Using a stomp pad for your snowboard is a personal choice—that’s the way we see it at Never Summer. When snowboards had slick gloss top-sheets, stomp pads were much more necessary. Nowadays, with Never Summer boards having textured top-sheets (like our Carbonium) stomp pads aren’t nearly as necessary.
If you’re a new rider or an experienced rider wondering if you need a stomp pad for your board, it just comes down to deciding if you want one or not. If your board doesn’t have a textured top-sheet and has the slick gloss top-sheet or if you’re just starting out, then you might want to consider a stomp pad. But, if it doesn’t—you can easily get away without one.
Let’s go over what a stomp pad is so you can understand why some snowboarders prefer to use one.
What is a Snowboard Stomp Pad?
A stomp pad is an accessory that’s a grippy sticker adhered to a snowboard to help keep control of the board when getting off the chair or when one foot is free from the board.. It sticks in the center of the board or right next to the binding of the foot you take out of your board when you’re not riding. In case you need to control your board and aren’t able to clip yourself into your binding, your stomp pad, you can put your free boot on the stomp pad and have enough grip to get yourself to a safer spot.
Stomp pads are also called traction pads or deck grip.
Why Should You Use a Stomp Pad on Your Snowboard?
Stomp pads help you keep control of your board when you’re getting off chair lifts
You can use a stomp pad when you’re getting off the chair lift to navigate to the side of the trail. The grip on the stomp pad will keep your boot in place while you get off the lift. Once you’re on the side of the trail, you can strap or if you use step-in or step-on your boot into your binding and be set to carve down the mountain.
Stomp pads help you avoid slipping while riding with one foot attached on flats
Whenever you’re on a flat surface on or around the mountain, you’re going to have to detach one of your boots from your bindings to move around. Using your stomp pad, you’ll be able to gain traction as you’re skating on these flat surfaces.
Stomp pads can scrape snow from the bottom of your boot
Aside from helping you keep control of your board when both of your boots can’t be clipped in, stomp pads are also awesome for helping you get the snow off of the bottom of your boot before clipping into your bindings. Sometimes snow gets packed into your boots and can be hard to take out with bulky gloves on. Stomp pads help you avoid having to take your gloves off so you can clip right into your bindings and start cruising down the mountain.
Types of Snowboard Stomp Pads
There are 4 types of snowboard stomp pads:
Rubber Stomp Pad
Rubber stomp pads are the easiest type of stomp pads to find and work really well. The pro of rubber stomp pads is that they’re going to conform to the movements of your board easily since rubber is extremely flexible. If you plan on doing a lot of jumps and tricks in the park, rubber stomp pads can be a good option for you and are likely to be able to withstand a lot of movement.
Foam Stomp Pad
The pro of a foam stomp pad is being able to cut it to fit whatever shape you need for your board. Since foam is easy to cut through, this is the best option over a pad made out of rubber or metal. Foam stomp pads are also generally cheaper than rubber stomp pads.
Metal Studs
Instead of a stomp pad, you can use metal studs that you place on your board that act as a stomp pad. These studs come as individuals and you stick each one in the design that works best for your board and boots. These can be really useful if you can’t find a rubber or foam stomp pad that fits your board well.
Skate Rails
Skate rails are another stomp pad alternative. Unlike metal studs that come as a bunch of individual studs that you stick on your top sheet, skate rails are two thin “rails” that you put next to the binding of the foot you detach from your board. Skate rails still have the grip of a stomp pad, so they’re another option if you don’t like the look of a stomp pad or you can’t find one that suits your board.
Snowboard Stomp Pad Placement
Generally, your stomp pad is going to be placed in front of your back binding. This makes sure it’s in an ideal position so you can control your board when you can’t attach your boot to your binding. With that said though, the placement of your stomp pad is based on your comfort and how you ride. You can place it in the center of your board, on the inside next to your unstrapped binding, or closer to your strapped foot if that’s more comfortable for you.
How to Apply a Snowboard Stomp Pad
Mounting a stomp pad on your snowboard is easy, but you want to make sure you do it right so that you don’t have to buy another in a few weeks. Your stomp pad needs to adhere directly to your board so that snow can’t make its way between your board and stomp pad.
Your stomp pad should come with directions that you can follow to adhere it properly to your board. If it doesn’t, here’s how to apply a snowboard stomp pad:
- Clean the area of the board where you plan to place the stomp pad and make sure it’s fully dry before proceeding
- Use a hairdryer to heat up the area of your board where you’d like to adhere the stomp pad (you can also heat up the adhesive on the stomp pad itself to make it stickier)
- Apply the stomp pad and press down firmly to remove air bubbles
- Let the board rest overnight inside (or whatever the manufacturer suggests)
Like we said at the start of this article, stomp pads aren’t a necessity. If your board has a textured top-sheet, you don’t need a stomp pad. You’ll be able to use the textured top-sheet to control your board as needed. Every Never Summer board has a textured top-sheet to make sure you’re ready to hit the mountain without needing a ton of other accessories.
