Strapping In

1Goal

By the end of this lesson you can tell whether you ride regular or goofy, set your bindings to a beginner-friendly angle, and hold a balanced athletic stance. You can also strap both feet in on flat ground and on a gentle slope without help, wearing a helmet and wrist guards.

2Why it matters

Everything else in this program builds on your stance. A centered, flexed stance is what lets your ankles and knees absorb bumps and control your edges while you move your weight fore and aft (F1) or side to side (F2) without losing balance. Get this right on day one and every later skill, from stopping to carving, will feel easier and safer.

3How to do it

1. Find your natural foot. Have a friend gently push you from behind while you stand relaxed. The foot that steps forward to catch yourself is usually your front foot: left foot forward is regular, right foot forward is goofy.
2. Set beginner binding angles. Start with about +15 degrees on your front foot and about -9 degrees on your back foot. Set your stance width to roughly shoulder width, measured between the bindings.
3. Build an athletic stance. Bend your ankles and knees about 20 to 30 degrees, stack your hips over the middle of the board, and let your hands rest naturally in front of your hips at about waist height. Keep your eyes up, not on your feet.
4. Strap in on flat ground. Sit down, brush snow off both boot soles, then buckle your back binding first and your front binding second. Stand up using your hands on the snow, not your board edge, for support.
5. Strap in on a slope, standing. Point your board across the slope so it will not slide, plant your free foot in the snow above the board for a moment, then sit or crouch to buckle in the same order as on flat ground.
6. Check your safety gear. Wear a helmet snug enough that it does not shift when you shake your head, and wear wrist guards under your gloves. This is the one time in this program we will remind you: helmet and wrist guards, every session.

Coach's note: your stance width and angles are a starting point, not a rule. Small adjustments of 2 to 3 degrees are normal once you feel more riding.

4Common mistakes

• Locked knees. On video the legs look straight and stiff with no bend at all. Fix: soften your ankles and knees to about 20 to 30 degrees before you even move.
• Guessing regular or goofy wrong. The rider feels unstable and keeps drifting toward one edge. Fix: repeat the gentle push test, or notice which foot you lead with when walking upstairs.
• Binding angles too symmetric. Both feet set at the same positive angle can strain the back knee and hip on a beginner. Fix: use an asymmetric setup like +15/-9 until you have more experience.
• Skipping the helmet or wrist guards. The rider straps in bare-headed or without wrist protection. Fix: gear up fully before every strap-in, especially in your first days.

5Drill

Push test and lock-in. Terrain: flat ground. Reps: 2 push tests, then strap in both feet twice. Feel: notice which foot plants forward without thinking. Move on once you can strap in both bindings in under 60 seconds unassisted.

Slope strap-in. Terrain: gentle green slope. Reps: 3 times. Feel: control the board with your free foot so it does not slide away while you buckle in. Move on once you strap in without the board sliding out from under you.

6Self-check

• I can say whether I ride regular or goofy.
• My binding angles feel comfortable, close to +15 front and -9 back.
• My knees are bent, not locked, when I stand on the board.
• I can strap in on flat ground in under a minute.
• I can strap in on a gentle slope without the board sliding away.
• I am wearing a helmet and wrist guards.

7Verify it on video

Film yourself from the side, from a few meters away, strapping in once on flat ground and once on a gentle slope. Keep your full body and both bindings visible, and make sure your helmet is visible in frame.