patmoore Posted March 7, 2005 Report Share Posted March 7, 2005 I ride a 168 cm Volkl RT GS board and have been very happy with it for GS races on good snow. This past weekend I encountered a course with very tight gates (really more slalom than GS) - it had been sit up for a kid's race earlier and then used for a snowboard race. The snow was actually pretty good but I needed a much shorter radius board to be able to carve the course. As a result, I did a lot of skidding. I wound up in 3rd overall of about 40 racers but felt I could have done better on a different board. On occasion I'll do a Mountain Dew race and experience the same type of course. When it gets icy, the skidding is even more pronounced. What do you folks suggest? I also have a 1997 Hot Shine 154cm. I have no idea what that board's radius is. Would I have been better of on the Hot? Looking forward to meeting all of you who will be at Okemo this weekend! Pat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philfell Posted March 7, 2005 Report Share Posted March 7, 2005 Kind of a vague question "tight" is a very relative term. Honestly with solid technique you should be able to get through the tight G.S. on a 168 Volkl, and most Sl's shouldn't pose too much of a problem on a board that size. You could try a Sl board next time, but it sound more like a technique thing to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted March 7, 2005 Report Share Posted March 7, 2005 I'd have to agree with Phill. I ride a 172 Oxygen in both the SL and GS and have no problem, but you need to use a more straight up body position with a solid cross under in the SL. I do have a 162 Rossi with a much tighter sidecut, but it is also a slower board although easier to handle in "tight" gates. Smaller sidecut may help, but also work on some technique if you think you need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patmoore Posted March 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2005 Okay, technique it is. My long-suffering wife will be glad I don't need to add yet another toy to the ever growing collection. Thanks. Has anyone ever given any thought to writing a tech article on racing? Pat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy Kleh Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 Ya. I'd like to know more too. Any secrets/suggestions/mantras? Mine is: turn early, look ahead. cindy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Todd Stewart Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 well, to start it off you want to be starting your turn early, you should be on edge for the next gate about halfway between the two gates. You should start coming out of you turn right when you are at the gate, with your nose being pointed down the hill the entire run. Also, with exception of the start and finish, you base should never touch the ground, the goal is to be on edge as much as possible. One thing i have notice is that many people try and apply there free riding style to gates, many of the carving styles are slow and inefficient, ex. extreme carving or euro carving. When i am running gates, I never think about how low I am getting, with the tighter courses we are seeing these days (a typical GS is now has gates about 15m-13m set down the hill and about 12 across) you don't really have time to get you butt low and back up for the next gate. That being said, you should be up nice and tall during the transition of the turn with little movement in your upper body. And remember, don’t drag those arms, the easiest way to correct this is run the course without you gloves. Trust me it will solve the problem pretty quick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philfell Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 Todd, how can you make the gates "with your nose being pointed down the hill the entire run"? Racing is so precise that I don't think it translates well into written text. I may tell one of my athletes one thing then tell another something totally oppisite. This is because everyone interpets things different, and people have different strengths and weakness. A line that works for one person dosen't mean it will work for someone else, because these two riders could have different styles and strenghts that allow them to do different things in a course. Watch a Jasey run then watch a Bezetto run, two people who are a threat in any world cup, yet two different ways to go about getting the job done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outsider Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 the oxygen is the correct tool for the job. i ride a 170 LTD for GS, and have been making ideal slalom turns on it latley. I rode a Volkl earlier this season after riding my Oxygen for a few hours and felt like i was riding a freight train downhill. The Volkl was the most stabel board i had been on, but i prefer to take the chop with my legs and body and be able to have instant edge response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patmoore Posted March 8, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 Thanks for all the suggestions. I've had some success racing GS on skis (the photo below was taken on Tuesday at the CT Senior Games) and I've have had pretty good luck racing on the board as well. I have difficulty when it comes to exceptionally tight courses. In ski events, I just switch to my slalom skis but I haven't figured out what to do on the board other than learn a better techinque. Icy conditions are much more difficult on one board than two. Maybe someone attending Okemo this weekend can impart some wisdom. Pat Moore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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