Name: Twelve Board Store
Address: 435A Bridge Rd, Richmond, VIC, 3121, AU
Telephone: 03 9421 2293
Price range: $$
Rating: 4.8

You've got your gear. Now let's get it set up properly so your first day on snow is what it should be — not a frustrating fight with equipment that doesn't fit or work right. This guide walks through every step: setting up your bindings, fitting your boots, getting your stance dialled and looking after everything when you get home.

If you bought your gear from us, we set up your bindings before you left. But read through anyway — knowing why things are set the way they are helps you make adjustments and get more out of your riding from day one.

What You Should Have

A complete first setup is: board, boots, bindings and outerwear. Plus helmet, goggles, gloves, base layers, snowboard socks and wrist guards. If you're missing anything from this list, sort it before your first day — especially the helmet and wrist guards.

Step 1 — Mount Your Bindings

Bindings attach to your board through a disc system that sits inside a mounting pattern on the board's inserts. Most boards use a 4x4 or 2x4 insert pattern; Burton boards use The Channel — a single rail that runs the length of the board for maximum stance adjustability.

What you need

A Phillips head screwdriver or binding tool (most bindings include one)
Your board, both bindings and the hardware that came with them

Stance width

Start with shoulder-width apart — measure from the outside of one shoulder to the outside of the other and use that as your binding centre-to-centre distance. This is your starting point. Wider feels more stable; narrower feels more manoeuvrable. You'll find your preference over time.

Stance angles

Binding angle refers to how much your feet point outward from the board's centreline. For a first setup, use a duck stance — both feet angled slightly outward:

Front foot: +15°
Back foot: -9°

This is forgiving, comfortable and works for all-mountain riding in both directions. Numbers are marked on the binding disc — positive angles point toward the nose, negative toward the tail.

Mounting

Place the binding disc into the board inserts at your chosen width and angles
Hand-thread all four screws before tightening any of them
Tighten in a cross (star) pattern — top left, bottom right, top right, bottom left — to keep even pressure on the disc
Firm and snug — not over-torqued. If you strip the inserts you'll know about it
Repeat for the other binding
Check all screws are tight before every single day of riding — vibration on snow loosens them

Step 2 — Set Your Highbacks

The highback is the vertical plate at the back of the binding that your calf rests against. Two adjustments matter for a first setup:

Highback rotation

The highback should be parallel with the heel edge of your board — not twisted. Most bindings have a rotation adjustment screw or lever at the base. Loosen it, align the highback so it sits straight relative to the heel edge, and re-tighten. A twisted highback creates dead spots in your heel-side turns.

Forward lean

Forward lean tilts the highback toward your calf. More lean = more aggressive heel-side response. For a first setup, set it to zero or one click of lean. You can increase it as your riding develops and you want more drive from the back foot.

Step 3 — Fit Your Boots Into the Bindings

Step your boot onto the footbed and into the heel cup — heel fully seated, no gap
Tighten the ankle strap first, then the toe strap
Ankle strap sits across the top of your ankle — centred, not riding up toward your shin
Toe strap sits over the toe cap of your boot — not across the middle of your foot. If your binding has a convertible toe strap, flip it to cap mode
Boot should feel locked — no side-to-side movement, no heel lift when you push your knee forward

Strap tension: firm enough to feel connected, not so tight your foot goes numb. You'll find the right tension quickly once you're riding.

Step 4 — Heat Moulding Your Boots

If you bought your boots from us, this is done. If not, it's the single most important thing you can do before your first day.

Heat moulding heats the liner and shapes it to your exact foot anatomy — locking in heel hold, eliminating pressure points and cutting break-in time from weeks to days. A boot that hasn't been heat moulded will feel significantly different from one that has. The difference is not subtle.

We do it free with every boot purchase at our Richmond store. If you bought elsewhere and your boots haven't been moulded, come in and we'll do it. Takes 20–30 minutes. Bring thick snowboard socks — the ones you'll actually ride in.

Read our heat moulding guide for exactly what happens and what to expect.

Step 5 — Check Your Setup Before You Ride

Before you get on the snow, run through this in your living room or garage:

All binding screws tight — every one, both bindings
Highbacks parallel with the heel edge — no twist
Boots fully seated in the heel cup with no gap
Straps snug — ankle first, toe second, toe strap over the cap
Lean forward with knees bent — you should feel the highback engage your calf evenly. If one side feels dead, check highback rotation
Lean back — both heels should drive into the heel cup cleanly

On your first run, find a flat section and do the same check on snow. Edge engagement should feel immediate and clean in both directions. If something feels disconnected, check strap tightness and highback alignment before changing your stance.

What to Wear — Layering for the Mountain

Getting your layering right matters as much as the gear itself. Too cold and you can't focus. Too hot and you're sweating through your base layer by 10am.

