Guest gibber Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 Well after coming back from my vacation in Pila (IT) I thougth it was the time to spend a few words about my skill. I love this sport at the age of 40, but I'm stuck in a limbo where it looks like no more improvements are coming on my way. It all began in 1989 when skiiing in Austria I broke my leg due to melty snow (late march), needed an operation in hospital 3 hours later, and had to stop walking for 6 months. That was the time I sweared "It's over, that's it". Then the boards came out and I thought "Well I may break my ass or my shoulder, but I won't crash my leg again in the same way". Since then I've been a happy (hard) snowboarder beginning whith large and long boards, then tiny and short (asymmetrical) ending with my current board a Nidecker Proto bought about 7 years ago. Currently using not so nice Protoflex bindings. I've missed 4 years of snowboarding due to childrens (two!) and restarted carving last year. So here I am, trying to improving, facing my fears and my limits...wishing moving over.... So how do I ride? Well, at the moment if the snow conditions are good and the hill is not very steep I can carve easily and with a nice stile. Where I can't improve is high speed and carving on icy conditions: 1) Speed - Dunno if it depends on courage or what else but at the moment as soon as I start getting speedy it looks to me like if I where snowing at the speed of light (even if it's not) and I start to panic try to get control on my board. It's like if the board is controlling me, not the contrary as it should be. 2) Ice - In those conditions even the easiest piste becomes a nightmare...I try to bend my legs in a manner the snowboard should cut the ice but it doesn't happen. The board slides away and...HELP. Also sometimes when carving it looks like if I'm on the limit of falling down, the minimum bump or hole in the snow makes my arms move like when dreaming a fall from a tree!!!!! Many times I see on the pistes ugly snowboarders with softboards comeing down the hill like missiles, even in icy conditions where my board should react beter...probably they have the courage I'm missing, or it's just a matter of practice? Bye P.S. (I may post a link to a short video of mine) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gibber Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 Errata: proflex bindings : http://www.roymax.fi/freecarv.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timinor Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 It is always a risk to blame equipment but your 7 year old board deserves some questions. I have a 10 year old board that I loved and still do. In new snow, powder and variable conditions, it is great. On soft groom/hero snow, it carves but I can't demand too much from it. On ice...it struggles. Boards break down and loose their torsional strength. They feel the same and have the same turning characteristics but loose the power necesarry to really crank turns and hold on ice. If you don't have confidence in the board to hold, then advancing your technique will be very difficult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gibber Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 Thanks for answering, first of all. The board has really been used for about 40 days across 7 years. I could bring it to a pro and ask him to check if it is working properly. (even if it's easy fo them to say "you should buy a new one" especially if they own a shop). Anyhow I think I'm missing courage: having a past broken leg, and also a minor accident on my snowboard (the head of my board once got stuck in the snow and my left ankle injuried for a few months) I think my biggest limit is confidence. Probably I have to train as much as possible on ice, and on steep downhills to improve my courage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timinor Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 The best way to answer the question on your board is for you to take any opportunity to "demo" other newer boards. At the recent SES '05 I was able to demo many boards and compare them to my boards. It was an excellent opportunity to know how my equipment matched up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maciek Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 Originally posted by gibber Well after coming back from my vacation in Pila (IT) I thougth it was the time to spend a few words about my skill. I love this sport at the age of 40, but I'm stuck in a limbo where it looks like no more improvements are coming on my way. It all began in 1989 when skiiing in Austria I broke my leg due to melty snow (late march), needed an operation in hospital 3 hours later, and had to stop walking for 6 months. That was the time I sweared "It's over, that's it". Then the boards came out and I thought "Well I may break my ass or my shoulder, but I won't crash my leg again in the same way". Since then I've been a happy (hard) snowboarder beginning whith large and long boards, then tiny and short (asymmetrical) ending with my current board a Nidecker Proto bought about 7 years