Learning to carve

[Nick Morgan]

Getting my hips more perpendicular to my board makes sence. By doing that it would allow my shoulders to sqaure up a bit as well. Then maybe, just maybe I won't be seeing the white flashes as the back of my head slams off of the snow. So far the hardest part of learning is the pain involved.

[bobdea]

just get a lift until you're ready for another board with the right waist.

divebomber, have you driven either of said cars?

how about a evo?

[bobdea]

Getting my hips more perpendicular to my board makes sence. By doing that it would allow my shoulders to sqaure up a bit as well. Then maybe, just maybe I won't be seeing the white flashes as the back of my head slams off of the snow. So far the hardest part of learning is the pain involved.

to a point, I love this forum but when it comes to softboots some people have some really wacky ideas. I am headed out the door so I'm not going to explain the reasoning behind the following statements but here are some guidelines that many people here will argue with but they seriously are out to lunch

1 on softboots you really don't want to ride angles much higher than 30 degrees in either direction because you lose leverage.

2 stance width is important, people from here tend to reccomend people ride a stance narrower than they need to in softboots and the jibbers at your local hill reccomend one too wide to comfortable carve. find the in between for the average man it's between 20 and 23 inches somewhere.

3 board width, too wide and you can't power the board like if you have a size 9 boot and are riding a 27 cm wide board, it will be great in pow but a nightmare on icey chop due to lost leverage. too narrow of a board and get toe and heel drag which put you on your ass in a heartbeat.

4 tune your board. sharp edges do help.

5 patience pays, start of carving gently eventually you'll be able to rip turns.

6 take a lesson, if you're on the east coast I can suggest some people but if not make sure whoever is teaching you is at least "level two" but better yet a level three or a examiner would be the way to go. I am not really a AASI fan but for what you're doing they can really fit the bill.

[pebu]

For the most part I'd agree with what bobdea said.

If you're going to try to square your shoulders, here is a little trick that I got from the tech articles that helped me. On your heelside carve, take your rear hand and reach it down towards your leading knee. It helps keep the shoulder down too so your shoulders are parallel to the slope.

[zoom]

+1 for Bob's rules of softie carving.

This is a good thread for more info. The following quote from Phil Fell is frustratingly true:

Your snowboard is made to carve. If you put it on edge and do nothing it will carve. So you have to trouble shoot in your riding to find out what you are doing to make it skid instead of carve. Keep it simple and work from there.

That thread also has good advice on binding angles, heelside carves, etc. Lots of different styles out there, and plenty of conflicting advice. Welcome to Bomber. ;)

Good luck!

[Kirk]

+2 on bobdea

If you're going to try to square your shoulders, here is a little trick that I got from the tech articles that helped me. On your heelside carve, take your rear hand and reach it down towards your leading knee. It helps keep the shoulder down too so your shoulders are parallel to the slope.

Even if angles were increased to the 20-30 degree range(to avoid overhang), I can't even imagine why squaring your shoulders/hips to the board would be encouraged.

[pebu]

That's why I started with IF. I can't tell intentions over the internet.

[Kirk]

To stay balanced you need to also move your upper body the opposite direction.

Sounds like counter-rotation = not good

[BadBrad]

Sounds like counter-rotation = not good

I didn't mean counter-rotation, I meant that if you are leaning your hips to the right you need to bent to your left at the waist. Talking about angulation, not rotation. I guess that's why a picture is worth a thousand words, and a live demo is worth a kabillion words.

Quote:

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">Your snowboard is made to carve. If you put it on edge and do nothing it will carve. So you have to trouble shoot in your riding to find out what you are doing to make it skid instead of carve. Keep it simple and work from there. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

This is true, but as a beginner this didn't work for me for some reason. I had done a lot of skateboarding and I tried to work it like a skateboard -- just tilt it, lean a little, and turn. But for some reason the board just seemed to go straight and I'd fall over. Of course, that was back in the 80's and the board was a K2 Gyrator or something like that, so that might have something to do with it. I watched other boarders and figured out that you have kick that back end out and get it to slide, so I learned that bad habit from the beginning. :(

[Nick Morgan]

Heck, I never meant to start a fire. I just wanted a few pointers and a little guidance. So far I have a lot of information that i will need to ponder.:p A little of this and a lot of that and "Kaboom" a carver is born.

[pebu]

I watched other boarders and figured out that you have kick that back end out and get it to slide, so I learned that bad habit from the beginning. :(

I don't call that a bad habit. I call that something necessary to learn so you know how to stop. I started out learning the falling leaf. I have a hard enough time sometimes getting unlocked from a turn, just imagine somebody who doesn't know how to break the tail loose and scrub some speed?

[zoom]

This is true, but as a beginner this didn't work for me for some reason. I had done a lot of skateboarding and I tried to work it like a skateboard -- just tilt it, lean a little, and turn. But for some reason the board just seemed to go straight and I'd fall over. Of course, that was back in the 80's and the board was a K2 Gyrator or something like that, so that might have something to do with it. I watched other boarders and figured out that you have kick that back end out and get it to slide, so I learned that bad habit from the beginning. :(

I hear you. I think most of us started in skidder survival mode. It's an a** saver in the beginning - literally. However, for me, the best starting point in learning to carve (as opposed to learning how to not break your neck while changing direction) is/was finding the edge and letting the board do its work. There's plenty of work to be done after that, but *for me* keeping it simple is the best way to start.

Nick - As I said, lots of different and conflicting opinions! I bet you'll get that first heelside carve soon enough, and as you progress you'll find what works for you.

[Kirk]

I didn't mean counter-rotation, I meant that if you are leaning your hips to the right you need to bent to your left at the waist. Talking about angulation, not rotation. I guess that's why a picture is worth a thousand words, and a live demo is worth a kabillion words.

(

I misunderstood-sorry.

[kinpa]

Quote:

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset;

This is true, but as a beginner this didn't work for me for some reason. I had done a lot of skateboarding and I tried to work it like a skateboard -- just tilt it, lean a little, and turn. But for some reason the board just seemed to go straight and I'd fall over. Of course, that was back in the 80's and the board was a K2 Gyrator or something like that, so that might have something to do with it. I watched other boarders and figured out that you have kick that back end out and get it to slide, so I learned that bad habit from the beginning. :(

I think that was the ONLY way to turn a board back then. I started in 85 and then again in 89 and that was how I was taught... to kick the back foot out. It makes it pretty hard to get off the lift though if you don't learn to turn with the front foot too!

As far as letting the board do the work, how many of you remember the first time the board did work and it felt like it was taking you for a ride???? That still happens to me sometimes, but I guess that's the thrill we all like about carving!

[JJFluff]

I love carving on my T-6. I Ride with 0 angles on both front and back. I wear size 10 boots so the smaller feet help. I have slight overhang but not much. It holds you back some but the moral of the story is you can ride a nice carve at any angle. I ride knees together as many know. Especially on the heel side. Go with what feels good than work on it. Don't feel that if it doesn't work immeaditely you need to change something.

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