snowprofessor.com - How to carve a snowboard

[Loc]

http://www.snowprofessor.com/how-to-snowboard/intermediate-snowboard-lessons/how-to-carve-on-a-snowboard.html

I found them on Twitter. They differentiate between skid and carve

I think members on this forum can do a way better job though!

http://twitter.com/HowToSnowboard/status/1283345324

[NateW]

That's a very welcome change from all the "how to carve" videos on youtube which only show people skidding.

[kjl]

That is by far the least crappy carving instructional video I think I've ever seen. Too bad they were standing duck, where your heelside is so impaired...

[ptran11]

this video is kind of humorous for a couple reasons. First they outline the carve line which was like a deformed arc and they next explain to carve on the heel you "drop your butt like sitting on a low chair."

[kjl]

In flat angles like they are riding, you kind of have to straightleg it and stick your butt out to carve heelside. You have no other real choice.

[PolyMathMan]

Actually I thought this was pretty decent. It doesn't have the power or finesse that we so enjoy, but it a great first step for those who want more than just blasting down the hill or hanging around at the park.

People on lifts watch carvers, and if we can get more of this then a certain percentage will find their way to our ranks.

The family grows.

[Loc]

If any of the SoCal carvers want to make a video like this I'm offering my HD camcorder

Just one youtube video of basic carving technique and then progressively more powerful turns to showcase what we do can get new freeriders hooked easily. I myself was one of those freeriders who googled "snowboard carving tips" and found myself watching EC videos. That's how this addiction all started.

1) Norm 1

2) Norm 2

3) Bomber

4) EC

5) Jump carve

6) Switch jump carve a la CasperCarver

[carvedog]

this video is kind of humorous for a couple reasons. First they outline the carve line which was like a deformed arc and they next explain to carve on the heel you "drop your butt like sitting on a low chair."

Yeah I caught that too.

I always wanted to have a bungee cord that went straight up from between your feet and then would hook to a harness around your waist and between your legs kind of....where the junk is.

To do heelside you try not to stretch it out ( stick your butt out ), but just bring your torso towards your feet. At least for HBs that is what it feels like to me more than some of the rotation that folks get stuck in.

Then toeside you want to stretch and roll. For some students just the thought planted image helped them to start getting tall and letting the turn compress the rider.

[Petrol]

People on lifts watch carvers, and if we can get more of this then a certain percentage will find their way to our ranks... The family grows.

... and with any luck, boots that can be test fitted within a 10 hr round trip commute

[philw]

Interesting. I agree it's not a bad video, and they do understand the basic idea. Not that it's all that hard, but as others have posted here, most boarders don't even understand what carving is.

The riders do look uncomfortable though, especially on the heel side. I appreciate that they're demonstrating to beginners, but even so, it should look more comfortable than that I think.

Perhaps it's the stance.

[carvedog]

Perhaps it's the stance.

The poopie pants stance. :rolleyes:

[Phil]

this video is kind of humorous for a couple reasons. ..."drop your butt like sitting on a low chair."

Can you expand on that? I thought it was sound advice:

R.I.P. J.P.

[carvedog]

For me, I don't like the analogy of a chair at all. Too passive.

I like to think of movements of the body that work very calmly but steadily through the turn.

Also think it tends to stick butt out. Could cause the rider to think about the chair or cradle instead of the angles of alignment of your core. And you( can ride like that and I am sure really well too. But I don't care for it.

Also makes you think about your butt. I like to introduce the idea of COM and see if people can visualize it as a bit above and in between your hips. Just to get them thinking about their chi, center, whatever.

Kind of like looking for the spaces in the trees. Do you want to think about the edge of the chair/tree or the center of the white opening.

Could be wrong. I been before.

[kjl]

Also think it tends to stick butt out.

I just don't think it's possible to powerfully carve heelside with flat stance angles without sticking your butt out. At high angles, the only reason it doesn't look like you're sticking your butt out is because you're rotated around so it looks like your hip instead, but it's the same thing - that part of your body near your waist is pointing at the snow, and your upper body is angled away from the snow.

I agree that it is "too passive" for advanced riders, but I think most beginner carvers including us hardbooters had to learn how to achieve angulation at some point by learning that correct "pose". I think telling beginner softbooters at super low angles that they need to stick their butt down to the snow is the equivalent to telling hardbooters at high angles to pinch that pencil, rotate towards the nose, or put that back hand near your front boot, etc.

[ohiomoto]

I agree with kjl, you have to stats somewhere. But I think good riders can rotate into the healside even with flat angles.

