Snowboarding 101: Is Your Stance Regular or Goofy?

Financial executive Theodore “Ted” Catino is a co-founder and former co-CEO of Security National Automotive Acceptance Corporation (SNAAC), a specialty finance company operating in the automotive industry. Outside of his work in finance, Ted Catino enjoys snowboarding in his free time.

Before new snowboarders hit the slopes for the first time, they have an important decision to make: regular (left foot forward) or goofy (right foot forward)? Although you can learn to adopt either stance with enough practice, it helps immensely to find out which one feels most natural in the first place.

One way to determine your stance involves taking off your shoes and sliding down a slick floor in your socks. The foot you lead with is often the same foot you will feel most comfortable leading with on a snowboard. Another method involves standing with your feet square and having a friend gently push you from behind. Whichever foot you instinctively brace yourself with is likely the foot you should lead with on a snowboard.

Regardless of how you determine your stance, keep in mind that you can learn to ride any way you prefer; many snowboarders might contend that it is best not to overthink it in the first place.