Seraph Posted March 24, 2009 Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 Ok, so now that I have been out on my board over a dozen times I have a question. I have tried the different exercises (Norm, etc.), and can link a few carves together before my speed gets uncomfortable. I have played with different stances from Wide (21") to narrow (17"), moved my stance up and down the board, tried various lift/cant setups, various positions sitting lower, bending knees more, etc., but still seem to have the same recurring problem, I feel like when I'm initiating a carve toeside it feels like I'm trying to turn a schoolbus and if I put my weight in the wrong spot (ie don't crossover) on don't get my hip over I can't get the board to initiate a carve and end up having to skid the turn or risk catching an edge and winding up on my face. On my heelsides, If I initiate really early, I can carve it, but feel totally blind through 2/3's of the turn as if I can't turn my upper body enough to be looking into the turn. I'm getting a little frustrated and I'm wondering if maybe I picked a board that is too long or too stiff for me. I'm hoping I'm wrong and it's something I can work on to correct or simply freshman blues wanting to advance quicker than I'm ready to. For reference: Height: 5' 7.5" Weight: 190 Donek Axxess 172 TD2 SI's Head Stratus Pro w/ BTS Yellow top/Blue Bottom Mondo 24 Stance 18" (Inseam is 29.5) Angles: 45 deg. front, 40 deg. rear Front 0 Cant/lift, Rear 6 Cant/No lift No photos or video available...those of you who have seen me ride, please feel free to speak up. Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkaholic Posted March 24, 2009 Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 Seraph, Come spend time at Lovey with me and the LCI and I will guarantee that you will find your carve and get better. You will also have fun in the process. Ink read: free coaching from the LCI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhaskins Posted March 24, 2009 Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 I have Axxess 167 Bindings at 55/52, Catek OS2's 18 inch stance 6 degree front lift & 6 degree rear lift, 0 cant 5 foot 7 inch tall 160 lbs. I'm not the greatest rider, but I can initiate turns fairly easily with that board. Your board may be a bit long? My FCI is a 171 and it is a lot different animal to turn than the Axxsess, it is more locked in than the Axxess. It is easy for me to face the front of the board, so maybe you can try changing your binding angles. Load the nose going into the turns and end up with more weight bias in the rear for the transition, the feed the dollar thing. Or, it could be that mine handles easy because it is red and yours isn't. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave ESPI Posted March 24, 2009 Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 Seraph, have you tried increasing angles on bindings to 50s? or are your toes at the edge of the board as set now? you may not be using enough 'bow" (decamber) to the board to get it to hook uphill and burn off speed. or are you riding just steeps? try some flatter hills and see how it runs the speed out until you get used to the boards flex pattern. It is possible it is too stiff of a board to really get tight carves as the SCR may be higher than it will allow you to drive it. then again it may just be how you are riding as your body is fighting to ride sideways on it like a normal softbooter down the hill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian M Posted March 24, 2009 Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 Donek Axxess 172 TD2 SI's Head Stratus Pro w/ BTS Yellow top/Blue Bottom Mondo 24 Stance 18" (Inseam is 29.5) Angles: 45 deg. front, 40 deg. rear Even with size 24 feet, can you really get zero overhang at 40 degrees on that board? Have you tried a stance more like 50/55 to see what it feels like? I tried a very shallow stance on a wide (28.5cm Option Supercharger) on the weekend (I have MP 28 feet) and did not like it at all. A more forward stance would let you see where you're going and use your boots and hips a little differently. Best of luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seraph Posted March 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 Seraph,have you tried increasing angles on bindings to 50s? or are your toes at the edge of the board as set now? you may not be using enough 'bow" (decamber) to the board to get it to hook uphill and burn off speed. or are you riding just steeps? try some flatter hills and see how it runs the speed out until you get used to the boards flex pattern. It is possible it is too stiff of a board to really get tight carves as the SCR may be higher than it will allow you to drive it. Haven't tried 50 degrees. Toes and heels have zero overhang and are on the edge of the board. I'll try 50/45 and see how it feels. Nope not riding steeps, greens and light to medium blues. The steep blues quite frankly makes my @$$ pucker on this thing. and just for an FYI, prior to snowboarding I used to do some serious vertical when I used to ski [i'm a Jiminy Peak Ski Team alumnus and used to tear it up with Tyler Fairbanks and the other locals]. