lex

glad you gave in! i am bias but i would keep it. sounds like a good ride and they are less common... more of a unique ride than the decker... hope you get to take it out in better conditions... i am going to take mine out this weekend and see how it goes...

BB, long shallow arcs: i should clarify what i mean. basically carves that have a large radius, where you are in the turn for more than a few seconds, transversing back and forth across a wide piste. so yeah, these are intentional. i have been experimenting with my binding settings and i am going to move them back to being as centre as possible. i also want to pull the cant wedges out and try things flat. JM, thanks! yeah, i think it is a good run, i could ride it the whole day (and usually do). i will read up on the X-through... i hope to get come digi camera videos this weekend and i will post them up for you to see. thanks again, alex

indeed, some parts of my favourite (blue, the light piste in switzerland, no greens) run is a bit steep and too fast for me but also flattens out wide in a few places. at the end of the run it flattens out the most and i do my best. i can link carves fairly well. i am basically trying to get better on the steeper parts. i can get linked carves on the steeper sections, it is just very fast. i shall read and then re-read the norm before i go out again.. thanks!

re: boots locked in position one. i have had them locked in the middle position but i felt like i did not have enough leverage, like it was harder to get my nose in, harder to get on edge. i found in position one that i had the leverage that i needed to get on edge.

sorry about that.. i am riding a cocoon lotus 164cm raceboard with proflex f2 bindings 58/53. the estimated sidecut is 11.9m. waist is 18.5 nose and tail are 23.5. boots are 28 mondo (so says the liner) raichle. i agree, i do not think i am getting enough pressure to my nose because i tend to shift my weight back in the transition to toe side because it feels like pressure from my back foot helps to engage the flex needed to make the board carve. i am also just trying to keep balance during the transition so that could also be where the weight shift to the back fits in. i am not trying to reach for the snow. i just find that for the speed, the transition and the way the board turns, i need to be very low and close to the slope. when i am at those angles i feel like i am locking in and it feels good. the only thing is it makes the transition extreme.

i made it out for the 4th time on my alpine board. it is a raceboard, fairly stiff. i knew this would be a difficult board to learn on, this is what i have been experiencing: the board is fast, scary fast, it needs speed to carve. i run in the issue of wanting to make long shallow carves across the piste. these get the board going very fast and it make it turns very fast. i tend to over curve which makes the transitions hard unless i am lock in and reacting quickly. i am still trying to get used to the feeling of being in a carve so having to change very fast is a bit difficult. when i am up to speed to get a carve i usually start the sequence heelside (i lock in the carve better) and then switch to toe. the angles at which i get into a carve come a bit close to the extreme carve. the transition is still a bit scary because the board is going so bloody fast. i make the transition by shifting my weight over and trying to keep pressure at the front edge of the board. i skid out more on the toeside, usually past transition. the angle that i transition to toeside i fell nears extreme. i am very high on edge and it is a blast. when i can get a set of 4 or so linked carves to lock it is always fast and at (what feels to be) near extreme carves. i would say 20-30 degrees from the face of the hill. my board will not really make small carves very well it seems. often i can only get 2-3 or 4-6 rotations in because the board end up going sooo fast. are these (what feel to be) near extreme angles normal and good? (they feel really good). i have been riding with my boots in position one (the straightest) and as stiff as they can make them, is this good? i seem to have more control and ability to initiate the position and lean for carve. my bindings are set at 58/53. they came with cant wedges on both that make the bindings tilt in (the full length) towards the centre of the board, they look like 3 or six degree wedges. should i keep these in or should i take them out? since i have a narrow race board, will it preform better if my binding angles are steeper? gesture purity: i was reading the philosophy section of extreme carving and the bit about gesture purity resonated with me. i am curious about what people thing about that, and not only in relation to extreme carving but for carving in general. i like the idea of being able to do the most with only the movement required to complete the manuver. i find that in my carving that i mostly shift my weight, letting my whole body tilt, not breaking at my hips (especially in heelside). in your carving do you aspire to a gesture purity, something that will never be perfect (unobtainable), but something you are always working to improve. thanks for reading and your advice. it blows me away how much fun it can be when you are in the zone. today was great! the sun was so warm that i was at the top of the area (+2000m) and i had a thermal and a t-shirt on. the snow was perfect. alex

