Two completely, totally self absorbed questions

[st_lupo]

Thanks Corey, high five back 'atcha!

Conditions tonight were typical night-time local conditions with hardpack snow with a fair amount of chop.  Fast snow.  Met up with the local carving guru and we rode the same run all night. While continuing to focus on the boot-cuff drills, I also tried making a few minor adjustments to where I was reaching (ie. just ahead of the cuff), and this started feeling a lot more natural right away.  

I had also changed my back binding/stance setup (because isn't debugging more fun when you change everything at once?) Beckmann's website had some really good tips for this.  Back binding is now increased to 60deg (while front is still at 65), and I removed my small inward cant shim  (they are F2 race-ti).  Also, I adjusted the front boot cuff to zero lean while the back foot has one click forward lean.  Standing on the board felt different but not unnatural.  The front leg felt more comfortable with the zero lean, and taking out the back cant-shim made the stance felt wider even though the bindings were mounted to the same holes.  I think this got rid of my Craig Kelly knees and I probably have better mobility and balance.  I also have the impression that it equalized the flex on the boots when reaching for the cuffs in the turns. 

This was still an experimental trip to the mountain.  Drill, drill, drill... try pushing some boundaries... profit! (and screw-up/wipe out lots.)  First of all... consistency isn't there yet.  I've got good runs, I've got bad runs (on the exact same trail), and I've got chaotic-neutral runs.  But they were mainly good runs, and those good runs were orgasmic/snow-cave/15 foot snow-wiener good (by my standards anyway)!  I was definitely in the driver seat tonight.  The best thing was feeling the turns slow down mentally (despite the snow and board being pretty fast) and it become possible to focus on a lot of the other suggestions in this thread.  First of all I tried assessing my hip twist according to Corey's initial input.  Yep it was there without thinking about it, the cuff-drill seemed to inherently enforce it, and that front knee drove into the hill without having to think about it. Second, I tried to actively play with the concept of feeding the board into each turn (or modify my fore/aft weight distribution).  This I found could actually be adjusted depending on how the conditions/turn felt (I'm hardly optimal but it did have a noticeable  effect).  It started becoming really clear to me that the fore/aft weight distribution is a significant tool to controlling the stability of the turn (right after angulation and inclination) and that it is something that can be tuned and optimized given enough experience and practice.  Next up is position, balance and control inputs to the board.  Taking tips from Beckmann I've changed up my stance a bit and I think it really helped with my endurance.  Normally the turns I was doing tonight would have completely blown out my leading quadriceps by the end of the night, instead I've got lots of turns that I am really satisfied with, and will be quite fresh and ready to attack the hill tomorrow morning. I always thought that my sore leading leg was because I was soooo agressive and tough, but now I'm starting to think that it was probably because my forward weight bias was overly exaggerated and I was also fighting against my boots/bindings. Finally, the last big realization of the night was that the cuff-reaching drill had me a lot lower on the board so I actually had a lot of room to do a "push/pull" on the transitions.  I guess push/pull might not be the right term for bomber style, but it was a "push" against the board towards the end of the arc, and a "pull" to let the board come up under and continue past my center of gravity, dragging me through the transition and into the next carve?  The whole maneuver kind of felt like stomping on my front foot (which seems odd?) and then releasing the pressure, and then as my CG and board crossed by each other I try to push myself towards the nose again(?) and grab for my boot cuff.   Okay the exact transition is a bit muddled in my head still, but it involved a bit of up/down motion generally initiated from a push with my front foot.  Sometimes I get a bit of what I think people refer to as "pop" out of the board but bugger me if I can do that on demand (it is more pronounced the further aft I get on the board at the end of a turn?).

Getting low and brushing snow wasn't a priority tonight but my knees wound up scraping the snow regardless.  The coolest thing was that for a few runs I could about do it on command.  The cuff-drills force me to have a much lower stance and while my head doesn't think its as flashy as lay-down carves, damned if the snow isn't too far away if I have to occasionally "dab" a hand down to correct a flaw in my balance.  

Sooo...  Many thanks and appreciation to the BOL community in general and especially to the Carving Mega-Gods that seem to always be willing (if not downright eager) to help.  I'm pretty sure I've gotten some unique insight from everyone that's contributed to this thread, and have profited greatly both in my riding and my theoretical understanding of the bomber carving technique.  Some of the input hits a chord immediately and works so well that I'm almost whacking myself (it's sooo bloody obvious!), and some advice is a bit more arcane, but really stimulates the self-analysis process and leads sometimes to less obvious (but equally powerful) insight. 

Wait wait wait! One last question so I can keep the top-most post on BOL... That local carving guru I was riding with tonight... He was on an SG slalom board.  I've always equated slalom/turn-eager boards with good speed control (of course I form an opinion without ever having ridden one).  But... he was just obnoxiously fast tonight compared to when he's on his Swoard, and more importantly he was sooo much faster than me (and I was just managing to hold this freight train in check).  I really want my next board to be something optimized for riding steep slopes on hard snow with good speed control with minimal skidding.  I thought that the Donek MK would be perfect for my goal... but if that rides like that SG slalom board I'm worried I'm gonna hit warp-speed.  I think I looked like a proper cow doing full speed-control "C" turns on my Coiler, compared to the spastic parentheses that the SG SL board was cutting (note: local guru was riding proper; each turn had him dragging a hip on the snow in a physics defying stance that left me gobsmacked), but I was just barely holding my momentum in check.  I realize that tackling the steeps on a carving board while attempting proper carved turns requires a bit of mental (and bowel) fortitude but seriously: that SG SL board was ridiculous and I'm not sure I want a board like that right now.  So: 1) is the Donek MK a spastic-hyper-puppy on the steeps?  2) If the MK requires too much of a pucker-factor, is there any other board that folks would recommend for narrow(ish) steep black trails, beyond what my Coiler Nirvana is capable of?  

