Arnaudb Posted February 13, 2013 Report Share Posted February 13, 2013 Hey carvers, I've been toying with carving for the last year and am trying to get a sense of the kinds of boards I need to look for. Heres a bit of my story and observations. Some feed back would be great. I bought a 173 F2 Speedster from a friend last year. I find that board is very stiff and fast. It does not seem very appropriate for the deep carves I want to make with body laying on the snow. I borrowed a 168 identity snowboards inc from the same friend and rode that for the first time a few weeks ago in mammoth. That board had a little more flex but it felt too small ( Im 6.2 and 200lb) Also the board was chattering a lot and the tail would spin out on the turns. I spread the bindings as far as they would go and that seemed to help. I hooked up with and ex racer during that trip and he gave me a few pointers: -load the board: stay low with center of gravity in the middle of the bindings but weight on front foot. - turn with the knees - keep you butt tucked in and your hands on either side of the front boot. - on the turns slightly straighten out to release the board and let it do the rest. I did all this and had the biggest baddest thigh burn that lasted for days. I was able to make some good turns heel side and locked in an edge a couple times. I felt the board dig into the snow and get a little more speed ( when I locked an edge with the F2 it felt like the board would go in hyper drive and speed up ). The heel side turns were easier to make when I crouched down kept my weight on the front foot and kept facing forward. I had the hardest time making the connection to the toe side though, and after a couple hours started using my hips to turn. questions: what is the ideal board to do the euro carves? How does length flex and width contribute to carvabilty? What length is ideal for me? is the F2 more of a racing board? On the turns, what are some tips to practice on my upcoming trip? how do I make the switch after a long heel side turn? I know I don't sound very technical and am very aware that the rider makes the turn, not the board. I'd really like to get a set of good tips on what to work on during my next trip. you guys are great and have shared some great advice to us newbies. Your responses are appreciated. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueB Posted February 13, 2013 Report Share Posted February 13, 2013 At 200 lbs, you should be plenty strong to bend any stock built board. You just need the right technique. I suggest reading the excellent tech articles by Jack and few others, in Bomber articles. Also, try to hook up with experienced riders or a good instructor. I'd suggest that you forget the EC for now and just focus on getting the clean carves and smooth transitions. It would take quite some time before you are ready to drag the boddy parts. Speaking of which, can be done on any board. That "hyper drive" feeling when you lock in is what you want - close to 0 friction from the clean carve. Speed is controlled by finishing the turns across or up the hill. Length doesn't matter much - it only affects the effective edge and how easy is to slide the board when needed. For carving, I think the flex is the most important parameter, followed by SCR (or a blend of radii on modern VSR boards). That Speedster 173 should be a very good freecarving board for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronG Posted February 13, 2013 Report Share Posted February 13, 2013 Where are you in California? I would suggest finding out where the other riders/carvers are and ride with them. People who are experienced can quickly point out any flaws in your technique quickly. Like BlueB mentioned, I would forget about euro carving until you can perfect your technique at regular? carving. When you start leaving a thin deep rut across the fall line on toe and heel side then maybe you can begin to blend some EC Into your riding. Also, you need a fairly steep run for euro carving as there is much drag created by your body sliding on the snow. I live in SoCal and there is a large carving community that rides at the local resorts. Many are accomplished carvers and are very helpful with carving tips Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arnaudb Posted February 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2013 Thanks for the feed back. Ill check the articles out. Last time I read some instructions on carving I thought it was too technical and put too much information out. Kindda encouraging to know that size does not matter much and that the F2 might work out. I'm looking forward to trying it out again with the tips I got from that one racer. Kindda discouraging g to know that at 200lb I should be able to flex/load any board. At 44 there's. bit of a learning curve and I'm using muscles I did not know existed. That being said I'm motivated to get those carves down! Will update u later with my progress Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arnaudb Posted February 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2013 Thanks for the feed back. I will work on perfecting my technique starting tomorrow morning. On my way to mammoth as we speak. Will be there through the week end. Where do you ride? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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