I use to bag on my wife for the poop pants stance and she got rid of it. She looks better, but then again, she doesn't layout healsides any better than they did in the video.She carves, but spends most of her time in the fall line. She did ride plates for a couple of years before we had our children, but she never really turned that board very hard either. I prefer to shoot accross the fall line and bang out another going the other way. Must be these small hills I'm stuck with.

That's probably my problem with my healside turns. I think I over rotate because I am afraid of the poop pants look. :)

[jp1]

Loc, I think members on this forum can do a way better job though !

I say, " I'm from Missouri, Show Me !" I agree, but like carving a 360 (and I have seen the 360), No Video, No Proof !

Loc, " Just one youtube video of basic carving technique and then progressively more powerful turns to showcase what we do can get new freeriders hooked easily. I myself was one of those freeriders who googled "snowboard carving tips" and found myself watching EC videos. That's how this addiction all started."

I watch the SES clip with Paulk riding often . For whatever reason, that style to me is where I dream of being someday! I vote so send him out with a videographer, have him do the Drills that are already listed here, with narration from the Guru's that wrote them, to me, That Would Be Awesome!

I asked about a Instructional Video when starting 5 years ago (like"Get Dialed In" was for soft boots). Now 'starting again' after 3 years off, still believe it would be a huge help in learning.

I'm just one of those "Show Me" people, when I see it and can visualize it, I can work on it, and I will Get It. It's like following a better rider down a slope, things start to work, I start to loosen up and feel more comfortable. Otherwise to me, it's a bunch of words all up for interpretation.

I thought the Video (link) was good. Even if something like it was done in Alpine Gear, it would be a start. Unfortunately though, I don't believe it will ever happen. :(

[carvedog]

I just don't think it's possible to powerfully carve heelside with flat stance angles without sticking your butt out. At high angles, the only reason it doesn't look like you're sticking your butt out is because you're rotated around so it looks like your hip instead, but it's the same thing - that part of your body near your waist is pointing at the snow, and your upper body is angled away from the snow.

I agree that it is "too passive" for advanced riders, but I think most beginner carvers including us hardbooters had to learn how to achieve angulation at some point by learning that correct "pose". I think telling beginner softbooters at super low angles that they need to stick their butt down to the snow is the equivalent to telling hardbooters at high angles to pinch that pencil, rotate towards the nose, or put that back hand near your front boot, etc.

Good points as always Ken. I don't know if you have ever taught,but you have a better understanding of snowboard mechanics than a lot of the instructors I work with.

I just don't like to teach anything that I have to "unteach" or work around later on.

This gal looks to have pretty flat stance and a lot of rotation. Just a different look at a good heelside without the butt out.

[ohiomoto]

Great shot carvedog!

This is why I poo poo the poop pants stance.

I about 10 years ago I got roped into giving lessons at my local hill becasue at the time, I was the only instructor who was there in the morning that actually rode a snowboard. I was PSIA level II at the time so I already knew how to teach people and run a lesson, I just didn't what to teach. So I got the abbreviated "how to teach snowboarding" less from a couple the "real" snowboard instructors one night and off I went.

One of the things they taught me was how to use rotation to initiate a turn. I had never done this myself at the time. I was self taught and was using 100% angulation. I was surprised how well it worked for me and my riding improved dramatically. So I showed my wife and a few other friends how to do it (all on soft boots) and they looked much better.

BTW, I was on plates for every lesson I ever taught! I hardly ever got to put the back foot in the binding (mostly beginner lessons). I'm pretty good at riding with on leg on my alpine board! lol

Now that I actually have soft boots, used them to teach my six year old son how to ride. I didn't even bother putting the board on until we got to a lift. I just pushed the lazy **** up the hill and sent him down. :) I was just easier for both of us. :rolleyes: He started riding on his own last night, so those days are over. :)

[jtslalom]

I thought the video was done well from a soft riding perspective with binding angles around zero degrees. Most people (not every one) who ride soft snowboards ride with angles around zero for both feet. This is probably because most shops that sell boards set the bindings up that way. In any case I think the butt situation, hanging the riders backside out on heelside turns, and how they explained it isn't that far from the truth. Maybe they could have emphasized the idea of trying to bring your butt as close to the edge as possible rather than just say to sit back in a low chair. I also think that with these binding angles heelside carves are initiated with ankle flexion. You almost have to drop your butt out and down as your turn progresses to correctly pressure the edge.

Some people are not considering when criticising this video the fact that most hard riders ride with steep binding angles any where from 45 up to 80. With these angles the hips are over the board and heelside carves are initiated by driving your knees and not ankles. As the carve is continued your hips drop down but not so much out as if you were sitting in a low chair.