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave ESPI Posted March 24, 2009 Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 Seraph, yeah if you raced @ jiminy....sweet ! Im sure you would love to pucker up with a cork and try ripping down Whirlaway and Exhibition or Ace of Spades on a carver just for old time sake! lol.... Actualy one my fave runs is down lower glade to the 360 or cutting over to Lower Ex on a carver because it is tame and wide but enough pitch to allow you to save speed from the top of the run and use it up before you hit the turn. yeah, Try the 10 degrees more, it may be what you need. Chances are you are squaring your shoulders, but the hips are not where you need them. If you raced skis, you are having issues with wanting to drop your hip outward into the turn, It is just like slallom racing, but you need to keep your hips under you (and stand up higher to avoid the face whipping fron the flagpoles !) and drop back a bit on the hind leg when exiting the toeside to the heelside turn. HTH, Fastest boarder in a Jiminy staff crew coat, D- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiveBomber Posted March 24, 2009 Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 try a wider stance, atleast 20" higher angles like 55 48 rear get lower in your turns, lean into the turn, and try to turn your body into the turn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohiomoto Posted March 24, 2009 Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 Also, at some point it's a matter of commitment. What I'm saying is sometimes you have to lay it over and carve the crap out of it and ride that carve until you really finish the turn. Turn shape will help get that bus back under control. And don't feel bad you are not alone. I've been ridding a few days each season since 95 (I mostly ski) and I'm still not all that comfortable when the speeds pick up. Our little blacks out here are no steeper than your blues and it's all I really want on a board at this point in my carving career. I go anywhere else and I'm crying for my skis! I put in a few extra days this season and I feel like I'm on the verger of having a break though so it probably won't take you too long if you put some time into it. Try the steeper angles and learn how to finish the **** out of those turns and you start to feel better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeGogoussier Posted March 24, 2009 Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 (...) been out on my board over a dozen times (...) I can link a few carves together before my speed gets uncomfortable. (...) I feel like I'm trying to turn a schoolbus (...) On my heelsides (...) feel totally blind through 2/3's of the turn (...) My first dozen times out are not too distant, so I can relate. Perhaps if you kept speed within your comfort zone none of what you describe would develop. The key is to complete each turn as a 'C", not a half 'S'. The trick is to turn your head and keep your sight aimed across the run to the other side (choose a tree). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seraph Posted March 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 If you raced skis, you are having issues with wanting to drop your hip outward into the turn, It is just like slallom racing, but you need to keep your hips under you (and stand up higher to avoid the face whipping fron the flagpoles !) and drop back a bit on the hind leg when exiting the toeside to the heelside turn.D- So if I'm supposed to keep my weight stacked over the carving edge (if that is what your saying), where does the whole pencil pinching hip thing come into play? When I ride, I've been actually been trying to initiate the turn like skiing GS style (i.e. turn starts at the top of the c, drop hip into the corner and downhill setting the edge, ride the downhill edge which becomes the uphill edge at the end of the c). Kind of like this: or this: (I'm also a former speedskater so maybe I'm trying too hard to relate carving to other sports I've done) Maybe I'm trying to be too aggressive with hip and weight initiation in the corner? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleaman Posted March 24, 2009 Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 pretend there is a light on your front knee and point it and drop it into the turn so you can see where you are going. Push on it with your hand to get the board to start turning almost like pushing your knee into the snow. You have to have some moderate speed to do this or you will fall over.. it works the same for heelside. Keep turning uphill until you have scrubbed some speed then initiate the next turn. Try it on a wide blue run. Oh yeah, bend your knees, dont try to stiff leg it, it may be easier but carving should burn the quads at least until you are built up. IMHO to carve steeper runs, you have to scrub speed across and up the hill to start the next turn and get low on the board by bending your knees more than bending your waist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_roboteye Posted March 24, 2009 Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 try a wider stance, at least 20" DB, didn't you see how tall he is? With his cant setup (zero and six) It's likely that anything over 20" is going to be a stretch, no pun intended. Not all of us are as tall as you, or have the long legs. I've seen your ads in the for sale section. With MP 31 feet, you've got to be pretty tall. If you use the generally accepted formula (inseam x .6) with Seraphs' dimensions, you get 17.7", so we'll just call that 18" as a general, vague starting point. higher angles like 55 48 rear I agree. Seraph your angles are "in between", you're not facing forward or sideways. More forward angle will get your hips more inline with your shoulders. I have seen guys in the past ride with "boot in" as well. It can be frustrating getting dialed, but once you are, just a little tweak here and there and you're set. later, Dave R. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big mario Posted March 24, 2009 Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 Seraph,Come spend time at Lovey with me and the LCI and I will guarantee that you will find your carve and get better. You will also have fun in the process. Ink read: free coaching from the LCI Dan, My offer still stands from the beggining of the season. It looks like I will be up on sunday this week, let's get together for a few runs. Wedge bar@ ~ 7:15, lift one @8:30 mario PS, thanks for the beer!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Buggs Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 Whirlaway is the chit:1luvu: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seraph Posted March 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 Dan,My offer still stands from the beggining of the season. It looks like I will be up on sunday this week, let's get together for a few runs. Wedge bar@ ~ 7:15, lift one @8:30 mario PS, thanks for the beer!!!!! Damn, I am just totally out of sync with you guys. This weekend is my 10 year anniversary and my Saturday afternoon through the end of Sunday is totally booked up. I was planning on going Saturday 8:30am - Noon. Good news is that after this weekend I should be able to go on either Saturdays or Sundays, now I'm just crossing my fingers for more snow. I will definitely take Yours, Ink's, and everyone else at LCI up on their offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobdea Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 try a wider stance, atleast 20"higher angles like 55 48 rear get lower in your turns, lean into the turn, and try to turn your body into the turn. why a wider stance? at least 20 inches? maybe at lower angles or if he had a longer inseam. there is a formula for it you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave ESPI Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 Sereph, WRONG: http://pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=207&size=550x550_mb&ptp_photo_id=155971 http://images.inmagine.com/img/image100/00132/00132033.jpg RIGHT: http://www.monmouth.com/~dschutz/Outboard2.gif http://www.alpinecarving.com/wtc06/3066.jpg And here is a good bunch of pics. Its worth a thousand words to a Racer such as yourself. http://www.alpinecarving.com/wtc06/wed.html HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack M Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 RIGHT: http://www.monmouth.com/~dschutz/Outboard2.gif http://www.alpinecarving.com/wtc06/3066.jpg wrong. Seraph, have you read this? http://www.bomberonline.com/articles/toesideproblem.cfm I agree with the other posters that your stance needs major adjustment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkaholic Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 Seraph, We will also have a group at abasin this coming monday(30th) when Shred is in town. If you can join us you will learn a lot from people who can actually see your setup and see you ride. just sayin', Ink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seraph Posted March 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 Seraph,We will also have a group at abasin this coming monday(30th) when Shred is in town. If you can join us you will learn a lot from people who can actually see your setup and see you ride. just sayin', Ink I was thinking the same thing. I need to check my work schedule, but I think I might be able to swing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seraph Posted March 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 Seraph, have you read this? http://www.bomberonline.com/articles/toesideproblem.cfm Jack, Yeah, I have read that article (I've probably read all of them a few times) but it was good to read it one more time. I'm hopeful that adjusting my angles will open up my hips, and I'll post the results and impressions after going up on Saturday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkaholic Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 Damn, I am just totally out of sync with you guys. This weekend is my 10 year anniversary and my Saturday afternoon through the end of Sunday is totally booked up. I was planning on going Saturday 8:30am - Noon. Good news is that after this weekend I should be able to go on either Saturdays or Sundays, now I'm just crossing my fingers for more snow. I will definitely take Yours, Ink's, and everyone else at LCI up on their offer. Dan, I will also be on hill Saturday. Let me know if you will be there and we will get you carving left and right. Ink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seraph Posted March 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 Dan,I will also be on hill Saturday. Let me know if you will be there and we will get you carving left and right. Ink Saturday, 8:30am, Lift 2, my cell is: seven two zero eight nine one eight four six four. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big mario Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 Saturday, 8:30am, Lift 2, my cell is: seven two zero eight nine one eight four six four. Thats you problem right there, your goin' up lift 2 to start the day! There are rules you know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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