When mounting your snowboard bindings please follow the manufacturers instructions as every brand has a slightly different procedure to follow when it comes to adjusting and setting up your bindings. The guide below will help you to understand some of the basic principles and get you on your way to the slopes in no time. Setting up your bindings and mounting them onto your snowboard is so simple. If you can use a screwdriver then you can do it! Snowboard bindings are nothing like ski bindings which need to be professionally mounted. In fact, you are far better off mounting your own bindings because you'll be able to adjust and fine tune them:
Follow the principles below and you'll have no problems. If you do run into difficulty then please send us an Email at any time or Phone during normal Opening Hours. You can also check out our Snowboard Binding Buying Guide for more information.
Get your bindings to fit your boots first - before even looking at your snowboard. It can be incredibly frustrating to get your bindings perfectly mounted onto your board, only to have to take them off to adjust part of them to fit your boots. Your boots should fit nice and snugly into the bindings with your bindings gripping them firmly but not so tight that they put pressure your feet which can cause pain, numbness or pins and needles. Your snowboard boots should definitely not be able to slide around or move within your bindings. If this is happening and you cannot adjust the bindings enough to fit then it may be tha you need a smaller binding size.
When your snowboard boot is in the binding both the heel and toes should overhang the end of the binding base plate. Often the binding base plate will be considerably shorter than the sole of your boot. This is absolutely fine. Up to an inch of overhang at the heel and toe is perfectly normal and allows you to get good leverage on the binding when making heel and toe side turns. The overhange should be relatively evenly split between the heel and the toe to prevent one turn from being more difficult than the other. Some bindings have adjustable base plates enabling them to be lengthened or shortened. Check out your bindings instruction manual on how to do this.
Some bindings come with toe ramps or 'pedals' and others offer you a choice of canted footbeds. Each of these are usually adjustable to allow you to customise the fit and feel of the bindings to your own style of riding.
The back of your boots should align with the highback of the binding. Most bindings come with adjustable highbacks which allow you to adjust the lean, rotation and canting to help get the best fit. These adjustments will also make a difference to your riding style. If you are unsure of the setting for rotation, lean or canting then it is usually best to leave them at the factory setting and only adjust them when you become more confident. It is often a good idea to experiemtn with diffetrent combinations to get a feel for the best setup for you.
Highback Rotation - Highback rotation is desiged to offset peoples riding angles. Your highback should be parrallel the heel edge of your board. This gives direct power transmission from you to your board by setting the best angle to get onto your heel edge. If your highbacks are rotated round at say 25 degrees then you will be losing energy trying to counter this rotation when trying to get onto a heel edge.
Forward Lean - Forward lean presets the highback's vertical position. Greater forward lean means when standing on your board, your knees will be forced to bend more to accomodate the lean. This does give a better riding position but is not necessary for all riding styles. For beginners this position can be both unforgiving and tiring. Typically racers, freeriders and halfpipe riders dial in a greater degree of forward lean as they require greater response to their riding. Many freestyle riders prefer zero forward lean as it gives a loose, forgiving feeling and allows for greater 'tweakability' when in the air or riding boxes and rail. Do not worry if the back of your boot does not come into contact with the high back as this is not a problem.
Canting - Canting the highback works in a similar way to a canted footbed on a snowboard binding. By tilting inwards slightly you get better alignment with the back of your boot meaning greater riding comfort and greater response. Some brands make their highbacks asymmetrical to contour better to a left or right leg shape. This gives a similar result to canting the highback.
The centre of your binding straps should be centered over the middle of your boot. This will prevent uncomfortable pinching and will give you the best response. If at first the straps are not central over your boots then you can adjust the inside ladders (the side between your legs) to lengthen or shorten the straps. This will often take several attempts to get right as you will need to adjust the ladder, put your boot in, do up the ratchets fully (but not too tight!) and check where the strap sits.
Some bindings allow you adjust the angle of the ladders and straps as well. This is particularly useful if you have boots near the size limit of the bindings.
