# "EXTREME" forward angles with Softboots



## kooliosupraboi (Oct 27, 2012)

Does anyone use high forward stance angles with softboots? I'm talking like greater than +30 on front foot, and like between +15 and 30 for the backfoot. My current stance is about +30, +15 and even with highbacks maxed out and I feel like I end up twisting my knees to point forward too much when I carve(like deepcarve/eurocarve style). I feel like my body is trying to go into that alpine stance naturally (+60 range) when I carve. Not sure if its my technique or what thats causing me to do this...So I'm thinking of trying +39 +24 with softboots. I'm not sure what negative effects going this much forward will do compared to the current setup I have. Is there anyone who runs high angles like this give me some advice or tips on how it works for them? Pros/Cons? Thanks


----------



## lotechpeter (Oct 1, 2011)

Look around Forums - Bomber Online Forums it's mostly hard boot stuff but there are some good discussions about soft boot carving setup.


----------



## Alpine Duke (Jun 21, 2015)

Curious....why are you trying to dial in extreme forward angles for your soft boot setup? 

I have done forward angles myself and....yes, it was interesting....and I did enjoy it....but....ended up going back to something more traditional. In the long run I didn't see a big advantage. It was fun....but after a few weeks of "hey maybe this will be my new stance"...I bailed.

Another thing I noticed was that softboot carvers with technique I admire seem to always use a traditional stance. Even those that hardboot. (btw, i have quite a bit of hardboot time over the last 2-3 seasons but am just getting it wired so no expert there  ) For example, R.K. has a eurostyle to his softboot carving and rocks at it....but look at his stance (about 30 sec into vid). With this style, if anyone was going to be forward I would expect he would be, but he isn't. In fact, I think he rides a custom, extra wide board from Donek just so he can carve without doing so.

Hey, if that is what works best for you then I don't think you are alone. But, if you are trying to go there as a way to get more eurostyle carves....i don't think it will be an advantage. If it is just for fun and interesting to do then I don't think anyone else is going to help you dial it in. Just trial and error. I do think plenty of hardbooters do ride forward angles on softboots....but I THINK that much of that is just that they are used to extreme forward stances and are trying to match what they are already used to and not what it most advantageous. 

My unsolicited, layman, mostly guesswork, two bits


----------



## Alpine Duke (Jun 21, 2015)

sorry, someday I'll learn how to post vids without screwing it up :computer2::computer3::crazy2:


----------



## Kenai (Dec 15, 2013)

Alpine Duke said:


> sorry, someday I'll learn how to post vids without screwing it up :computer2::computer3::crazy2:


Ha. I just did this yesterday. With a full YouTube link there is no need to use the special YouTube button. Just paste it as a normal URL.


----------



## Alpine Duke (Jun 21, 2015)

Kenai said:


> Ha. I just did this yesterday. With a full YouTube link there is no need to use the special YouTube button. Just paste it as a normal URL.


So what is the Youtube button for then??


----------



## jae (Nov 27, 2015)

Alpine Duke said:


> So what is the Youtube button for then??


to fuck with your mind...


----------



## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

Alpine Duke said:


> So what is the Youtube button for then??


Link pasted on the page:





Link pasted using the "link" button (world with chain link):





Link pasted using youtube button, using just the portion after the "v=":


----------



## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

kooliosupraboi said:


> I feel like my body is trying to go into that alpine stance naturally (+60 range) when I carve. Not sure if its my technique or what thats causing me to do this...


Dunno, but this doesn't sound off. If it's effective, it's good .

In our pack of fwd stance riders noone ever went above 30°.



kooliosupraboi;2941906
So I'm thinking of trying +39 +24 with softboots. I'm not sure what negative effects going this much forward will do compared to the current setup I have.
[/QUOTE said:


> The problem I see there is that at some point increasing the angle on a "normal" board is that you nullify the advantage of fwd angles (driving more force into a turn) by loosing too much leverage since your toes go further away from the edge.
> 
> But: you'll easily find out by trying . And once you're at it, also try the other way around and mellow your angle. (We play/re-adjust angles every other handfull years. SO formerly had 30/18 and mellowed it to 24/12. I had the same angles like you some years back and always had a crooked hind leg; swapped to mellow duck recently and my body prefers it much over the fwd.)


----------



## Jcb890 (Dec 12, 2014)

I've been riding +21/+9 since last season and decided last night to switch to +18/-9 and I'm going to try it at our local mountain tonight... we shall see...


----------



## snowklinger (Aug 30, 2011)

I think what the OP is describing is called skiing


----------



## KIRKRIDER (Mar 18, 2008)

+21/+ 18 for carving. +15/+9 for powder.


----------



## BoardieK (Dec 21, 2015)

neni said:


> .......... Formerly had 30/18 and mellowed it to 24/12. I had the same angles like you some years back and always had a crooked hind leg; swapped to mellow duck recently and my body prefers it much over the fwd.)


Likewise, I found my back knee getting more strained with higher angles so I backed off to +24 -6 which gives no discomfort and found that I can carve just as well and I can also get a lot lower. Good to have experimented.

Today was my first day out on a new twin setup +15 -15 (to learn switch) and though it felt a bit odd I'm sure that after a few days carving with this stance will seem natural, hopefully both ways.


----------



## deagol (Mar 26, 2014)

I was +30/+23 for years, but backed off due to riding some super steep stuff that this stance was very bad for. I also had pain in the back of my rear leg. After backing off to about +15, the knee pain is gone. I am still +30 with front foot, but might change this to less steep, might not.


----------



## Fielding (Feb 15, 2015)

I ride soft boots with an alpine stance. I do +9 +23 on shorter hybrid boards and bigger numbers on my longer, true camber decks. I have a Rad-Air Tanker that's up there over 170 that like to ride at more like +13 +27. I rarely ride switch but can still do it when necessary.

My back knee is OK. I like to tuck it sometimes just to get that extra rad 90s carve style.


----------



## Jcb890 (Dec 12, 2014)

Jcb890 said:


> I've been riding +21/+9 since last season and decided last night to switch to +18/-9 and I'm going to try it at our local mountain tonight... we shall see...


Well, I can't carve so low I'm touching the ground, so I don't know that I really "*need*" positive stance for both of my feet...

Got out to our local mountain last night try out the new stance... I kind of think I loved it... first run was a bit timid and felt a little off balance, but after that, I thought I had good balance, similar if not better movement edge to edge and it felt more comfortable to sit on an edge and ride that edge for a longer period of time. I felt a little more comfortable popping off some of the natural snow features also and a little more balanced when landing. I think I'll keep the duck-foot stance for my Colorado trip, might even go to +18/-12 or +21/-12.

Similar story for my wife... when she first started riding she insisted on 0* for her back (right) foot, so we tried that (front @ +9). So, last night she tried +9/-9 and was a big fan. I think we both might have converted to the duck-foot-stance side.


----------



## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

I started with 0/+45 back in the day, slowly converted to -12/+12, now I've migrated to about -9/+15. Tried forward stance last year on one of my BX boards, and it felt wrong, oh so wrong. :embarrased1:


----------



## Morzak (Dec 22, 2016)

Coming back to Softboots from Alpine Boards, I still use pretty high angles like 30+/15+. But everything over 30 isn't really worth it the bindings are just not built for it imo. I mostly ride high Angles now because even on "wide" Boards I tend to Boot out with my big feet. But i Probably will try a Duck Stance this winter, if my Rent board allows for it.


----------