Looking at the picture that carvedog posted it looks like this soft rider isn't sticking his butt out on his heelside turn. It's hard to say because of the angle the picture was taken. It would be much clearer to see if the picture was taken from either up or down hill of the rider. In any case this riders binding angles are not zero or that close to it. They are definately in a position that allow him to ride more like a hard booter and drive more with his knees while his butt is place closer to his board.

I tend to ride my soft deck as if I was hard riding. My binding angles are around 50 each and I don't stick my butt way out as if I was sitting in a low chair. However I recently changed one of my boards stance angles to zero both front and back for a day just to see how my riding was affected. Sure enough in order to really pressure my heelside edge I needed to sit my butt back a little almost as if I was sitting in a low chair.

[carvedog]

carvedog replies in burgundy

I thought the video was done well from a soft riding perspective with binding angles around zero degrees.

I thought generally it was well done too.

Maybe they could have emphasized the idea of trying to bring your butt as close to the edge as possible rather than just say to sit back in a low chair. I also think that with these binding angles heelside carves are initiated with ankle flexion. You almost have to drop your butt out and down as your turn progresses to correctly pressure the edge.

Up to about 50+ I try to initiate with ankles. Which involves knees and ultimately some hip as well.

Some people are not considering when criticising this video the fact that most hard riders ride with steep binding angles any where from 45 up to 80. With these angles the hips are over the board and heelside carves are initiated by driving your knees and not ankles.

Can be initiated by driving knees see above. Agreed that over 60 or so it becomes a leverage issue for ankle initiation.

As the carve is continued your hips drop down but not so much out as if you were sitting in a low chair.

Looking at the picture that carvedog posted it looks like this soft rider isn't sticking his butt out on his heelside turn. .........In any case this riders binding angles are not zero or that close to it.

She. Angles look to be close to 10 or 15 at the most, and maybe in the soft board world that is really not close to zero. For me when I get on my Canyon ( angles at about 25-30) I feel like I am at zero and I can ride switch so easy, so maybe my baseline is off.

They are definately in a position that allow him to ride more like a hard booter and drive more with his knees while his butt is place closer to his board.

If you look her front leg is almost straight but, butt is not out.

However I recently changed one of my boards stance angles to zero both front and back for a day just to see how my riding was affected. Sure enough in order to really pressure my heelside edge I needed to sit my butt back a little almost as if I was sitting in a low chair.

I don't mind the position as much as the chair reference and look of movement it implies. I always try to teach movements, not positions.

Enjoying the conversation not just trying to slam the vid.

[kjl]

Good points as always Ken. I don't know if you have ever taught,but you have a better understanding of snowboard mechanics than a lot of the instructors I work with.

I just don't like to teach anything that I have to "unteach" or work around later on.

This gal looks to have pretty flat stance and a lot of rotation. Just a different look at a good heelside without the butt out.

...

Enjoying the conversation not just trying to slam the vid.

Also enjoying the debate and not trying to slam anybody :)

I stand corrected by that picture, although I wonder how much torsional twist is happening towards the back of the board.

That was always my main obstacle with lower stance angled, rotated heelsides - the front foot would be great, which is why I'd put all my weight up there, and then the rotated hip would pull the back heel up and push the back toe down, occasionally resulting in tail washout. I fought this by putting a crapload of forward lean and heel lift on the back foot, which has worked. (I ride 39/21 in softies)

I always love it when I think something is impossible (in this case, powerful rotated carved heelside at low stance angles) and then somebody proves me wrong. That kind of skill seems pretty rare around here. Who is that in the photo, btw?

[carvedog]

I always love it when I think something is impossible (in this case, powerful rotated carved heelside at low stance angles) and then somebody proves me wrong. That kind of skill seems pretty rare around here. Who is that in the photo, btw?

Her name is Karin. I could look up her last name at work. She is an Austrian ripper who was here coaching with SV Ski Education Foundation. I think she went back to europe.

Pretty sure she used to do some half pipe comps too.

Great fun to watch ride and one of the many cool people I have been privileged to ride with. She would be doing these nice almost laid out carves and pop a nice slow floating 180 or 360 and then go back to carving.

[BlueB]

It's actually very good. It all makes sense for entry level soft boot carving and low angle stance they ride. Explanation is simple and coherent. They clearly explain the difference between skid and carve. We need more of stuff like this. Anyone who thinks this wasn't a valid effort, should put together a video of his own and show how it's done.