Backseat riding refers to when you sit too far back on your snowboard instead of keeping your weight centered over your front foot. This often happens as a beginner when you are still gaining confidence on the slopes.
Sitting back creates instability and makes controlling your board difficult. With your weight positioned too far rearward, you have a hard time pressing into turns and maintaining edge control as your center of gravity is behind the board.
You also have a tendency to catch your edge and fall backwards more easily since your weight isn’t engaged over the front of the board where you need it to be.
Experienced riders know that good riding form requires having your hips and shoulders aligned directly over the front binding, with knees bent and weight evenly distributed between your feet. This lowers your center of gravity and allows you to maneuver the board precisely.
Riding in the backseat, on the other hand, causes you to be stiff, hesitant and reduces your speed, maneuverability and the ability to carve powerful turns.
It’s a habit beginners pick up because it feels safer at first to lean back versus shifting weight onto the front foot. However, it inhibits learning correct technique.
See also: Should You Lean Forward Or Back Snowboarding?
Why backseat riding negatively impacts your snowboarding
As mentioned, riding in the backseat position makes it very difficult to maintain control and effectively carve your turns. When seated too far back, your weight is not centered over the front of the board where you need it to be.
This makes it challenging to press into your turns and edge the board properly. You’ll have reduced edge hold and stability, finding it hard to complete controlled arcs.
Backseat riding also limits your speed and maneuverability. Without enough weight on the nose, you can’t drive the board powerfully down the fall line.
Riding backseat makes you more hesitant and stiff, which makes it tough to pick up speed or ride variable terrain. It limits your ability to butter, carve steep slopes, and ride switch with confidence.
Perhaps the biggest downside is increased risk of falling, especially catching an edge and going over backwards. Your uphill edge is more likely to dig in when your center of gravity is behind the board.
You lose balance more easily without weight engaged on the front foot, which can result in painful crashes on hard pack or icy snow.
Staying backseat becomes a habit that’s hard to break without conscious effort. Proper form is necessary to progress. Centering your weight correctly from the beginning helps build muscle memory for balanced and controlled riding.
How do you get rid of backseat riding
Here are some tips to help get rid of the technical flaw of backseat riding:
- Be conscious of your body positioning and actively think about keeping your weight centered over your front foot during every run. Imagine a string pulling your chest forward.
- Practice small quick turns across the fall line to reinforce pressing into turns from an engaged front foot stance. This exercises the correct form.
- Take a lesson with an instructor who can give real-time feedback on your form and help identify when you’re sliding backseat. They can suggest drills to fix it.
- Ask someone to film you riding to analyze your form objectively. Watching your backseat tendency can motivate you to correct it.
- Do balance exercises like riding switch or with one foot to build confidence when you have your weight on the front of the board.
- Visualize standing tall with shoulders back to prevent slouching rearward into a backseat position.
- Start on green slopes where falls won’t be as scary, allowing you to focus fully on form without worrying about speed or terrain.
- Consider renting a board with rear-mounted binding positions, which naturally keep your weight forward.
- Overcoming the backseat habit takes dedicated practice at keeping hips stacked over the front of the board. It will feel uncomfortable at first but gets better over time.
With conscious effort and repetition over multiple snowboarding sessions, you can train your muscles and mind to automatically use proper centered form.
Investing in fixing this technical flaw will pay off in improved control, confidence and more fun on the slopes.
See also: Can You Learn To Snowboard By Yourself
Are there riding styles or situations where backseat riding is good?
While backseat riding is generally considered a technique flaw, there are a few situations where a more rearward stance can actually be a good thing:
- Powder/deep snow riding: riding further back can help the board’s nose stay on top of deep, ungroomed snow for increased floatation.
- Freeriding/backcountry: a backseat position provides more stability for riding very steep, extreme terrain with obstacles.
- Learning park/pipe: for beginners, leaning back slightly on mellow features like boxes or small jumps aids stability at first.
- Carving very large/fast arcs: shifting slightly back can help you carve huge, fast curves on very wide-open terrain.
- Safety stop: a backseat brake position, with body perpendicular to board, allows you to bleed speed in an emergency.
All in all though, only in very specific conditions like deep powder or steeps is a slightly backseat position acceptable. For the vast majority of normal riding, an engaged front-foot centered stance works best for control and good technique.
See also: How To Overcome Your Fear Of Speed Snowboarding
Choosing the right gear helps reduce backseat riding
Stiff boots and a responsive, directional board make it easier to engage your front foot and keep your weight centered. In contrast, flexible boots and a soft board make it harder to control edge-to-edge movements. They encourage sliding back into an unstable backseat position.
Look for boots with a stiff sole and supportive ankle to help you feel locked into your bindings and prevent your foot from sliding back.
A board with effective edge hold and camber profile gives you the right feel to press your weight where you need it.
Also factor in your skill level when choosing gear. Beginners may want softer gear that’s more forgiving of improper form until you build muscle memory for proper technique. On the other hand, stiffer boots and boards are best for developing engaged riding habits.
The right set-up makes it simpler to concentrate on your form instead of fighting your equipment. It helps keep your hips stacked directly over your front foot. Your body will instinctively adopt proper centered form without conscious effort.
See also: Are Stiffer Snowboards Harder To Ride?
How are are stance and setback related to backseat riding?
Your stance width and binding setback positioning can both influence whether you are more prone to backseat riding.
Generally, a wider stance gives you a more stable base but makes it slightly harder to engage your front foot and keep weight centered. You may find yourself sliding back into your heels more easily.
As for setback, having your back binding set further back on the board than the front encourages riding in the rear. It takes your natural center of gravity and shifts it slightly backwards away from where you want it over the front edge.
Newbie snowboarders are sometimes given a very set back stance for additional stability. However, this can create backseat habits if not corrected later.
As your skills progress, try moving to a narrower stance width within your comfort zone. You can also reduce setback gradually by shifting the back binding forward until your feet are directly below your shoulders.
Proper stance optimization for your body and riding style goes hand in hand with keeping balanced over the front of the board. It can make a big difference in reducing backseat tendencies.