Kurt Swanson Posted March 25, 2019 Report Share Posted March 25, 2019 My last day of carving was this past weekend. (Northern Mich.) It seems like every year I learn one thing that inches my progress forward. I frequently reach for the snow with my inside hand causing me to break at the waist and lose edge control on the board. I usually make a conscious effort to raise my hand or elbow. What I learned this year is if I take my outside hand and drive it through the turn and down a bit, my inside hand automatically stays off the snow. This also results in me facing the nose of the board and not counter-rotating. This also helps with angulation and keeping the board way up on edge. So one small action completely changed how I ride. Of course now I have to wait until next year to really dial it in.... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted March 25, 2019 Report Share Posted March 25, 2019 Nice! Even better, you know what you did so it's easier to come back into next season swinging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrider Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 No thoughts just depression ! Mine ended too but there were more runs still covered in snow then the beginning of year . It never really started until the second weekend of Jan. Call it Global warming or just climate change but our local bump hasn't figured out how shift their calendar so they start making snow when it's cold and close when it melts. 20 foot piles in the terrain park no one uses it. Kids don't like to wait till Feb. to start their season. Some good days between start to finish this year but far too few. I can't sleep well till i see all the snow melted from all the runs. ( I've been like this for years i need help !) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gossamer Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 The harder I carve the more I go back to the"keeping my chest pointing towards the fall line" a skiing fundamental that took me 15 years to master. 50-60 times a year type skiing, I've spent the last 2 years of riding (my 17th year of hardbooting) getting back to this and I'm railing turns like a mad man. The best alpine snowboarding advise I've ever received was from Buell here- "stop touching the snow/ground !!!" Well I spent the day railing turns that I'd be proud to show anyone on this board in some of the most challenging conditions riding the first alpine snowboard I purchased from Sean (17 years old?) Donek AX, that's right an AX without the "ess". When in doubt my advise is to move your bindings forward and stay on that nose, things seem to come around just fine. This advise comes for a guy who thinks the biggest thrill is snapping turns off the tail of a board. Kipp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Buggs Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 TSUNAMIBAY, by dropping the other hand you pull your shoulder on that side down and you open up the inside shoulder getting your stack or body alignment better over the edge. Open the arm pit on the inside of the turn instead of closing it and dropping that hand and you will lock in so many more turns. If you look at the motion even when your on the carpet you can see why it works. I only got out 2 days this year due to warm travel destinations but they were both 30+ degree and sunny days with some great old time alpine friends. The stoke was on high and I walked away knowing 2 things, at 55I can still chuck turns with the best of them and I am totally at home on the Coiler AM on any terrain. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chouinard Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 3 hours ago, TSUNAMIBAY said: My last day of carving was this past weekend. (Northern Mich.) Where did you ride? I had to deliver a car to my daughter so we met south of Syracuse and surfed fresh powder at Toggenburg from the storm that blew in on Friday. Point being I missed a beautiful weekend up north so I’m heading up to Searchmont for three days this coming weekend if the weather holds up. There’s still time to ride and their lift tickets are $54 CAD. Not ready to let go just yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnE Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 Hoping to have another month here in the Front Range. My riding buddy & I believe that we have made significant improvements in our abilities since switching to soft boots. Feels pretty good to be getting better at something when you're over 60. Each day that you ride do you think "Is this my last run?". As the season winds down do you wonder "Is this my last day this season?". "Is this the last run on my last day this season?". Eventually we will all face the question "Is this my last run?". Will we know it or just realize it after the fact? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Swanson Posted March 26, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 (edited) 11 hours ago, Bobby Buggs said: TSUNAMIBAY, by dropping the other hand you pull your shoulder on that side down and you open up the inside shoulder getting your stack or body alignment better over the edge. Open the arm pit on the inside of the turn instead of closing it and dropping that hand and you will lock in so many more turns. If you look at the motion even when your on the carpet you can see why it works. Thanks, that was one of the things I noticed as well. 10 hours ago, Chouinard said: Where did you ride? I had to deliver a car to my daughter so we met south of Syracuse and surfed fresh powder at Toggenburg from the storm that blew in on Friday. Point being I missed a beautiful weekend up north so I’m heading up to Searchmont for three days this coming weekend if the weather holds up. There’s still time to ride and their lift tickets are $54 CAD. Not ready to let go just yet! I usually ride at Crystal Mountain, but was at Caberfae last weekend. Edited March 26, 2019 by TSUNAMIBAY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik J Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 I write down improvements that I have made and stick it in my jacket pocket for the next season so I don't forget the little details. The first day out of the season I always question whether or not I will remember how to turn. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barryj Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 Ain't Nowhere Ready For It To Be Over!! Got three more weeks here in NH...then guess I'll have to drive to Jay or Sunday River to get my last fix!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billyt. Posted March 27, 2019 Report Share Posted March 27, 2019 plenty of snow in VT! Rode yesterday, surprisingly very firm. Trying to build on keeping speed in check. Moved my stance with more setback and my Coiler Nirvana balance seems to respond to it with better heelside finish. Optimistic that I might get up for another session, but I know the mountain staffing becomes an issue and they will only be open on a few more weekends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big mario Posted March 28, 2019 Report Share Posted March 28, 2019 (edited) Not so much learned as reinforced, I went to a much stiffer boot this season, the performance improvements have been immense, with one caveat, I regularly flail for the first run or 2 until I loosen up, and start riding with "soft legs". Without, I get bucked around like crazy, and the board rides me, reminding me to ride small, not tall. mario Edited March 28, 2019 by big mario punctuation police 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmorita Posted March 28, 2019 Report Share Posted March 28, 2019 The 'starting over' period that I experience at the beginning of each season gets shorter and shorter year on year. Don't know why I flail so hard in November and December, but it was easier to get in a groove after a few days. Wish I could blame the board, as I did move from a Nirvana to a Proteus with the single sidecut radius, but I know that's not it. I do love that Proteus though. The big thing I learned this year was that being with other hard booters improves my riding more quickly than anything else. Hope to do more pack riding next year and maybe make it to MCC to see exponential improvement. Seeing the videos and photos of SES and MCC is very inspiring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slopestar Posted March 28, 2019 Report Share Posted March 28, 2019 I learned that at nearly a half century in age means I need to take better care of myself if I want to continue riding at or better than my current level. Diet has changed and exercise regime has been instituted. Looking forward to finishing strong this season and slaying it all summer. It’s it 19/20 yet? Who knows what next season holds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveo Posted March 28, 2019 Report Share Posted March 28, 2019 I learnt that the weather is more wild now than ever and perfect carving conditions are fewer and I need to invest in a serious all mountain board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2012Alpine1 Posted March 28, 2019 Report Share Posted March 28, 2019 On 3/25/2019 at 9:16 PM, Gossamer said: The harder I carve the more I go back to the"keeping my chest pointing towards the fall line" a skiing fundamental that took me 15 years to master. 50-60 times a year type skiing, I've spent the last 2 years of riding (my 17th year of hardbooting) getting back to this and I'm railing turns like a mad man. The best alpine snowboarding advise I've ever received was from Buell here- "stop touching the snow/ground !!!" Well I spent the day railing turns that I'd be proud to show anyone on this board in some of the most challenging conditions riding the first alpine snowboard I purchased from Sean (17 years old?) Donek AX, that's right an AX without the "ess". When in doubt my advise is to move your bindings forward and stay on that nose, things seem to come around just fine. This advise comes for a guy who thinks the biggest thrill is snapping turns off the tail of a board. Kipp Amen, I put a BP plate on a T"ess" effortless with this type of riding style. All forward, Lower your outside hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted March 28, 2019 Report Share Posted March 28, 2019 I think I got out on snow about 12 days this season. That's the lowest I've had in quite a while. Every one of those 12 was pretty epic thought! Most of my learning this year was how to ride powder, thanks to a whole bunch of awesome tips. I spent 4 days in Montucky with some real experts that make it look easy. I got more efficient so I wasn't burned out so quickly, got better at planning ahead, and learned more than a few tricks that were not intuitive to someone that spends most of their time on hardpack. On groom, I experimented with fore-aft weight placement/shifts and how those interact with different kinds of snow. Specifically on heelside, where my nose-heavy style works well on firm snow but washes out on softer groom. That took a little reprogramming to bring that weight back to a more centered or even tail-heavy position in soft groom. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbrkid1981 Posted March 28, 2019 Report Share Posted March 28, 2019 Hey, I learned this year not to be afraid, and just get into the turn and let the board do the work. For the longest time I had always fell to the vice of thinking too much about everything that I was doing. Now, I have a nice little quiver, with many options to ride, and I have them all pretty much worked out for a purpose. I had initially started on boards that were def not for me, and I never really understood what it would feel like to be on the correct setup. The best advice I got this year was from a gal that was riding hards on my local mountain, and I was talking about angles with her. I always thought that lower angles would be easier to manage, and she brought up the point that if you are running super low angles then you are actually fighting with the board, and not letting it work with you. I have really improved this year, in both hards and softs, and had a great time. Thanks for always being helpful with advice, and supportive. Duffy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pokkis Posted March 29, 2019 Report Share Posted March 29, 2019 I wil get 70+ days instead of usual 50+ this year, but as usual have not learned anything new since mid/late ninteens, mainly just able fiddle some parts of my turns. Main learn was perhaps that regards of board i ride i can adjust better my riding according it. Which is not necessary good thing due that prevents defining if board is good or better 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emdee406 Posted March 31, 2019 Report Share Posted March 31, 2019 (edited) What did I learn? Not to waste a single chance to get on the snow! From being a full-time Instructor and doing 120+ days per year, I dropped down to 20 a season when I went part time, and started working for an airline. I’ve managed to get it back to 42 days on snow so far this winter, and next year, when I turn 60, I plan to do more, as my seniority improves at Delta. I learned that I need to keep a level of fitness all year, not just in the weeks leading up to the season, especially as I get older. I learned that, after not racing this season, that I still have some competitive drive left in me. I decided today that I’m going to compete in the Airline World Championships next winter, I want to try for one more title. Most of all, I learned how much snowboarding still means to me... Edited March 31, 2019 by Emdee406 Edit 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carvin' Marvin Posted March 31, 2019 Report Share Posted March 31, 2019 5 minutes ago, Emdee406 said: I learned that I need to keep a level of fitness all year, not just in the weeks leading up to the season, especially as I get older. This. We really let our fitness slide during the fall and my wife paid dearly for it with a blown knee. My season never really got cranking until I got back into the gym in January. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Buggs Posted April 1, 2019 Report Share Posted April 1, 2019 At 56 I realize you cant let fitness slide at all. I hope to stay on point though out this summer and not do the usual get after it in October routine that I used to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keenan Posted April 1, 2019 Report Share Posted April 1, 2019 I learned from Boardski that it is possible to look good while riding with 2 ski poles in one hand and an open beer in the other. 2 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softbootsurfer Posted April 1, 2019 Report Share Posted April 1, 2019 I learned that the Town of Libby Montana has a lot of Wonderful people living there... and that Turner Mt. with 80 people and endless Pow runs, was a Session to be fondly remembered 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnE Posted April 1, 2019 Report Share Posted April 1, 2019 My riding buddy & I have been trading off using a GoPro Karma to follow each other and take videos. I've learned what many other helpful riders have been telling me for a long time: Drive with my knees to set the edge. It wasn't until I viewed several videos of myself that I realized that when I was transitioning from heel to toe edge, I had my board fairly flat and waited until I was many degrees into the turn before I got the board really up on edge to initiate the turn. I was allowing quite a bit of "oversteer" or tail slip waiting for the edge to engage. Now I am trying to firmly set the edge at the very beginning and riding it through the rest of the turn. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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