A little embarrasing...

[guesswho]

But I have problems going straight! (I'll thank you in advance for not making any sexual preference jokes, lol)

Ive spent so much time working on turns and carving that I dont think I ever learned to go straight and just bomb a run. Im sure its just a positioning issue or maybe a weight distribution one.

When I intend to go straight down the fall line and my board is flattened out (i.e. not edging at all), my board starts to drift so that my nose is no longer pointing down slope. Once this happens its really easy to catch an edge and face plant. Ive tried just barely putting my weight on one edge, just enough to go straight but its pretty taxing on the muscles to keep on the edge and NOT carve. Ive tried pulling my weight way to the back which does help me go straight but I end up having to pull it so far back that I lose a bit of stability and ability to avoid a sudden obstacle.

Do you need to be on one of your edges at all times, even when going straight? Is it a result of the turny-ness of 9m sidecut? Is this a really wierd problem or do other people go through this as well?

Theres not much I can do about it now seeing that 90 degrees outside, but it really bothered my last season and I'd like to know what Im doing wrong before the next.

[Bordy]

I like to think I do ok at going straight, For me it's about balance and just enough twist to allow the board to stay balanced underfoot. It just a little up on your frount toes and a little up on your back heel after a bit you just go straight with out thinking about it!

[maddman]

your board's symmetric, right?

[maddman]

Try riding with your bindings mounted flat, with no heel or toe lift.

This was suggested to me by an ex-BOL member and it changed my riding.

this way, standing flat allows the board to track flat...otherwise, as it was explained to me, our middle ear and our physical consciousness think we're on flat feet when we're relaxed, and we really aren't: due to the lifts.

My turns improved dramatically and I ride more smoothly, now.

[Coldrider]

If your board tends to drift when straight running, you might want to check your upper/lower body alignment.

My understanding is that it helps to be in neutral alignment when straight running. Amongst other things, this means minimizing the twisting of your major body segments. If your upper body is rotated relative to your lower body, this creates unnecessary muscular tension, and can result in your body trying to untwist--especially when the board is ridden flat.

If you find your board is always trying to unwind in the same direction when straight running (i.e. pivoting to the heelside), it might indicate you are riding with a twisted upper/lower body. It's a relatively easy fix to neutralize the steering input by reducing upper/lower body twisting. To be in neutral alignment, your shoulders and pelvis should be perpendicular to your feet.

Of course, you don't want to ride this way all of the time, but it is a useful tactic for straight running.

I used to train with a coach who asked us to perform a drill where we rode the board absolutely flat from top to bottom. It required a high level of precision with steering input because of the risk of a high speed edge catch if the board pivoted at all. It was an exciting drill and a good way to develop a functional, aligned stance and pinpoint accuracy with steering movements.

You might also check your tune to make sure your board is not edge high, which results in a hooky, nervous, edge-catchy ride.

Good luck,

Go straight.

[KingCrimson]

Try riding with your bindings mounted flat, with no heel or toe lift.

This was suggested to me by an ex-BOL member and it changed my riding.

this way, standing flat allows the board to track flat...otherwise, as it was explained to me, our middle ear and our physical consciousness think we're on flat feet when we're relaxed, and we really aren't: due to the lifts.

My turns improved dramatically and I ride more smoothly, now.

Can't see how the middle ear would come into play, usually the cant or lift is used to put your body into a better position where your torso is flatter and straighter.

[BlueB]

I would say that cants and lifts are even more important for straight running then for turning! When you ride without them, your legs are in somewhat unnatural position, more flexed forward then rear, forward quad under tension, etc. Your body wants to correct the discomfort and bend/twist the board, so she starts wandering around. or she wants to turn.

Dial in your lifts at home on the carpet until you are totally comfortable standing straight and aligned, add small bevel to the bottom edge and you'll be smiling... Finally, fine tune with binding offset (toe/heel edge).

[ursle]

I would say that cants and lifts are even more important for straight running then for turning! When you ride without them, your legs are in somewhat unnatural position, more flexed forward then rear, forward quad under tension, etc. Your body wants to correct the discomfort and bend/twist the board, so she starts wandering around. or she wants to turn.

Ohh, boy boris I hope you don't get haunted by the ghost of william blake tonight, I couldn't agree more with you

and the way I figure it, if I'm on the flat trying to keep speed I'm gonna be on the tail of the board to keep the front from wandering, if it's on the steeps (like I spend a lot of time going straight on the steeps) I'm gonna pressure the nose of the board, and I'm definitly not going to think about the board, much less look down at it

[BlueB]

Ah, return of WB would be a great thing:

Nice technical discussions for those who like them and summer flame wars for those who prefer that kind of entertainment ;)

[guesswho]

Thats really interesting. I never would have attributed the problem to unnecessary muscular tension. I think I have 3 deg cants front and back, though I will admit I havent played around with my tuning very much. I ride alone for the most part so I havent had the benefit of advice from an expert when modifying my equipment or setting it up in the first place.

