SWriverstone Posted January 26, 2005 Report Share Posted January 26, 2005 I'm a total rookie at carving...but I noticed one thing last night while working on carved turns with my freeride board/soft boots... My heelside edge stuck far better when I shifted my weight forward, way out over the toe of the board. So I guess you could say I began to lead every heelside turn with my upper body, leaning it out ahead of the board. This seemed natural to me coming from a whitewater slalom background, where the U.S. team coach use to always say "steer from the bow," meaning get your weight forward to engage the boat's edges up front in turns. I also found that maintaining my shoulders over the toe of the board throughout the turn seemed to help hold the edge, as well as help with my transition to toeside (I was trying to cross through over the toe of the board, not the center). It's a bit scary, like trying to "beat the board down the hill," but when I committed to it, it always worked! Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Todd Stewart Posted January 26, 2005 Report Share Posted January 26, 2005 the technique the jack is talking about is called drifting. Main idea behind it is dropping your hips (just letting gavity make them fall towards the ground) before you set the edge of the board. This will make the edge one the nose of the board catch and let the true sidecut of the board throw you across the hill. the board will then push you out of the turn and if you do it right, you will feel a weightlessness feeling in the upper section of your body. Since you don't really bend you knees that much it looks like you legs are sweeping back and forth under you torso. I learned this from a dude who used to be on the world cup a few years back. since it took awhile to catch on in NA it was basically the reason the canadians were shut out at the last olympics, none of them could figure it out. I've also heard rumors that it was why Fawcett retired. Its one of those thing you really have to commit to over a season if you want to see any results in the gates. Anyways don't just limit this technigue to heelsides, it works fine on toesides too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowell Hart Posted January 28, 2005 Report Share Posted January 28, 2005 Originally posted by carvedog Lowell nice bones. I personally don't like to rotate my unfleshed upper body around that far Can you do one with the back hand reaching for the cuff of back boot? Or for the grab (between feet) Maybe its just me but I could swear Jerry was in the room. Gratefully yours, J Thanks for the feedback.<img src="http://tinypic.com/1h4d8y"> 'Preciate it. LH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tigger Posted January 28, 2005 Report Share Posted January 28, 2005 :D ..great, Skeletor is the master of the carving universe;) or did you xray jaseyJ? i think the second animation looks more natural and powerful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Dold Posted January 28, 2005 Report Share Posted January 28, 2005 I seem to remember a lot about not "breaking at the waist" and keeping the upper body upright, but in all of the examples of heelside pictures I see, the upper body is leaning well forward, almost parallel with the board. Did I miss something? Maybe breaking at the waist means something other than what I thought it did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonerider Posted January 28, 2005 Report Share Posted January 28, 2005 Originally posted by Steve Dold I seem to remember a lot about not "breaking at the waist" and keeping the upper body upright, but in all of the examples of heelside pictures I see, the upper body is leaning well forward, almost parallel with the board. Did I miss something? Maybe breaking at the waist means something other than what I thought it did. I think the differentiation is that "bad" breaking at the waist is bending over in an attempt to get more "forward" or "lower" whereas "good" breaking at the waist is almost alway an attempt to get the upper body up and over the board (if I recall in the "good" photos, each person is basically doing a situp to keep their shoulders inline with the slope because their legs are so inclinated). That's just my reasoning after coming to the same question as you this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carvedog Posted January 28, 2005 Report Share Posted January 28, 2005 not breaking at the waist, to me, is particularly applied on the toeside turn. It's all about keeping your weight over the edge that you are using. Jerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp1 Posted January 29, 2005 Report Share Posted January 29, 2005 I read this thread because I feel my heelside is definately my weaker turn. I 'REALLY' tried to concentrate on what was being said. After reading the complete thread, Now I am TOTALLY CONFUSED ! Maybe I need to stop trying to read this stuff. It just seems to make it all more confusing. I 'guess' this should tell me their is NO 'one' way to Get-R-Done ! I think I need to find a good instructor, tell him my goals, have him watch me so he can see where I'm at, and then tell me what I need to concentrate on to get to the next level, and have him beat it into me ! Or just go out, Ride and have FUN ! jp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carvedog Posted January 30, 2005 Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 Jp there are several different things being discussed in the thread. I dont agree with all of them but I have been teaching for 11 years. If you are not a linguistic learner you will not be able to apply this tech talk. I am not sure where you are but until you could find a good instructor at the least go out and shoot some video. Most mountains have some sort of photo/video concession if you cannot con a buddy into carrying the camera for a few runs. I would love to give you feedback either mail me a dvd or something. The last thing that should happen is to have it beat into you. I watched "The Legend of Bagger Vance" the other night and what Will Smith was talking about in feeling the field is so true for snowboarding too. When you do it right it is like relaxing with an old friend and you can do no wrong. But definitely have fun, carve hard, take chances and don't think too much. Cheers, Jerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted January 30, 2005 Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 Jerry, I see that you are a DCL and examiner. Is this for Alpine or Snowboard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carvedog Posted January 30, 2005 Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 Snowboard only. AASI. I have only skied 25 times or so in my life. Started teaching with Mike Shaw at Big Mtn. in '93 and got my Level 1 and 2 there. Have taught here in Sun Valley ever since. Hard boots only since 2000 or so. They just work better for me. Passed Level 3 in Sun Valley in '97. Northern Intermountain SB chair for AASI 99-2001. Organized exams and clinics across the four ski areas we served. DCL those years as well. This division is the smallest in the country if i remember right. I think it spawned from some old feud between some Utah guys and the Idaho guys because they didn't to drive throught retched Snowville to go clinic in Utah and the Wasatch guys did not want to go to Idaho because they didn't have as much snow. Since I started my family I have not even been a member and it started going very freestyle with mandatory airs on many of the exams nationwide and some other changes that were probably inevitable. I attended two national congress events that were joint PSIA/AASI brainstorming networking things that were awesome. There are so many good people in the sport in these organizations. Particularly after writing this I feel like an old dinosaur out there on plates and hard boots but a dinosaur that learned how to carve along the way. Thanks for asking, Jerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted January 30, 2005 Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 No, that's cool. I don't want to highjack this thread, so I'll keep it short. I like the way that AASI has gone. I passed my 3 in 2002 on an F2 163 SL w/TD1's and UPS boots. The greatest thing about the exam for me was that they made the best freestyler teach gates on his pipe board, and they made me teach rails (switch) on my race board. I like that way of thinking (teach anything, anytime, anywhere, any conditions). Anyway, I think alpine rocks - you are not a dinosaur. In fact, everyone at my 3 seemed really stoked that I was on a race board. They even saved my pin 'til last and made a special presentation since nobody had done that in a while. Great to know there are others on this forum. I would love to know how many AASI's there are on here. Instead of hijacking this thread, I am going to start a new one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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