Carved turn based on edge pressure, right?

[1xsculler]

Am I correct in stating what I think is the obvious that the zero skid turn is a product of how the edge is pressured throughout the turn...plus a few other factors?

[Eric Brammer aka PSR]

"Yes", that'd be the short answer...

But, there's always a 'hint' of 'scuffing' in any turn. If you ride Every Turn with the board tilted at 45* to the snow, you might get a few 'purely carved' turns...And be haulin' down the hill, too. At a lesser edge angle to the snow, it's easier the 'sluff' a turn, as you are on the base of the board with variable amounts of edge contact. All it takes is a move in 'rotation' that's quicker than the board's arc, and 'fuzziness' occurs in that arc. When going stepper than that 45* of edge-tilt to the snow, the board's sidewall starts to carry the load, while the base is now pushing outwards along the arc path. Here, it becomes much harder for body rotation to change 'the line' the board is travelling along. But, fore-aft pressure changes can change which part of the edge engages, and the intensity of that engagement. You'll see many 'euro-carvers'/'extreme carvers' leaving deeply scalloped lines. They're "carving" but, not 'cleanly'; the scalloped imprints are from the point at which the board is being over-flexed, and is 'skidding' on it's sidewall. This oscillation is what Racers truly hate, as it means a loss in speed, traction, and potentially control. The trick then, is to find that balance of edge-tilt, pressure control, steering input, and choice-of-line that FLOWS THE BEST in The Arc. Then, you're Carving, and you Can Feel It; the Arc Line is Pure and uncluttered.

Edited February 4, 2018 by Eric Brammer aka PSR

[Chouinard]

On 2/3/2018 at 6:28 PM, Eric Brammer aka PSR said:

Then, you're Carving, and you Can Feel It; the Arc Line is Pure and uncluttered.

May the Stoke be with you...

[SunSurfer]

The Physics of Skiing - Skiing at the Triple Point

from page 98

download, in a range of formats, for no charge at 

https://archive.org/details/springer_10.1007-978-1-4757-4345-6

The analysis of a carved turn on skis seems reasonable to me. Having read the section on a snowboard carving turn that follows, I'm less convinced by that analysis. 

[Jack M]

Yes and no.  A cinder block bolted to a snowboard could make a carved turn if you could somehow balance it and send it down the hill.  We are just trying to be the cinder block.  However we have to do certain things in order to achieve and maintain that balance throughout the turn, and then repeat. Solving the mystery of what those things are is the quest.

Here's another physics article on this:

http://www.bomberonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Physics-of-a-Snowboard-Carved-Turn.pdf

[st_lupo]

Edge pressure is certainly an important factor (one of many, oh joy) that needs to be actively managed during a carved turn. I'll extend Jack's statement that a balanced cinder block can carve a turn, but given an ideal surface. One thing that a cinder block can't do, however, is ride dynamically.  The snowpack is an undulating surface with maybe some chop and maybe variable hardness.  When you carve over a knoll or through a compression with your legs locked in place, you can feel the edge pressure increase or diminish quickly, just before you think SH**. Things go ass over tea kettle because the balance of forces changes faster than you can reangulate your center of mass.  Extending and retracting your legs gives you a very quick but short duration mechanism to maintain that force balance, buying you the time you need to re-angulate your body.  When I start getting tired during a day of riding the first thing that goes is my ability to ride dynamically over the bumps/chop/etc.  Without that ability to actively manage edge pressure, things start getting ugly.