 

A series of carves are as good as any selfie on BOL?

 

[Eric Brammer aka PSR]

You are on the right path... Carry on.

[najserrot]

Best to try your friends SL board? Then you would get a feel of a turny board and see if you like it. Plus these race boards have scr that shoots you out of a turn and from what i understand, the mk is a single scr...but who knows its top secret specs.

 

Considered a nirvana energy? Never tried one but lots of good reviews floating around regarding handling on steep hard/icy slopes. 

 

Edited March 11, 2017 by najserrot

[Corey]

If you're willing to go up to and beyond the point where you fall, that's a golden spot for rapid learning. Being ultra-safe and not falling still allows for learning, but at a slower pace. 

Use reasonable caution, of course, but learning where your/board's/snow's limits are helps you get comfortable flirting with that limit. I love the feeling of being only 80% sure I'll make a turn. 

I find that the modern race boards can finish turns or they can do fall-line stuff at will. They're amazingly versatile. Definitely try your friends board if he's willing. 

I vote to get something very different from what you have. It's nice to feel a big contrast rather than subtle differences. 

[Neil Gendzwill]

2 hours ago, najserrot said:

Considered a nirvana energy? Never tried one but lots of good reviews floating around regarding handling on steep hard/icy slopes. 

 

He already has a Nirvana, and that is a pretty user-friendly snow interface. 

[Tanglefoot]

St Lupo, your technique on the hardpack on the black run yesterday morning was nothing short of a step change! Wish I had recorded it so that our friends across the water could see what they have helped you achieve. I need to have a proper read of this thread now, to see if I can improve my own riding to the same extent.

On the topic of board choice for steep, narrow and icy: I borrowed my wife's new Kessler Alpine 156 today, and could not stop grinning for the rest of the day. Felt twice as confident as on any other board I have ridden recently - it did anything I asked of it without question, and the grip was fantastic. This particular board is perhaps on the small side for me, but this much I know: I want a Kessler.

Note: I am not the local carving guru

[Beckmann AG]

 

Achieving different outcome by your own hand is empowering, no?

(Is that an illusion in the photo, or is your heelside arc shallower than your toeside)?

 

Regarding your local carving guru and his results on the SGSL:

I've had opportunity to ride with our resident Olympian, and he can get more out of an off-piste powder sled than most can with a quiver of the latest and greatest shapes from the major players.

So don't go too far down that road as a qualifier for your next ride.

Speaking of board selection:

Some of that depends on your self-educational tendencies, and the rest on what you have available for local terrain.

(I know what works well for where I am, and how I ride/want to ride, but that doesn't directly translate to your situation).

If you like to continually shuffle the cards in hopes of dealing yourself a better hand, just buy what everyone raves about and call it good.

On the other hand, if you are methodical, and want to know how you got from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’ along the curve of skill development, you should consider something straightforward and of known geometry/layup.

For example, consider that the Donek MK, and the Coiler Angrry are both capable. But you’re not likely to get any quantification of specs, for obvious reasons.

So, when it comes to the ’next’ next board, you will again be guessing as to what worked for you, and what did not.

On the other hand, if you bought either a custom FC, or the Coiler equivalent, you would know ‘exactly’ what you are stomping around on, and can attribute positive and negative impressions to each parameter in turn. 

Assuming you continue to scratch and claw your way out of your chrysalis.

Some variables to consider:

 Radial v variable sidecut.

Full camber v early rise.

More taper v less taper

Metal v glass

Large sidecut v small sidecut

Stiff v soft, with respect to both length, and in torsion

Each choice represents a liability, or an asset, in the educational process.

It’s been said that there really aren’t any ‘bad’ alpine boards to be had in this day and age. There are, however, vast opportunity for clumsy use in awkward circumstance.

 

 

 

[st_lupo]

Hey Tanglefoot thanks for the feedback, but you might be undoverstating things a bit. You had tons of graceful carves that had me jealous.

8 hours ago, Beckmann AG said:

 

Achieving different outcome by your own hand is empowering, no?

(Is that an illusion in the photo, or is your heelside arc shallower than your toeside)?

 

@Beckmann AG: Nothing gets by you does it?  Yep, I think heel-sides were a visibly shallower that night (if I'm totally honest it's probably persistant issue).  That portion of the trail runs a bit off-camber so not sure if that is going to exaggerate or reduce the visible effect.  I'm gonna have to get my datalogger working again to get that confirmed.

 

I think the board decision might be made by my wallet.  There is a slight possibility I might have the chance to buy a new Kessler Alpine 162 for really cheap.

And one last question regarding applying a small weight shift towards the back of the board during the turn to improve stability...  Is this equally applicable to single radius sidecuts or is it just for variable radius sidecuts?

 

 

Edited March 13, 2017 by st_lupo

[Beckmann AG]

15 hours ago, st_lupo said:

 

@Beckmann AG: Nothing gets by you does it?  Yep, I think heel-sides were a visibly shallower that night (if I'm totally honest it's probably persistant issue).  That portion of the trail runs a bit off-camber so not sure if that is going to exaggerate or reduce the visible effect.  I'm gonna have to get my datalogger working again to get that confirmed.

I try to pay attention while 'on the clock'. 

Besides:

 

 

If the shallower heel side arc persists on a level playing field, odds are you're still using too much hip on that turn.

 

15 hours ago, st_lupo said:

And one last question regarding applying a small weight shift towards the back of the board during the turn to improve stability...  Is this equally applicable to single radius sidecuts or is it just for variable radius sidecuts?

 

Most likely equally applicable, though it depends on what you mean by 'stability'. And also by 'variable'.