I got the 3 degree cants in the first place because I figured it was half way between the 0 and 6 degree cants so it might be a good place to start, lol. Im realizing now that might have been a bad idea and that I probably shouldve done more research.

Im going to take out my gear and try it all on and see how I feel when standing straight up and see if I can pinpoint any of that darned muscle tension.

Maddman, my board is symmetric and though I'd love to try, I cant get any new cants at the moment. Plus, being that funds are limited, I'd rather be sure of what the problem is, THEN by new equipment than buy the equipment first to try and find out.

Bordy, that sounds interesting: Up on your front toes and up on your back heel at the same time. Does that work for anyone else? It seems to me like that would create the same kind of muscle fatigue I get from trying to be ever so slightly on a single edge like I mentioned.

BlueB, I'm thinking that I really should readjust the positioning of my bindings and cants but Im not sure how to go about it. When I set it up, I just made sure to do so in a way that gave me a comfortable stance. For example, I wasnt sure if I should have the cant aligned with the direction of the binding angles or off to the outside of the foot. I dont know if that makes sense, let me try to clarify. Im talking about having the cant set up straight forward with respect to my body so that my front toes are pointed 3 degrees upwards instead of rotating the cant so that my foot is angled slightly inward. Does that make sense? I hope so because it doesnt look like it does, lol. Is there a term for this particular aspect of tuning?

I'll let you guys know what happens when I try on my gear again.

Thanks!

[BlueB]

The difference between posting theories and actually trying something can be huge.

When I post a theory or speculate I normally say so. Check through my old posts and you'll see. It is kinda insulting to insinuate that I din't try the stuff I'm talking about and just talking BS...

You found your setup, I found mine, that's all great. Let's try to help our friend to find his, too. We are all different and we need to try various things. The fact that you'v got the advice from a coach doesn't meen it would work for another person that we havn't even seen. For example, he might have his left leg 1" shorter then the right one (sorry Guesswho, no pun intended)... Then what? Some adjustment would be required by the lifts and cants.

That's why I say that one should play with the setup until it feels totally comfortble. Strap yourself and just stand there for 1/2 hour watching TV. Comfortable after that - great. Numb front leg (or soemthing else) - you still have work to do...

[BlueB]

BlueB, I'm thinking that I really should readjust the positioning of my bindings and cants but Im not sure how to go about it. When I set it up, I just made sure to do so in a way that gave me a comfortable stance. For example, I wasnt sure if I should have the cant aligned with the direction of the binding angles or off to the outside of the foot. I dont know if that makes sense, let me try to clarify. Im talking about having the cant set up straight forward with respect to my body so that my front toes are pointed 3 degrees upwards instead of rotating the cant so that my foot is angled slightly inward. Does that make sense? I hope so because it doesnt look like it does, lol. Is there a term for this particular aspect of tuning?

I assume we are talking TD2/3 setup, where the cant disk can rotate in any direction. So, when is closer to your toes or heel it is called "lift" and when closer to the latteral side of your foot it is called "cant".

Plain toe lift in front and plain heel lift at the rear are good place to start if you are not knock-kneed or bow-legged. For me, a bit of cant at the back helps if I'm on very flat rear angle (wider boards) or I want to ride a stance that's slightly wider then natural for me...

Also, you can play a bit with binding offset towards toe and heel edge. Lot of people like fwd binding slightly to the heel edge and rear binding slightly to the toe edge. This will not any difference while "carpet carving", but it might make difference in your riding.

Have fun.

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

When I post a theory or speculate I normally say so. Check through my old posts and you'll see. It is kinda insulting to insinuate that I din't try the stuff I'm talking about and just talking BS...

You found your setup, I found mine, that's all great. Let's try to help our friend to find his, too. We are all different and we need to try various things. The fact that you'v got the advice from a coach doesn't meen it would work for another person that we havn't even seen. For example, he might have his left leg 1" shorter then the right one (sorry Guesswho, no pun intended)... Then what? Some adjustment would be required by the lifts and cants.

That's why I say that one should play with the setup until it feels totally comfortble. Strap yourself and just stand there for 1/2 hour watching TV. Comfortable after that - great. Numb front leg (or soemthing else) - you still have work to do...

Madman, ooops, you stepped in it now :)

Over the years I have seldom seen BlueB get riled up, he is a very good BOL citizen and his responce is measured. :)

I believe your comment was a much broader stroke and NOT directed to BlueB specifically.

I personally believe the comment is quite correct, when the edge meets the snow it can change the perspective quite dramactically compaired to TALKING about it over a beer or posting on line.

BlueB knows this difference well.