ago. Currently using not so nice Protoflex bindings. I've missed 4 years of snowboarding due to childrens (two!) and restarted carving last year. So here I am, trying to improving, facing my fears and my limits...wishing moving over.... So how do I ride? Well, at the moment if the snow conditions are good and the hill is not very steep I can carve easily and with a nice stile. Where I can't improve is high speed and carving on icy conditions: 1) Speed - Dunno if it depends on courage or what else but at the moment as soon as I start getting speedy it looks to me like if I where snowing at the speed of light (even if it's not) and I start to panic try to get control on my board. It's like if the board is controlling me, not the contrary as it should be. 2) Ice - In those conditions even the easiest piste becomes a nightmare...I try to bend my legs in a manner the snowboard should cut the ice but it doesn't happen. The board slides away and...HELP. Also sometimes when carving it looks like if I'm on the limit of falling down, the minimum bump or hole in the snow makes my arms move like when dreaming a fall from a tree!!!!! Many times I see on the pistes ugly snowboarders with softboards comeing down the hill like missiles, even in icy conditions where my board should react beter...probably they have the courage I'm missing, or it's just a matter of practice? Bye P.S. (I may post a link to a short video of mine) I am also about 40 years old and in variety of life disciplines including sports I noticed that: 1. Progress comes in bursts as knowledge. 2. You still can learn as long as you find something motivating (pleasure in sports is the factor as at that age only few sports can be mastered to the top level e.g. chess, bridge, Blackjack, roulette ;) 3. Nobody at age 40 progresses as at age of teens or even 20 year old guys - that's the fact and better to settle on selfapproval than get frustrated. Now to address your concens: 1. Speed is not only from courage. It frequently comes from stupidity... but most of all from ability to control what we are doing - that's maturity. I'd say imrove on technique and control in your own pace (not the fast track of flexible 15 year old with soft bones, developing muscles and having less life responsibilities on hand) and you will become faster. The fastest? I would not say as it is tough to beat Jasey Jay Anderson... any way he gets older too ;) Get consistent in the first place. To do that repeat some small excericess and find help with someone that might either serve with some valuable advice or hand to record you on video tape. There are also number of body and mental excercises that help, but we as older folks either do not appreciate or enjoy or feel embarrased doinfg them. I started doing car racing excecisses (also on computer simulator of my car) and got ionto racing techniques in a matter of months... but I admitt I had priormore advnnced experiences and accidents too (that's part of life like falling on snowboard should become part of fun) 2. You have wrong balance of the board. You need to work better your edge and body position in terms of dynamics (position is not static and depending on turn phase your body has to move relatively to the board along and across the board). If the edge is not properly pressurized you will wash owt the turn and on ice it happedn so suddenly that you will fall. Actually ice is the best place to check if you are doing things right. I love those icy slopes and patches of glossy ice. If I scrape it it means that I might be doing something wrong. If I fall that definoitely means I did something wrong. In the past I bleamed dull edges. Currently I blame mmyself as even with dull edges you can still ride ice to degree without falling. It is just not be as smooth. Get a modestly steep, well groomed trail and repeat turns starting from the least aggressive technique. Then progress to tighter turns and higher inclination and angulation. It is going to take some time and some may say they would actually would go to do.... Let them and stick to your own excercise and your own pace of progress. For us about 40... we need some sense of achievement, right? Good luck to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aracan Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 Knowing Maciek's posts, he is probably absolutely right. In addition to that, you might consider new bindings. I once had a pair of F2 bindings that looked very similar. They were rather soft, they got softer over time, and I bailed out once. Maybe you can get a Head Intec binding somewhere, they are all right. Or a Snowpro Race. Bomber and Catek would be choice, I guess, but expensive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miguel Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 This thread really hit home for me. To begin with, forget about the age thing. I started boarding at the age of 41...that was 17 years ago....do the math. I too have always had a fear of carving hard on steeper runs....until this year. I feel like I've made a drastic breakthrough this year and no longer avoid steep runs but actually seek them out. I feel confident on all but the hardest ice. I've concentrated on three distinct areas. 