Newbie Questions

What are the little "clips" on the back of the bindings (soft boot type) for? If I open the clip, I can move the back support to a slightly wider angle, but I can`t see why someone would do that.
When I see snowboarders riding straight down a hill, are they still on an edge? It seems like they must be to stay in control, but their board sure looks flat on the snow.
Every time I do a heel-side turn (I ride goofy) my board wants to slow me WAY down (back foot travels forward a lot) so I have to quickly switch to a toe-side turn which is pretty smooth. I have tried putting as much weight forward to prevent this, but it seems like the board "wants" to do this. Am I too powerful for the board (I am 130 lbs, 5`6", and ride a 149cm board)? Or are my bindings angled improperly (front 15, back 0)? Or are the bindings positioned too far back on the board (they are evenly-spaced on both sides right now but could probably be moved forward)?
Any helpful tips on how to get off the chair lift? I am to the point where I don`t fall down anymore, but I just can`t steer the board with my front foor in the binding and the rear foot on the stomp pad. Is this normal, or should I have more control even with only one foot in?
Who do snowboarders stop right in the middle of the run? Is it all right to ask them to get to the side while I am passing them? Do any places have rules against where you can/should stop to rest?
Since the snow around me is all man-made, is there anything that I can do to my board to improve my learning curve? It seems like it gets really icy by the time I get to the slopes, and I don`t have as much control as I would like. My edges are VERY sharp since I just bought the board new and had it tuned at the place where I purchased it from (a very well-respected dealer.)
I have read the Snowboard FAQ and none of these were covered.

the angle formed by the board and your lower leg. Increasing it will generally give more power to your heelside turns... and possibly cause your quads to fatigue sooner. The latter can be overcome by working out. you are on edge you will turn. A skilled rider is still in control riding straight and flat - they can transition onto an edge in order to turn or stop in an instant. can lead to this, namely keeping your weight too far back and bending at the waist rather than at the knees and hips. You want to bend at the same points that you bend at while sitting on the toilet. A lesson might be helpful here. Your quipment and binding position are probably fine - you may want to fine tune them later but it doesn`t sound like you have anything wrong. only for balance. You CAN turn to a stop in both directions with only the front foot. It just takes practice! You may find that when your heelside turns get better yoy lift dismounts get better too. rules in particular, paraphrased, apply here:
-Don`t stop where you cannot be seen from above or where you are obstructing the trail -Downhill skier/rider has right of way - you must yield to another person when overtaking them.
In other words, it`s your job to go around the person you are passing and make sure not to collide; however they should not be in a place that makes it diffcult or impossible for you to see them in time to go around them.
Keeping your edges sharp and your base waxed as certainly helpful. Even more important are making sure that your boots fit properly and your bindings are set up with not desirable stance angles (your 15/0 is fine) but also desirable stance width (distance between centers of bindings) and the proper position across board. I say desirable on the first two counts because there is no one right answer - I move my bindings a bit depending on conditions and which bindings and board I am using that day for example. There are several good starting points for angles and width - if you are happy with 15/0 then leave it for now. A good stance width to try is either shoulder width, or the distance from the center of the knee to the center of the ankle. In term of position across the board, put you boots in your bindings and rock the board on each edge - the boots should bottom out against the floor at the same angle on both sides, heelside and toeside.
Having said all this, the fastest way to progress is identify your bad habits and correct them as soon as possible. Taking a lesson is one way to do this. If you have a friend who is an experienced rider who has some experience in teaching people to snowboard and is good "teacher" in general,

to get a lesson from a trained instructor. That`s good advice in general... but there are some crappy instructors out there and some really good non-professional teachers out there. Use your judgment. If you want to use your buddy as an instructor make sure he/she is committed to helping you with your riding that day and not making you chase him/her down trails you really shouldn`t be on. I personally love offering friends help on the mountain even if it means riding the beginner trails with them all morning and spending most of my time helping them up or stopped, watching them ride. But not everyone is that way!)