i am pleased to say that my second time out on my lotus was amazing! walked ten minutes from my apartment to the tram car, paid 15$ for a morning pass and headed up. it was very cloudy in chur, but the runs were all above the clouds. blue ski and nothing but glistening snow covered trees, and snow covered mountains as far as you could see. it was a world between worlds. got there at open and there were three people there. one was a hardbooter and we went for a few runs together. he showed me some things but his german was fast and difficult to understand. i made a few runs down the blue (easy) runs, then i went up to the top (this area has a whole 4 piste). the ride up the chair lift was amazing! the view... the run was steeper but it forced me to really get up to speed on the board and make some arcs. since there were only a few people on the mountain, i got to inspect my trenches (er.. skids). by 10am there were about 15-20 people at the whole area, 4 or 5 of them were alpine riders! weekdays here are amazing, empty open groomed runs. my heel side improved a lot and it is the better of my two. i can get the board to flex and i can feel and hear it lock into a carve. transitions from heel to toe are a little tricky, i am missing the optimal point in the arc to start the turn. toe side skids a lot more, harder to lock into the carve.. do i need to drop the back knee more to get the flex, feels like it. also feels like the on heel fide my from foot locks it in while on toe my back foot locks it. heel to toe transitions are still uneasy feeling, when changing edges i am afraid my nose will catch.. but i lean down hill and place my weight at my front toe edge and it usually transitions holy ****! this board is fast!!! (i need a helmet!) it needs speed to carve but it takes off. the steeper runs got more more confident with the speed so i could practice at faster speeds on the easy runs. it is the most amazing feeling to carve an arc and high speed. it is the feeling that lacked when i was on my little soft board. the feeling of speed with stability! i love it, totally hooked. once you are carving is there a way to slow down? i usually have to make a few turns then skid a bit to slow down and then start again. all in all i can not wait to get back out. this morning was amazing. i expect my skill to keep improving as i learn the kinesthetic and balance. i just have to make it through friday and then my roommate and i are going out saturday!

i got the boots used so i think the liner has been molded... just to another foot is all. i have a lot of pressure on the arch, i think this is due to the high heal design of the boot. i also the big toe of my front foot has a lot of pressure on it. i think i am going to make it up to the small (and cheap) hill in chur (5 min walk from my flat) for a morning 820-1230 session before school work..

tufty: not sure if i can make it over being a poor college student and all but thanks for the offer. skatha: good idea, i got thermoflex liners, are those moldable? gleb: a copy of the norm 1+2 might be the perfect reading material during a lunch break.

nope, i am not. perhaps i am even more determined. i know that i choose a hard board to learn on. i think i needed it to beat the crap out of me and hey, it was def and ego cutter :) i like the top sheet on mine.. little beat up but... i also liked the one on your 164. did you keep the little one?

BTW thanks everyone for your words of support! i hope to get back out very soon!

i would be down to meet up in davos. when are the dates? and if you are up for it i would be interested in meeting up before that at a smaller/less expensive places and practices a bit before the session... thanks alex

oi roman! I am living in Chur. Where abouts are you? alex

thanks for the words of encouragement and advice! yep the powder did suck. got to go thru some shallow stuff (5-10cm) and it was fun though when it would start to turn real sharply it almost felt like it was catching the nose, but it would be locking into the carve. blueB estimated it to be about 11.9 so that seems to be kinda in the middle.

