# New to snowboarding



## PaulWog

I know I've put out quite a few questions, but if someone could let me know how I should be asking these questions (what section of the forum) I'd appreciate it.


----------



## Pow?POW!

PaulWog said:


> Hi,
> 
> I'm new to snowboarding, and of course new to these forums as well. I used to be a bit of a skier (intermediate-ish).
> 
> I've been up once snowboarding now (at Mt. Seymour), and I've got to say that I enjoyed it, though the learning process is a real grind. If there's a good section to ask my questions (or if I'm in the right area of the forum to ask), let me know  Thanks.
> 
> *Question #1:*
> I bought myself a 2012 K2 Raygun 161cm regular snowboard (I'm 175 pounds, 5'10), Ride Anthem Boa boots (size 11), superfeet inserts, and 2012 Burton Custom Large bindings. I hope the setup I chose (after quite a bit of research and deliberation) is good for a beginner who wants his gear to last without need/want for replacement for quite some time. Is the setup I chose decent? (my intentions are mainly casual fun go-anywhere do-whatever riding)
> 
> *Question #2:*
> My boots lean forward a bit. It seems like most snowboard boots do that. However, when I was up on the hill, I saw a lot of snowboarders standing straight up, while I found my knees had to be bent due to the shape of my boots. Is that normal? Leading into my third question, it seemed like the stance of my boots made it difficult to keep my legs neutral, since I felt like I was in a forced initiated squat stance.
> 
> *Question #3:*
> I ride goofy right now, and I was getting a significant amount of leg burn just above my knee cap and on my lower thigh (all in the front of my leg) just on my right leg. I realize exercise and experience is important (I can squat twice my weight on my back in the weight room for a few reps, but it seems I need to start training specifically for snowboarding), but is there anything I can do otherwise to help reduce leg burn? My bindings were set up by the salesguy, who seemed pretty knowledgeable, but he didn't have my stand on anything to get my stance (he just went to the back and chose my binding angles for me). I'm wondering if adjusting my bindings might significantly help reduce leg burn.
> 
> *Question #4:*
> Both goofy and regular feel natural. I'm left-footed (for kicking), right-handed, many years ago I used to ride a scooter using my left foot on the scooter and my right foot to push against the ground, and that's about all the information I can think up. Goofy generally feels more comfortable, but sometimes I switch to regular down the hill for a few seconds and then I end up questioning which really feels better. I'm not sure if I just need more experience, or whether I'm relatively ambidextrous as far as stance goes, or what.



First of all welcome dude!

I'll try to help you out with some of your questions here but there are others here who superior knowledge in this sport.

Question 1: 
Pretty sick setup man but the only thing I might question is the length of your board. I'm roughly the same size as you however I ride a 155cm board and even then I could probably do with scaling it back down to a 153. Longer boards like yours are generally more regarded for pow riding (If that's what your riding then you probably made a good choice) otherwise you might have been better off with a smaller board.

Question 2:
I can't really comment on the boots leaning forward as I don't think mine really do that.. They are BOAs as well. However have you checked the forward lean on your bindings? With lots of forward lean engaged its going to make you lean forward and stay in a more seated position even if your trying to relax a bit. Dunno if that's the issue but maybe take a gander at their settings.

Question 3:
Leg burn is just gonna be a part of it man. I understand you train doing squats and stuff but I feel the movements on a snowboard engage your muscles differently than doing a squat would. Also check to see if your binding stance isn't too wide as that might put added pressure on your leg muscles to initiate turns.

Question 4:
This one's hard to answer as some people have a defined stance which they prefer while others aren't always so sure. Either way though it is ultimately going to benefit you if you can ride both regular and switch. Makes doing tricks that much easier and riding that much more fun so I wouldn't get too caught up about which way might be most natural to you. It'll come eventually.

That's just my 2 cents but I hope it helps nonetheless.

Edit: Also you might get some more help if you threw this thread in the tips, tricks, and instructions section of the forum as well.


----------



## linvillegorge

#1. That setup will do you just fine. The Raygun is a fine all around board and the Cartels are great all around bindings. *Shit, nevermind, I misread. The Cartels are great bindings, the Customs are serviceable. You're just starting out. Your gear is fine. My first board was a $75 CL special with some old ass busted Burton who the fuck knows.

#2. Yeah, some boots can seem to push you forward at first, but they'll break in. It's better they feel like this now than feel like they don't give you the support you need once they're broken in.

#3. Yes! We finally get into some weight room stats. No beginner post is complete without some weight lifting stats! But, in all seriousness, do you feel any sort of strain when you're riding? Do you feel like your bindings should be wider or narrower? Shallower angle or deeper? There's no right or wrong way to setup bindings, it's just whatever works for you. 

#4. Get a lesson. I'm guessing you're probably doing a whole lot of the falling leaf right now. Lots of beginners think they fell completely comfortable both ways early on and think they're riding switch, but in most cases, they're simply not riding properly at all. Seriously, getting a lesson will help you more than anything. The best money I ever spent on snowboarding was the money I spent on a lesson after 5 or 6 days of struggling on the hill. Having someone who knows how to teach people to ride watch you and tell you exactly what you're doing wrong and what you need to do to fix it is the best thing you can have. After that lesson, everything just clicked for me and I never looked back.