Excellent answers, but some clarification please... with them in the 110 degree angle _/ ? Also, what keeps them from clicking back into the 90 degree angle after you do a toe-side turn which forces the board top edge away from the clips? their board right or left? Is it really possible to react in that split-second to keep from catching the wrong edge and doing a face plant? front foot in the binding but the rear foot raised above the board? Or is that getting too extreme to be helpful? kids, but when they put themselves in dangerous spots on the mountain, I just feel like I should say something. But it`s really up to the Ski Patrol to set them straight. stand on the board. Instead of starting on flat terrain, I was put onto an Intermediate slope (at least it was straight down the mountain) and all the "talking" that she did didn`t help me to understand what the heck I was supposed to do. Reading everything on the Internet for the last month or so mostly prepared me for trying it again this year, with great success. I will be getting my first lesson on the 20th, so hopefully it will add a lot to the pleasure of the sport and take away some of the pain.

1. (In regard to some clips on the bindings.) You must be referring to some other clips because the ones that Mike T is talking about only allow the angle of the highback to be decreased down for a more bent leg position, not increased for a more vertical postion. I would have to see your bindings to figure out exactly what those clips are for.
2. (In regard to boarders doing face plants when `flatboarding`) You can only `flatboard` for a certain distance, I doubt the boarders that you were referring to flat boarded all the way down the hill. Its very possible that they were just *slightly* up on their edge. Its quite easy to do, and you can go nearly straight.
3. (In regard to sliding around with your rear foot in the air.) I would say thats too extreme. Getting off the lift shouldn`t be a big deal, just ride to a stop and push with your other leg until you get where you want to go. Once you get off the lift enough times, you`ll automatically get the experience needed to turn your board where you want it to go.

It`s the "Aluminum Flip Lock lean adjuster" but I don`t know why it`s there. Please tell me, since it seems that if you lean your legs back a bit, as soon as you do anything toe-side, it would just click back into the 90 degree angle.

is in the locked position when riding! The unlocked position is probably either for adjusting the lean (can you move the device up / down when unlocked?) or to make it so you can fold your highbacks down or something else like that.
You never want your highbacks at a > 90 degree angle like this _
You generally want them less then 90 like this /_ so that you get some leverage on your heelside turns.

enough riding one usually develops the reflex and instinct required to absorb bumps and uneven trail conditions while riding straight - and the anticipation to deal with them by turning on an edge, or hopping over such things. with your rear foot and then don`t place the rear foot on the board - try to turn both ways with the front foot before you come to a stop. (Do this on flat ground so you don`t take off out of control! If you live someplace where it snows, you`re in luck - don`t need to go to the mountain) don`t know where you ride I don`t know if this applies to you or not. Yes, some kids and some adults don`t read the code or they don`t understand the implications - but keep in mind, if you want to overtake someone the primary responsibiluty for avoiding a collision is yours.
Beginner slopes can be especially frustrating - everyone`s learning and accidents are common. that it will be a better experience than starting on an intermediate slope. Stick with it - you can look forward to many "Eureka!" and "I did it! Yes ! Yes! I did it!" and "Woohoo" type experiences as you learn!
I`ve been riding for 6 or 7 years now and have logged over 300 days on a snowboard and I still learn new things on a regular basis.

taking your example, from 90 _| to 80 _ The foreward lean helps with the heel edge pressure because the back of your boot will instantly transfer to the heel edge.
The more foreward lean, the more responsive this is, but the harder work it is on your legs to ride like this. shallow and I need the best speed possible to make it all the way. The exit from Blackcomb glacier is a classic example, but they`re every where.
Bumps are absorbed by staying relaxed and keeping knees bent. If you are tired, you tend not to bend your knees because your legs are aching, you relax less and fall more often.
Something knocking the board out of line is simply reacted to. You`re not doing 50mph here, so you have time to react. But also it`s like if you accidently put your hand in hot water when you weren`t expecting it to be hot. You don`t think about it, but you react very quickly to remove the hand. Your riding reactions will get to this stage after much practice. learnt and it has paid off big. You get to learn that you can turn in either direction, or sometimes both - one after the other. If I were you, I`d practice it - but balance it with your other riding. Do it at the beginning of the day, or when conditions are crappy.
This will aid later in life if you have a chair that drops you off onto an aggressive off ramp. Especially if you don`t expect it. in the park, I`ll shout at them or get my spotter to move them on. But some people just don`t get it at all. provide consistent (but slow) momentum, so you can learn to link those turns.

any steering. One mistake I used to do was put too much weight on my front foot. It helped me stay on my board when going straight, but made it very difficult to turn properly. I can consistantly do heel side turns off the lift. I have a little trouble with the toe side. Bend the knees and evenly distribute your weight on both feet.