My Introductory period on Alpine snowboarding (Need some tips)

[Eboot]

17 minutes ago, Pew said:

A snowboarder hit my back right after I changed my edge. I was fast but he was faster. I end up face landed and I was not able to breathe for 20sec. My helmet saved my life.

Glad that you are ok!!

[SunSurfer]

4 hours ago, Pew said:

I will try Intuition SBC next week thanks to @Eboot I hoop this liners can help my heel lift problem

Also very glad you are only bruised, not broken. Straight liners are the bane of carvers on boards and skis.

Heel lift: The Intuition liners may well reduce the amount your rear foot heel lifts but the final solution may have more to do with improving your technique and balance.

Now that you have the feel for emphasising the toes in your rear foot for toeside and the heel of your front foot for heelside, try to "feel" the board onto it's edge through the soles of your feet. You should have some weight on both feet on either side turn and in so doing you should remain balanced over the board between the bindings.

I've been all along the path of thinking my heel lift was due to various bits of my equipment. I've changed binding angles, changed boot makers, modified boots, and added aftermarket liners. All those things helped but didn't prevent the issue. I even managed to tear apart from metal fatigue the rear part of my rear Bomber Trench Digger binding I was generating so much lift of my rear heel. But learning to ride from the soles of my feet has rendered it pretty much a non-issue, unless an unanticipated bump or a poorly balanced turn throws my weight forward and my rear heel lifts.

Edited December 5, 2021 by SunSurfer

[wulf]

@Pew maybe this also provides some help:

Notes from a Carving Camp with WC Pro Nevin Galmarini and some other WC athletes...

2017 Nevin Galmarini Camp (Scoul / CH)

Rene Hürlimann (former WC coach) - "Snowboarding is very easy if you pay attention to the physics"

1. Stable upper body - central position, pressure on both feet
2. Build up pressure from BELOW (toe / heel, ankle, knee, hip)
3. Turn initiation with BOTH feet
4. Keep your COG (belly button) ALWAYS over the edge

• Frontside: Hip to the slope !!!
• Backside: Bend the hip !!! 
• Deep Belly Breathing through the nose, closed mouth & tongue up!
• During Frontside - 2/3 pressure on the REAR foot (TOES, ankles, knees, "Hip to the slope" (COG "belly button" over the edge)
• During Backside - 2/3 pressure on the FRONT foot (HEELS, ankle, knee, "Bend the Hip" (COG "belly button" over the edge)

[wulf]

@Pew... and annother source. Chris Klug, former WC pro athlete:

 

2014_Chris_Klug_PRO_Tipps

PRO TIPS - Start Right

• Keep in mind your front foot is your steering wheel on a snowboard. With too much weight in the back seat it’s hard to pilot the board. Keep your weight 50/50. Initially practice sliding heelside and then toeside, eventually you will progress to the “Falling Leaf” drill and finally transitioning from toeside to heelside. This is a leap of faith at first, but trust yourself and keep your weight on the front leg. The tendency is always to get in the back seat.

PRO TIPS - Sit Down For Power

Most riders can rip toe-side turns, no problem: It's natural. You're facing the hill and you can see what's going on. When it comes to carving on the heel side, however, beginners tend to straighten their legs and the board bounces across the snow, half out of control.

Fixing this problem starts at the top of the turn. Using the momentum from your toe-side turn, roll your board onto the heel-side edge by lifting your toes inside your boots. At the same time, sink your butt into the hill, as if you're sitting in a chair . Try to create a 90-degree angle in your legs, then drive your knees toward the tip as the board carves a clean arc.

The key is to trust your speed. It may feel like you're about to fall when you sit down, but the energy of the turn will keep you up. In fact, you have more power, not less, when you maintain this position, and you'll also have an easier time absorbing rough spots or recovering from a slide on slick snow.

Whether you're ripping around on a freestyle or a race board, sitting in the imaginary chair will help you rail that heel-side carve.

PRO TIPS - Advanced

• Keep your board under your feet for high percentage turns.

•  Snowboard equipment has evolved so much the past years, make sure you’re on the goods. Take advantage of snowboard demo tours and try your friends gear if they’ll let you. Different styles prefer different set-ups, don’t be afraid to try something new.