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Ohh, boy boris I hope you don't get haunted by the ghost of william blake tonight, I couldn't agree more with you

and the way I figure it, if I'm on the flat trying to keep speed I'm gonna be on the tail of the board to keep the front from wandering, if it's on the steeps (like I spend a lot of time going straight on the steeps) I'm gonna pressure the nose of the board, and I'm definitly not going to think about the board, much less look down at it

True story. It is a shame that those with so much to give and are often quite brilliant tend to have difficulty coloring within the lines long enough to stay in kindergarden with the rest of us. They tend to get in trouble, or simply bored and move on much too quickly. With sputem dripping onto the nappy time blanket , we miss them.

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

But I have problems going straight!

Ive spent so much time working on turns and carving that I dont think I ever learned to go straight and just bomb a run. Im sure its just a positioning issue or maybe a weight distribution one.

When I intend to go straight down the fall line and my board is flattened out (i.e. not edging at all), my board starts to drift so that my nose is no longer pointing down slope. Once this happens its really easy to catch an edge and face plant. Ive tried just barely putting my weight on one edge, just enough to go straight but its pretty taxing on the muscles to keep on the edge and NOT carve. Ive tried pulling my weight way to the back which does help me go straight but I end up having to pull it so far back that I lose a bit of stability and ability to avoid a sudden obstacle.

Do you need to be on one of your edges at all times, even when going straight? Is it a result of the turny-ness of 9m sidecut? Is this a really wierd problem or do other people go through this as well?

In some regards it is also an understanding of "How Much" nervousness is OK. Example: you are hauling ass for the chairlift at the final steep pitch and the board start twitching, do you correct? How much? Too much and you go down, relax and let it "hunt" a little and it travels down ward without issue. It is a fineline learned over time and miles.

My take on this "Nervous Board" condition.

I would agree with most of what has been posted.

I would however, look at it in more general terms. What you are experiencing is not unusual in the least. In fact, it is a characterist of a snowboard that wants "Direction". If your board was a 50M sidecut and had 3 degree edge bevel it would probably go straight much easier. It just wouldn't carve like you want it too. Exaggeration intended.

'Running Straight" safely, confidently is a combination of many things. Tuning, binding placement, board characteristics , snow conditions, but most of all SKILL. This comes from MILES on the snow under many conditions.

For my relatively new carving friends, I do place them on turny board with a forgiving tune. As they build skill and confidence they typicially progress to larger sidecut, stiffer boards with less forgiving tunes.

I still "Butt Pucker" on occasion while riding a 200cm + stiff alpine board with super sharp 87 degree edges , extra fast base and snow that has been re-frozen after being wet with diverging tracks or "Channels" in it. Hell yes, your going fast and the brain is saying "This is going to frickin hurt if you go down.

Moral, more miles carving will make going straight easier.

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

IMO

some of the hardest things to do on a snowboard are...?

Getting on or off the lift...

stopping and standing still on a steep slope...

going straight down the slope at speed...

A bongo board or Skateboard for dryland training helps with all these...

Bingo! (or BONGO ? :)

Well said, short and sweet!

[Wun]

I'm just gonna throw this out there.. if you haven't come across it yet, the aspect of the Gilmour bias dealing with plate positions came to mind when reading through this thread.

The general doctrines don't directly address straightlining, of course, but it does pose some balance and "middleless" ideas/theory/experience/whatev that might or might not help.

[NateW]

If you haven't had your board detuned, try it. It helps a lot.

[maddman]

I mean no offense, but detuning a board because a rider is having difficulty running straight is a cop-out shortcut from resolving the cause.

[ursle]

I mean no offense, but detuning a board because a rider is having difficulty running straight is a cop-out shortcut from resolving the cause.

By detuning he means the last four inches of the tip and tail, which 90% of the riders on this board do, some prefer not to, it's a personal thing

But on the other hand

brian means to detune the whold edge to keep a new rider out of trouble, which is a good idea

[tex1230]

softbootsailor nailed it. Balance and experience are the key.

Changing your cants to be able to go straight is stupid. If you're having trouble holding turns, look at technique, stance and cants. If you have trouble going straight, just practice.

[ursle]

I equate balance with setup, ya can't balance if yer not setup correctly fer YER bones

imho,ymmv

[maddman]

softbootsailor nailed it. Balance and experience are the key.

Changing your cants to be able to go straight is stupid. If you're having trouble holding turns, look at technique, stance and cants. If you have trouble going straight, just practice.

I agree. this is why we should ride with the 'cants' we were born with.

[maddman]

By detuning he means the last four inches of the tip and tail, which 90% of the riders on this board do, some prefer not to, it's a personal thing

But on the other hand

brian means to detune the whold edge to keep a new rider out of trouble, which is a good idea

The last 4 inches of my heel are the most crucial edges on my deck, and the last I would ever detune.

[ursle]

I agree. this is why we should ride with the 'cants' we were born with.

All good, but believe it or not at some point you will find that if you increase your stance width it allows you to get more out of the board and gives your body a lot more adjustably by moving fore and aft on the board, I didn't believe it till I was ready

and to increase your stance, canting the front foot toes up and the rear foot heel up allows a wider stance