1) Staying much lower...always thought I was but was just fooling myself. 2) I angulate much more. When I think I've angulated enough I push it just a bit more and don't let up. 3) I switch edges sooner...before the nose of the board ever starts to point downhill. I'm always on the downhill edge before the nose heads south. I also always make sure the turn leads straight across the fallline to keep the speed somewhat in check. I'm having more fun and riding better at the age of 58 that ever before. You can do it...just be persistent and work on the basics. Oh yeah....sharp edges help too! One more thing....relax! Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timinor Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 Miguel just summed it up. 1) Get low. 2) Angulate more. 3) Get on the edge before you begin the turn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maciek Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 Originally posted by Aracan Knowing Maciek's posts, he is probably absolutely right. Absolutely? That's probably never true, but sometimes commitment to expressing opinion and some facts may help :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maciek Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 Originally posted by Miguel This thread really hit home for me. To begin with, forget about the age thing. I started boarding at the age of 41...that was 17 years ago....do the math. I too have always had a fear of carving hard on steeper runs....until this year. I feel like I've made a drastic breakthrough this year and no longer avoid steep runs but actually seek them out. I feel confident on all but the hardest ice. I've concentrated on three distinct areas. 1) Staying much lower...always thought I was but was just fooling myself. 2) I angulate much more. When I think I've angulated enough I push it just a bit more and don't let up. 3) I switch edges sooner...before the nose of the board ever starts to point downhill. I'm always on the downhill edge before the nose heads south. I also always make sure the turn leads straight across the fallline to keep the speed somewhat in check. I'm having more fun and riding better at the age of 58 that ever before. You can do it...just be persistent and work on the basics. Oh yeah....sharp edges help too! One more thing....relax! Hope this helps. Too much angulation is not helpful on ice. In fact you may lose balance control. I would be careful with that. Ice does not forgive small mistakes when you want make tight turn. Steepness and ice are two different species. Put them together and you have terror on your technique. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maciek Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 Nobody explains what that slang means. Actuall y you are always on edge except those brief moments when you go straight downhill. To start a turn actively you get on edge ON TIP part of the board and for very brief moment iif you do it hard.... or forget board control if you do that elphant way on icy slope. Then stay on edge (until transition) just get right course by moving body on the same edge to the tail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miguel Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 I reread your post, especially the part about the speed. If you're getting lower, angulating more and setting your downhill edge sooner, the speed will take care of itself. Your turns will tighten up like you've never dreamed. This in turn will blead off speed. I've found that I actually NEED steeper runs to accomplish the tight angulated turns that I now crave. I mean, there's turning and then there's TURNING! When I attempt turns like that on the mellower runs I used to seek, the speed diminishes to the point where it won't sustain the centrifical force needed to keep me up. Discovering this new level of riding is like receiving the keys to the kingdom, snatching the pebble from the master's hand and having the proverbial lightbulb turned on all at the same time!:D Can you tell I'm psyched or what? I'm not by any means trying to blow my own horn....I kinda feel like I've been "born-again". I recall attending the ECES a few years ago and watching with envy as guys like Shaggy, PSR, CMC and others came down the steeper runs with such grace, power and control. It's really quite simple...stay low, angulate, and get on your edges sooner. Well....maybe not quite that simple but it's a darn good start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gibber Posted March 2, 2005 Report Share Posted March 2, 2005 A pat on your shoulder sometimes helps a lot! Thanks Maciek, thank you all my new friends!!!!!!!! What kind of mental exercise? I do exercises twice a week. (Gymnastics). I will change the bindings! I will post a video of myself. Probably I'll have to concentrate more on what I'm doing instead of letting the board bringing me where it wants. BTW, only 7 days a year of practice may be too little? Bye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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