Peter Vu

I read a thread on the French EC forum that may or may not be of interest here regarding the equipment/technique used during the Olympics: “…..During an interview, M. Bozetto said that the winner, P. Schoch, rode with a different technique (close the push-pull) compared to other racers….” Also - 90% of riders used the Northwave .950 (they are no longer manufactured for the last 7 years) - 90% of riders used standard bindings (no step-in) - 90% of riders used F2 Race Titanium - 90% of riders did not use F2 but instead Kessler “…..some racers used special bases build on top of some dampers that are used for ski competition. It was also observed that one of the Schoch brothers closing his binding with one had before the start of the race and then popped it open with two fingers after the finish. So “tight” bindings may not be the norm for racing? …..” Anyway, this is a quick translation because I am doing it at work (shhhhhhh…) :rolleyes: but if sthg is lost in translation, well you can shoot the messenger…ME!!

Having lived on both side of the ponds, may I say that the EC message was lost in translation? In Europe, people are a lot more direct (especially in the latin world) and to be politically correct is simply not mandatory. For example, James pointed out the "EC boys did come off too strong and maybe a little bit arrogant on that point". James may be right but only from the U.S perspective. I don't know too many Euro carving web sites that were "shocked" by the EC statements. Patrice and Nils were at SES 2004. Has anyone who talked to them felt that the were one bit "arrogant"? One may find instead that they were quite humble folks who shared their passion about carving without any restrictions. Jack, when you say "wasted motion" don't think it strongly implies that it is "wrong" which would put you on the same rigid stand points as the EC guys,no ? :rolleyes: How about "unecessary motion"? I think it was Kipstar who pointed out that in the windsurfing industry, the boards went so narrow (to conform with racing in high winds) that it almost killed the industry. Maybe the J&P had a point here. Bordy, I can't agree with you more. You can do linked layed turns with any boards, from freestyle to skwal. But on the same token, one can join a tennis tournament with a wood racket or doing forward loops with a windsurfing speed board (Laird Hamilton) on flat water and so on....Oh wait, I have my own story too. When I was a teenager (a very VERY loooong time ago :o ), I used to mountain bike in the woods with my racing bike. Not ideal... If J&P did not "invent" it(another statement lost in translation), then they have mastered this technique with great fluidity. I'm afraid to say that your video proved just that: they are the best in linking laydown turns(oh, and Rob Crobar too <-- who's that guy anyway!?!? :rolleyes: ). Cheers, Peter

....or you can go to ECS .... ;)

Jack, I was fortunate enough to go carving with P&J last year at Zinal and Grimentz. The sequences here were taken at Grimentz (5-10 minutes drive from Zinal). It's a main trail that takes skiers/boarders down a lift so it is usually quite busy and ....icy. When I was there, it was bitterly cold and it had not snow for a long time. I can attest that P&J do carve on the steeps with snow conditions similar to the East Coast (I started carving in Montreal) and they can lay it down in "icy" or very-very hard snow. But if "icy" = pure blue ice, then I have not seen them carve on blue ice BUT I *can*.....on a skating ring :rolleyes: Cheers

There is a misconception about EC. EC is not full laid carving at each and every single turns as shown on the Opuses. Instead, it is first and foremost based on sound techniques which can be resumed as followed: 1) Upper body rotation 2) Flexion/extension from the legs 3) Flexion when changing the edge I have witnessed P&J carving skills in Zinal (no hero snow BTW but rather hardpack East Coast snow) two weeks ago and do they lay down at each and every single turn beside the steep runs? Absolutely not. They slide, do normal carves or EC relative to the terrain. This is what I observed HERE last year after following Patrice for a day in Aspen. VIDEO So far I have seen video of people riding with - facing the nose technique - high inclination/angulation with rotation (which was the technique I used before EC) - EC (in this case P&J) EC was the video that inspired me the most and I also found out (the hard way) that it is also the most challenging riding technique to reach the fluidity and grace of P&J. Frankly, i don't care about the US vs. Europe thing because if tomorrow, there were two Kenyans ripping it up on the Kilimanjaro better than P&J on whatever equipment, I will dump the Swiss boyz and follow those new guys. But until then, I have yet to see a better video that inspires me more....

This technique was described on extremecarving.com since day one of their website. It's indeed a great feeling. As shown with the pix by Drzone, it's like doing an off-the-lip in surfing. Peter

Nils, Thanks for the links. Will you plan the next ECS in Jan as well or it may change from year to year? Peter

Huh? Free Xmas gift? One for me please... I love this new movie. The music has tons of energy and I enjoyed the variety of the shots from different angles. Well done !! Peter

CMC, I read with interest your comment on "Swoard rider = static rider". For the last year, I have been experimenting the EC technique and I found the push-pull (leg works) combined with rotation (upper body) to be very dynamic. Actually, it's almost too dynamic for the out of shape and average carver guy that I am. :( However, I am always in the quest to improve my "style". Providing that I am doing push/pull + rotation, could you help me understand how I can be more "dynamic" ? Or.... How do I switch from static rider to "aggressive ripper"? Maybe I don't spread out my arms enough but I can't see how this would improve the dynamics of a carve. Please help! Thanks beforehand !!:) Peter

I think John K. has a good question here. If someone was to order an All-Mountain board, what are the flex characteristics that we should be looking for? What would be defined as too soft or too stiff from an all-mountain point of view and....what would be the perfect flex and how is this characterized? Peter

When I first started snowboarding in Quebec, the slopes were also narrow and a tiny sidecut was the norm. For example, a friend of mine is 6'0 and was riding a 157cm with a 7.5m sidecut. Slalom boards may be your answer. My two cents ! Peter