Purpose. Snowboarding requires a lateral positioning of the body. Moreover, a person must continuously control their balance and use this in order to manoeuvre on the slope applying properly pressure on the lower limb closest to the nose of the board (the leading leg). The present study is an attempt to determine the interdependencies between side preference while snowboarding and laterality when performing other tasks. The dynamic stability in the neutral standing position, as well as in the lateral positions (left or right) was also evaluated.

Methods. The survey participants (100 active snowboarders) answered a set of questions concerning laterality while carrying out basic everyday tasks and while doing sports. The respondents were divided into two groups based on their preferred leading side in snowboarding. Additionally, in the case of 34 people, muscle torques values of the lower limbs were measured under static conditions and the postural stability was evaluated using AccuSway AMTI platform and Biodex Balance System platform.

Results. Over 90% of the participants declared right-handedness and right-footedness. However, with regard to snowboarding, only 66% indicated their right leg as leading. No significant dependence was found between the directional stance on the board and the leading hand, dominant leg, or leading eye. The stability measurements revealed statistically significant differences between the neutral stance and the lateral positioning.

Conclusions. Based on the study results, it may be assumed that the declared directional stance on the snowboard is not contingent on the person’s basic laterality, and that the lateral stance on the board significantly affects the posture control.