Finding the perfect stance angles for your snowboard can make or break your riding experience. Jeremy Jones breaks down his setup philosophy and how he adapts his stance depending on terrain, offering insights that could dramatically improve your board control and style.
"I'm definitely running positive-positive on this. I would say 15 back foot, 30 front foot."
Jeremy runs what's called a "positive-positive" stance: 15 degrees on the back foot and 30 degrees on the front foot. This duck-footed setup offers several advantages over traditional forward-facing angles, especially when it comes to heel turns and opening up your shoulders for better board control.
Narrow vs Wide Stance: Adapting to Terrain
Your stance width isn't set in stone. Jeremy adjusts his based on what he's riding. For playful, tight turns with your knees together: what he calls "getting the knees together kind of noodle fest", he goes narrower. But when he's in big terrain and needs to ride faster, he widens it up.
"I love that tight get the knees together kind of noodle fest but if I'm like I'm in big terrain I want to be riding faster I'll go wider."
Jeremy's narrow stance sits around 19 to 19.5 inches, while his wide stance pushes up to 21.5 inches. That flexibility lets him get playful and technical in tight spots while maintaining stability and power when opening it up on bigger lines.
Why Positive-Positive Stance Works
The key benefit of running positive-positive stance angles is how it opens your shoulders and changes your heel turn mechanics. Jeremy explains that many riders struggle because they're blocked on their heel turn: they can't rotate properly into it. Running a duck stance fixes that by naturally opening your upper body.
"The thing with py-py is it opens your shoulders. You know, like so many people are blocked on their heel turn and this is a key move when you're making your heel turn: being able to rotate into it."
This shoulder rotation is crucial for smooth heel-side carving. When your toes point toward each other (positive-positive), your body naturally wants to square up to the board, giving you better leverage and control through heel turns. Many riders discover they're fighting their stance when they switch to a duck setup: the board feels more responsive and natural.
The Craig Kelly Influence: Narrow, Angled, and Snappy
Jeremy mentions diving deep into Craig Kelly footage lately and actually standing on one of Craig's original boards. The experience was eye-opening: the stance was extremely narrow and angled, with knees almost glued together. Watching Craig ride showed how that setup let him use the middle part of the board so much more effectively.
"You watch him ride and it's just so snappy and playful. He gets to use the middle part of the board so much and trust the board. You got to let whatever that guts and gusto of that board is: you got to let it do its thing. He never fought the board."
That last line is key: Craig Kelly never fought the board. By running a narrow, angled stance, he worked with the board's natural flex patterns instead of against them. The board could bend and rebound without his stance width restricting that movement.
Stance Width and Board Flex
As Jeremy points out, as you go wider, you kind of kill the natural flex of the board. Stance width directly impacts how your board bends and responds. A narrow stance lets the board flex more through the middle, giving you that snappy, playful feel Craig Kelly was known for.
"As you go wider you kind of kill the natural Flex of the board for sure."
This is especially important on modern boards with softer cores and more dynamic flex patterns. Those board designs shine when you're not restricting their movement with an overly wide stance. Understanding this relationship between your bindings and board flex helps you make better setup choices.
Finding Your Stance
Jeremy's approach shows there's no one-size-fits-all stance. His base setup is 15 degrees back foot, 30 degrees front foot at around 19 inches wide. But he isn't afraid to adjust based on conditions and terrain. Start with his recommendations and experiment from there.
If you're struggling with heel turns or feel like you're fighting your board through turns, consider moving to a duck stance. The shoulder opening alone might solve issues you didn't know were stance-related. And don't be afraid to experiment with width: play around with that 19 to 21.5 inch range until you find what feels right for your riding style.
Check out our selection of snowboard bindings and Jones Snowboards to dial in your stance angles and board setup. Finding the right combination of angles and width can transform how your board feels under your feet.
Content courtesy of our friends at The Riders Lounge
