TWM

A novice, out of control straight-lining skier came within inches of hitting me from behind today. We were a fraction of a second from total mayhem. Also, I ordered a new carving jacket today.

Still got another month to go I expect. Uncrowded runs and firm morning snow make spring prime carving season.

This is so troubling to read. So many carvers are getting hit these days. May Martin see a fast and complete recovery.

One of the best and under appreciated ways to progress quickly is by simply watching and riding with great carvers. That fact, coupled with clinics, make a strong case for MCC.

Brings back memories. My first hip-dragging railing on an alpine hard-boot set up was in the summer of 1990; I was 16, and hooked. It was first on borrowed K2 prototypes, and then later on Nitro EFTs after they signed me up. I remember distinctly watching from the Palmer lift as US ski team coaches turned backs to their own race lanes to rubberneck the alpine riders, the MBSEF crew especially, laying down highly angulated pencil-thin rails on the brutal salted frozen morning cords. They’d never seen such turns, and skis got side-cut soon thereafter. There was hot debate that summer about the efficacy of asym tech. Most boards were asym. Some of us argued the opposite — that the heel side core profile, given body mechanics and boot leverage, should be shifted forward, not back. Then, prophetically, Rossignol’s first 173 and 183 VAS prototypes showed up in July. Allegedly designed by their race ski engineer, they boasted forward-shifted profiles that landed squarely on one side of the snowboarders’ asym debate. By all accounts, these boards railed harder - with better edge hold - than anything else to date.

They definitely do rip.

I’ve liked most of his analyses. Here, the analysis of forward drive of the rear knee on a toe turn is specific and astute. It’s why I use considerably more rear foot heel lift in my soft vs. hard boot set up.

That's certainly an important factor to consider in stance width. But then, why not ride a 10 inch stance? I just went through this exercise last week on a new-to-me and quite stiff board. A narrow stance was preventing body mechanics necessary to aggressively pressure and drive forward and laterally into the boot. And, by standing me up too tall, it limited me from getting the board higher on edge, into a deeper flex. A wider stance changed this with body mechanics that allowed powerful leverage through the boot and stability and balance to get the board higher on edge. So, for me, given other important variables to consider, widening my stance yielded deeper board flex.

I want more forward lean from my Deeluxe 325s, at least on my back foot. Is anyone modifying these boots to afford that, and if so, how? Rivets? (That’s how I used to lock boots into a desired lean position in my younger days.) Are there other boot models or brands that offer more forward lean than the 325s? Thanks In advance for insights.

Fun day, fun snow. I’m slowly getting to know this old Coiler, and it’s taking everything I dish out. Toe, heel.

It’s flair, but feels a bit faint hearted. I would prefer two or three hand circles presenting each new turn, like a magician or wizard.

It’s the tail.

I just watched the euro trip video. It’s remarkable to see how that new orange Donek wraps into the second half of a turn; from the apex to the end, it seems to flex deep into the rail but with no sign of folding, obviously damp, steady, and stable. Looks like it allows one to control speed beautifully.

Very sorry to read this. It’s what we all fear. Glad you’re on the mend and that it wasn’t worse. Tell us — which helmet?

(Rewriting a post I that I somehow adeptly deleted)…. I plan to attend MCC next season if for no reason other than to enjoy carving absent constant worry of being hit from uphill. Many other reasons to go, of course, but carving in a no pass environment is a big deal for me.

I usually ride 9 - 11 for this precise reason; fewer people, better odds of not getting hit. This time of year, with firmer morning snow and fewer people, is particularly good.

For me, a wider stance feels like a more stable and controlled means of bending the board; a wider stance, with deeper knee bend, affords more fore / aft leverage from the (hard) boot over the board, and more stance stability to drive turns and angulate more aggressively. For me, a relatively narrow stance — while it places more weight closer to the board’s center — stands me up too tall, compromising the body mechanics that allow me to exert leverage over the board. And so, for me, narrower stances make boards feel stiffer.

Getting to know a Free Carve I recently picked up.

That’s been my strategy. I’m of course eyes out and very careful, but once underway it’s fast, large radius, deep carves wherein the inertia of my 6’3” 225 lb frame has always prevailed against wrongful intruders from uphill. Rules are rules, and physics are physics.

Honestly, I rarely see instructors who can even carve, let alone carve well enough to teach it or understand the basics of carving body mechanics.

A no passing dedicated carving run is an idea I’ve had. I’ve also recently seen pictures of huge orange signs at ski areas that say “no straight lining.” It’s now become a broader problem that carvers have been acutely aware of for some time. I think a general crack down is good. It’s so bad where I ride, with both congestion and out of control beginners, that it often takes minutes of waiting for traffic gaps.

How does it perform on heel turns? Improved leverage toward the heel edge?

I was hit from behind by a straight liner just after the apex of my 3rd heel turn of the season. What a start. The collision ejected the guilty party off the run and into shallow snow, dirt and rocks. They broke some of their equipment but no bones. It was a situation entirely of their own making.

I had the same quality of equipment revelation a few weeks ago on my Gen two Furberg. It came after bombing out of a long steep section of powder bumps and trees - where it's so floaty and utterly effortless to maneuver - and exiting at speed onto a groomer and a fast, long radius heel rail linking to tired-legged 30 or 40 mph run-wide rails down to the lift. Everything is so dialed that I just forget the equipment is even there. I remarked to my riding partner at the bottom of the brilliance of a board could be so maneuverable off-piste and also so hyper stable at speed on rail (thanks 18m radius sidecut), and I remarked about how well sorted was my boot and binding interface - minimalist, functional, strong, light, comfortable. We've been riding together since the mid-1980s; it was a fun moment to reflect on the chair about how far things had come. With half-century in the rearview, we high-five after each day shredding that we're still able to get after it so hard.

My sense is that it was a broader shift, of which Burton was part. I always felt like X-Games was the catalyst — it kicked alpine to the curb, but, more importantly, brought massive infusions of corporate cash that focused snowboarding and snowboard designs around glorified gymnastics (freestyle) and the throngs of beginners who naturally followed. I believe the first Winter X-Games was broadcast on ABC in 1997. X-Games defined the sport for the masses who were then, for two decades, sold cargo ships worth of crappy Chinese twin tips that, aside from graphics, were indistinguishable from one another and worthless for railing turns or riding powder without the abhorrent and still common rear-leg bias. It was IMHO the dark age for snowboarding, at least in the US, that we’ve only recently begun to emerge from. (This is to be read this in a breathy old man voice punctuated by occasional mucus retching.)