Regular
Snowboarders who ride with their left foot leading are said to have a regular stance. In this stance the bindings of the rider's snowboard are placed so that the toes will face the right edge of the board with the left foot closer to the nose of the board. The leading binding (that of the left foot) is usually angled slightly out towards the nose of the board and the rider will be looking over his or her left shoulder as they ride down the mountain. This is called regular because the majority of riders seem to prefer this stance.
Goofy
Snowboarders who ride with their right foot leading are said to have a goofy stance. In this stance the binding's of the riders snowboard are placed so that the toes will face the left edge of the board with the right foot closer to the board's nose. The leading binding (that of the right foot) is usually angled slightly out towards the nose of the board and the rider will be looking over his or her right shoulder as they ride down the mountain. Fewer riders snowboard this way.
Switch
Riding switch is simply riding the opposite of whatever stance a rider normally rides. If they ride regular as a default then riding switch for them is riding goofy and if goofy is their default then riding regular would be switch for them. Being able to ride both ways means the rider has more complete balance and aids in their performance of tricks, landing jumps and in navigating steep backcountry.
Article Written By Naomi Judd
Naomi M. Judd is a naturalist, artist and writer. Her work has been published in various literary journals, newspapers and websites. Judd holds a self-designed Bachelor of Arts in adventure writing from Plymouth State University and is earning a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of Southern Maine.