Next, think about your stance width. Stance width is a very personal thing and should be adjusted according to what you feel works best for you. Some people like the widest stance possible to ensure maximum stability whilst others prefer a narrow stance width to make it easier to press, butter and spin. If you are a complete beginner then a good starting point is to set your stance at your shoulder width. Below is a quick table to get you in the right ball park when you first set-up your bindings. Stance width is measured from the centre of the disc on your bindings baseplate.
Rider Height | Recommended Stance Width | ||
ft | cm | Inches | cm |
5' | 152.5 | 17 - 18" | 43.18 - 45.72 |
5'-5'5" | 152.5 - 165.1 | 18 - 21" | 45.72 - 53.34 |
5'5"-5'10" | 165.1 - 177.8 | 19 - 22" | 48.26 - 55.88 |
5'10" + | 177.8 + | 20 - 24" | 50.8 - 60.96 |
Binding angles are the way your bindings point when on the snowboard. Binding angles are a very personal thing with people having a very wide range of stance angles. For example people who like to do freestyle will often set similar angles on their front and back foot to make switch riding easier. Some riders who have come from a skateboarding background prefer to have a slightly flatter angle on their backfoot to mimic the skate feeling. Freeriders and big mountain riders tend to have a very agressive stance with an almost flat back foot and high degree on their front foot. It is important to play around with different stance angles to find the right one for you. Below is a guide for somegood starting points. Zero degrees would be flat across the board. Positive angles always point to the riders right hand side and negative angles always point to the riders left hand side. This means your back foot will have a negative angle and your front foot will have a positive angle.
Riding Style | Binding Angles (degrees) | |
Front Foot | Back Foot | |
Beginner | +18 | -9 |
Freestyle | +15 | -15 |
All Mountain | +18 | -12 |
Freeride | +21 | -3 |
The eternal debate in snowboard - are you regular or goofy? The answer to that is it doesn't matter, it simply refers to the foot that you hoose to be your front foot. Left foot forward means you ride regular and right foot forward means you ride goofy. Despite what you may think it doesn't relate to whether you are left or right footed or left or right handed. There are more regular riders than goofy riders out there but it's important to choose which ever one you are more comfortable with. As you progress it is possible to get equally good at riding either way, especially if you ride a lot of freestyle.
Now that you've set up your bindings to fit your boots and whosen your stance width, angles and whether you are goofy or regular, it's time to mount them onto your snowboard. Always follow the manufacturers instructions to mount your bindings however the steps below should give you the info you need.
These instructions are for standard 4 hole or Burton 3 hole snowboards and bindings.
These instructions are for Burton EST bindings on ICS snowboards.
Please note: Your EST bindings will include the necessary bolts with lock washers however the channel insert for the snowboard will come with your ICS snowboard.
If you have standard 4 hole or 3 hole snowboard bindings that you have purchased a conversion disc for ICS then your mounting instructions will be slightly different. Always check the manufacturers instructions for the correct set up and mounting of these systems.
Please note - Standard M6 x 16mm bolts are too long to use with the ICS system. Always check whether your conversion discs came with new bolts as these will need to be used instead of your old mounting hardware.
Do's | Do Not's |
Do use the bolts supplied with the bindings or ones you know are the correct length for your bindings. Bolts which are too long can push through the inserts and ruin your snowboard | Do not use Loctite or any other form of glue or adhesive. If your bolts are continually coming loose then it is likely they are worn and should be replaced |
Do use the correct size screwdriver to ensure the bolts are nice and tight without stripping the heads of the bolts | Do not use oil or WD40 or any other lubricant. If your bolts are too tight or make a crunching, squeaking or squealing sound when tightening them it is time to replace them! |
Do ensure the screws are not cross threaded before you tighten them | Do not over tighten your bolts as this could cause indents in the base of your board |
Do check your screws are nice and tight before you ride every time | Do not use an electric screwdriver or drill to tighten your bindings as this can damage the bolts, bindings or board |
Do carry a Snowboard Binding Tool with you for on the mountain adjustments |
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