Base layer

Merino wool directly against your skin — top and bottom. Merino regulates temperature, wicks moisture and doesn't hold odour. Never cotton. Cotton absorbs sweat, stays wet and gets cold fast. Mons Royale is the benchmark — what we stock and what we wear.

Mid layer (optional)

A lightweight fleece or insulated mid-layer between your base and shell on cold days. On mild Australian days you often don't need this — base layer straight to shell is fine from late July onward.

Outerwear — jacket and pants

Australian snow is wet and heavy. Waterproofing is not optional — 10,000mm minimum, fully taped seams. Your jacket should cover your lower back with no gap to your pants when you're bent forward in riding position. Check this at home before you go.

Socks

Snowboard-specific, one pair, pulled up to the knee. Regular socks bunch inside boot liners, create pressure points and lose warmth. One good pair of snowboard socks is worth more than two pairs of anything else. This is not a place to save money.

Helmet and goggles

Helmet on, every run, no exceptions. Check the fit at home with your goggles on — the gap between the helmet brim and goggle frame should be minimal. Both should sit snug without pressure. Read our helmet guide and goggle guide if you haven't bought these yet.

Gloves and wrist guards

Wrist fractures are the most common beginner injury in snowboarding — falling on outstretched hands. Wear wrist guards under your gloves. They add minimal bulk and the protection is significant. Non-negotiable for children. Strongly recommended for every first-season rider.

Looking After Your Gear After Each Day

What you do at the end of each day determines how your gear performs the next one.

Boots

Remove the liners from the shells every single day — never leave wet liners inside overnight
Stand the liners open at the top and let them dry completely before your next session
If the boots are very wet, stuff the liners lightly with newspaper to help them hold shape while drying
Never dry boots directly on a heater or in front of a fire — damages the foam and liner material

Board and bindings

Wipe the base and edges dry after every day — moisture left on steel edges causes rust overnight
Check binding screws at the end of each day and tighten anything that has moved
Light surface rust on edges wipes off with a dry cloth — if it's deeper, the edges need a file before your next ride

Outerwear

Hang jacket and pants to dry — don't fold them wet
Empty pockets, open vents and unzip any pit zips to speed drying
Do not tumble dry unless the care label specifically allows it

Waxing — When and Why

Your board needs waxing every 3–5 days of riding. When the base starts looking white or dry, it needs wax. A dry base is slower, less controlled and more vulnerable to damage.

Australian snow is wet and heavy — wax wears off faster here than in dry alpine conditions like Japan or the US. Use a warm or universal temperature wax for Victorian and NSW resorts. If you're heading overseas in mid-winter, use cold temperature wax.

We hot-wax boards at our Richmond workshop — see our waxing and repairs page. If you want to do it yourself, follow our step-by-step waxing guide.

End of Season Storage

How you store your gear through summer determines how it performs next season.

Board: hot wax the base and leave the wax on — don't scrape it. The wax layer protects the base through summer. Store flat or on edge in a cool, dry place — not a hot garage or car boot. Heat warps boards over time
Bindings: loosen all straps fully — reduces stress on the strap material and ratchets over months of storage
Boots: store indoors with liners removed. Damp liners stored compressed in a shell will develop mould through summer. Keep them in a dry spot, liners standing open
Outerwear: clean before storing — dirt and oils break down DWR waterproof coating over time. Hang loosely in a cool dry place, not compressed in a bag

Common First-Season Questions

My boots feel tight — is that normal?
Yes — new boots should feel snug. Toes lightly touching the end, heel sitting firmly in the heel cup. They will pack out (soften and mould to your foot) over 3–5 days of riding. If you have a specific sharp pressure point that doesn't ease up, come in — heat moulding or a footbed adjustment usually fixes it.

My binding screws keep coming loose — what's wrong?
Nothing unusual — vibration on snow works hardware loose, especially in the first few days before everything beds in. Check and tighten before every session. If a screw keeps coming loose repeatedly, apply a small amount of thread-lock (Loctite Blue) to the thread before re-tightening.

How tight should my straps be?
Firm — your foot should feel connected to the board with no movement inside the binding. But not so tight your foot goes numb within 20 minutes. If your feet are going numb, loosen the ankle strap first — that's usually the cause.

My heel is lifting when I ride — what's happening?
Heel lift usually means the boot is slightly too large, the liner hasn't been heat moulded, or the ankle strap isn't tight enough. Tighten the ankle strap first. If it persists, come in — we can assess whether heat moulding or a different boot resolves it.

When should I get my board waxed?
Every 3–5 days of riding, or when the base looks white and dry. Don't wait until it's visibly damaged — wax protects as much as it speeds up.

Do I need lessons?
Yes — proper technique from the start saves you months of bad habits. Good gear makes lessons more effective. Book at least 2 days of lessons for your first trip. Every Australian resort offers group and private options.

Questions about your setup? Call us on 03 9421 2293, visit us at 435A Bridge Road Richmond, or contact us here. Open 7 days. We've done this thousands of times — if something isn't right we'll sort it.