took my cocoon lotus 164 out to flims/laax... rode the long gondola up to the high areas. then took a chair lift up higher. i thought higher would be better but... wrong. first run was really really bad. my goggles fogged up and froze so i was ****ed there. there was also knee to waist deep powder and my narrow race board would have none of that. i did some spectacular flips into the soft pow. got dug in deep, got very tired trying to pull myself out and get up. lost the piste because i could not see. ended up deep in the trees. my binding were set too hight so i had little control or ability. i had to walk out of the forrest. re-adjusted the angles to 50/45 and i made a few runs up high on blue piste but the wind and lack of visibility made it hard to concentrate on learning. got a good run in after the mid-day groom. at this point i was just getting used to controlling the board. i made some psudo-carves like most soft boards do (er.. skid). i also got banged up a bit. i need a helmet! after that hit i took a run and then a lunch break. when i tried to run again i was so out of it that i could not basically control a board. it was three. i was really frustrated and kinda disapointed and upset that i had spent that much money for such a bad day. i said **** it and got on the gondolas to go down. as i reached the village i saw that the lower ski areas had no wind or snow. the sun was even coming out a bit. looked over and saw some nice runs. i decided that i would take the chair lift up. it had some blue runs so i was set. it was sooo much better. i got to actually practice some techinque. the problem was that my feet really hurt. i said **** it, suck it up and board, that is what you want to do. i made a couple of runs on that one then went higher. it was steeper a first but then leveled out to some nice runs. i think i got some actual carves in. i made it down and was able to catch the lift right as it was closing to grab another run! i did really well and got some basic carves it. i was able board for a while w/o stopping much. i love that feeling when you are just flying down! some comments: damn that board is fast and scary! it needs speed to start to carve. my transitions have improved a lot but i still skid a bit (speed?). toe side is easier to get the board on edge and carve (or psudo-cave), heel side when i try to make an arc catches the nose and tries to turn me hard. it is harder on heel side to lean into the carve. i do the best when i bend my knees and are lower, but in good posture. i can really lean into thing that way. on turns i have been leaning more towards the nose and downhill. still learning about toe and heal pressure during carve turns. also trying to flex the board by moving my ankles in (this cause the board to turn very sharp and engage the edges near the nose. the last run i discovered the use of arms to counter balance! despite getting chewed up, i can not wait to go again. the last two hours gave me hope and i really enjoyed myself. i was glad i got to end on a positive note. i saw only two alpine riders. the one i talked to had a nice f2 board/intec set up. he said this was really bad weather for this and that it is not my board or me. i wanted to ask him if i could take a run with him but i was going inside for a bite to eat and realized i perhaps missed my chance.

I MISS MOUNT HOOD! i am an oregonian, born on the mouth of the columbia... ENJOY!

and a few more...

here are some pics!!

i will let ya know after my first run on sunday!

i will need a few days to get pics up. my cam has been down because the battery charger is lost in international mail so i am borrowing a friends. got the measuring stick out and it actually has 10mm camber left on it, so tired but not too... :) put my boots on and i was able to flex it. i have a feeling i am going to get a whole new set of muscles... on the bottom (snow side) tail it says "Lotus 64, pss 10%, racer weight 70-95 kg, carver weight 60-85 kg" interesting eh? any idea what the progressive side cut 10% is about? did you sell your 64 or the 58?

looks like i am going to Flims/Laax sunday!

bottom of the board says: 10% PSS 60-80 kg Carver 70-90 kg racer

after not so patiently waiting for my board to come by post... IT HAS! unpacked it and checked it out. the board has been ridden (the PO was a racer and won many with it) and its got plenty of little nicks and suck in it (to be well expected). The edges and base are in good shape and it has plenty of way on it. edges need a little work but... the board still has 5-6mm camber left in it. the proflex f2s look to be original... it was set for a regular rider so i had to rotate everything around to goofy. there are cant wedges in the plates so i made sure to orient them properly (as prior only goofy). adjusted the bails to my Raichle 124 (with 4th strap). the angles are set high. 60 front 55 back because of board width and they were comfortable there. i also moved the stance as far in as i could for two reasons, one: i have a close in stance (comes from aikido training) and second: to try to have more weight in the middle (the board is stiff and i am light). i hope to get out thursday to the hill in chur or on sunday my studiomates are going to head to flims/laax (i am told it is the best in the area). thanks for everyones advice! BlueB: I will get a pic up when i can so you can see another lotus. shape looks the same and all but the topsheet is different...

too bad you are not over here! i will have to check out flims/laax! i hear you can get some good deals out of chur (lift and bus for 32chf) thanks!

curious if there are any board members here from the Chur area. i just moved here a month ago. i am also new to carving and would like to ride with someone if they are down to have a newbie tag along...