----------



## PaulWog

Thanks for the info  Yep my post is definitely riddled with bigger-post-ishness. The weight-room stat was just to express that I'm fit, but I found snowboarding throws a surprising curve-ball at me as far as tiring specific muscles in my legs goes.

I hope the size of my board won't negatively impact my riding too much. I thought 161 would be a good number: hopefully the 5-ish cm difference between 156 and 161 won't be significant if it does matter.


----------



## Pow?POW!

You should be alright with the 161 man. The smaller boards are simply more easy to maneuver and manipulate than longer ones, but with longer ones you also get greater stability at high speeds so regardless there is going to be some tradeoff.

It really depends on your kind of riding and I bought my board with the park in mind which is why I settled on the 155.


----------



## linvillegorge

161 is fine for you. The current trend is toward the shorter side. I don't follow it. I tend to favor boards on the longer side. Again, different strokes for different folks. There's no right or wrong answer.


----------



## snowklinger

LEG BURN: as far as this is concerned, in non-powder conditions, you should be able to even out the leg burn pretty easily. While a centered or slightly forward weight distribution is recommended, you can still shift your weight around to alleviate some discomfort. Also because you seem somewhat ambidextrous, if your front leg is getting tired, but you are confident of your technique riding normal (in your case goofy), switch to ride regular, and tire out the other leg. Enough can't be said about spending time riding switch to help your overall riding (especially early in your learning process, learn both directions now!).

In deep powder, some boards can be alot more work than others to keep the nose floating, which can cause alot of leg burn.


----------



## Ryan_T

I find squats and ellipticals help. Similar to hiking, a day of snowboarding makes my legs feel like jello.


----------



## Jollybored

With that leg burn, it sounds like what I got when I was using rentals, the first reason was that the board was set up for regular but I was riding goofy and the second was that the stance was too wide for me.
Best thing for this is probably just to ride it and start messing with the angles/width and find something you feel comfortable with.


----------



## Nefarious

Firstly, welcome!

Everyone else hit on the most important parts of your questions. I saw one thing stand out that hasn't been addressed. 

Question 2: Forward leaning boots are normal. At first it's an odd sensation, but don't doubt it. I had the same feeling and after a week it goes away. In all seriousness, you WANT to be bending your knees most of the time. Every rider, in transition from edge to edge, will straighten up a little from time to time. But in the long run you want to be squatting more than not. 

What feels "normal" for keeping your legs neutral isn't normal at all. Sometimes your gut instincts will get you in trouble when you're learning. Try and focus on bending your knees and squatting. You obviously don't want to be in the dumper position, but lower = better leverage and control. 

Be patient and don't over think. Based on the depth of your questions and the range of information, I'd say you're a heavy analytic type like myself. Don't mess too much with your setup until you get a better feel for your riding style. Obviously if you're in pain, you may have to make adjustments...just don't change your entire set up every time you ride. 

Get some lessons and you'll be comfortable and confident in no time. Ask your instructor to evaluate your confidence going both ways and ask for tips on stance width and binding rotation. It may be that your stance is farther out than what feels comfortable due to being on a larger board?

Take care and good luck!


----------



## poutanen

Sounds like you're on the right path...

Boots are supposed to be angled, binding hickbacks should make contact or come close to contacting the boot at the top. Your legs are your suspension and they aren't going to do squat if they're locked straight up.

I'm on a 159 for bombing, backcountry, and glades. Shorter would be easier to manhandle through the tight glades, longer would be better for bombing and backcountry. I'm 5'7" 170 pounds. The 161 should be fine although shorter is a little easier to learn on. You learn on that board and you can ride it for a long time though. I rode my last board for 15 years. That's right 15 years. Most people thought I was f'd in the head when I told them that after seeing me ride.

Anyway, it sounds like you may not be goofy. If you're not 100% sure, and none of the usual tests are conclusive, setup your bindings in symetrical duck stance (roughly -12 deg back foot, +12 deg front foot). This should make your board almost even in both directions (although the board itself may be a directional board with a stiffer tail and set-back stance). Once you've determined for sure what your main stance is, change your bindings back to an easier learning stance for now. A lot of people go 0 deg back foot, 20 or so degrees front. I setup my girlfriend -3 deg back, 15 degrees front for a semi-duck stance and she loves it. I ride full duck -12 +12 on a very directional board meant for carving and hard charging, but some people hate duck. I played with my bindings a lot in the first couple years. Just make sure you have the basics down before you start messing with settings too much. And always keep roughly 15-25 degrees between your feet.

For now, get a lesson, get wrist guards, knee pads and a butt pad, and learn to stand up!  lol After 20 years of riding I started wearing upper body armour this year, and it's actually very liberating, I worry less about screwing up my shoulders (again) and spend more time focused on the terrain.

Have fun!


----------