• Initiate your turns with your lower body, from the bottom up, hells/toes, ankles, knees and hips. Try not to start your turns by rotating your upper body.

• Work on being a versatile rider! Ride fakie, do 360’s while riding, nose wheelies, etc. All of these skills will improve your balance and prepare you for future difficult landings and terrain.

• Constantly try new things, new tricks, and different manoeuvres. Be innovative and creative, that’s what makes snowboarding so much fun; you’re the artist.

• Spend the whole day on the beginner slope. You will be amazed how fast you will improve, not! Challenge yourself on new terrain and features.

• Watch and learn. There are so many ripping riders out there. Try to understand what and how they’re doing what they’re doing. My long-time coach used to always tell me, “First imitate, then innovate.” Visualize yourself doing it, then give it a try.

•  Keep your board in good shape. Wax your board regularly and make sure you’ve got a fast grind for the conditions. Keep your edges sharp and properly detuned tip and tail to your riding preference.

• Maintain your physical conditioning. The stronger your physical conditioning, the faster you will go and the healthier your body will remain. I do Pilates and yoga regularly to stay healthy during a long winter season of beating up my body. Check out “Training tips” to learn more about snowboard specific strength and conditioning.

• Attend the Aspen Klug Spring Snowboard Camp in Aspen, Colorado this spring to take your riding to the next level.

PRO TIPS - Anatomy Of A Turn

This sequence may help illustrate the process of carving a clean heel-side turn.

I think of starting my turn from the bottom up, pressuring aggressively with the heels/toes, ankles, knees, and hips, excluding any upper body rotation to put the board on edge. It's important to have a solid upper body when starting the turn. If you begin the turn with a weak foundation it only gets weaker. I focus on getting most of the turn done above the gate, avoiding the low pressure earthquake, death-chat at the end of the turn.

On the heel-side I start by pressuring the heels, pulling up with the front foot toes and driving the back knee on to initiate on the toe side turn.

Tip the board up early, and push on it aggressively. Keep the board underneath the body.

Try not to let the board get away! Drive with the outside arm down and keep the inside arm up to avoid the panel. Push the feet through towards the next gate, squeezing the speed out of the turn and maximizing momentum.

Now you're in the back seat. Send the upper body back down the fall-line in a lever like action so you're ready to begin the next turn.

Hope this helps you rail clean, powerful turns.

 

Rip it up!

[Jonny]

The above two posts are really useful. I'd add the following:

Don't try to fix heel lift too soon with equipment changes (I think Sunsurfer is suggesting this too). It's often a result of techniques which are just leftovers from softboots or skiing - namely trying to drive the board with your shins rather than working from the bottom up using the soles of your feet much more, and also it can come from trying to steer with your back foot. If you're a Skier for instance you're used to the outside ski doing the work and that can lead to too much back foot pressure which in turns translates to heel lift toeside and straight legs heelside. You've got some stiff boots and it sounds like you're going to be really happy with them, but with beginning technique there's no way you're flexing them fully just yet, so if the boot doesn't bend the heel's gonna lift.

Also - unless you're a really elite athlete I think you're trying to ride too much. I know - we all know - it's addictive, but hardbooting places way more strain on the body than soft boots or any kind of skiing short of elite race-training. Apart from injuries you can also groove the kind of bad techniques you'd need to start using once lactic acid starts building up, and you'll do yourself more harm than good. For instance, if your thighs have nothing less to give you're going to start bending more at the waist, and reaching for the snow, and who knows what else? If you can ride hard for four hours in a day, especially on anything other than wide, green groomers, you're going to progress faster in my opinion.

[big mario]

good work on applying what you have been given, with those flapping wings, it sounds like you are off to a flying start (yuk yuk!). Time to add one more thing, on your toesides, start adding in "six checks" every 4 turns or so, more if you feel the need. I'm always amazed at how quickly a straitliner can close on me when Im carving. Glancing uphill every now and again can help you keep an eye on the wannabe olympic downhillers coming at you at mach schnell,and help mitigate your chances of a catastrophic collision. Heal up, and keep us informed on your journey

mario

Edited December 5, 2021 by big mario

[Chouinard]

Unless you have the pitch to yourself keep your head on a swivel...glad to hear you survived to ride again! Speaking from similar experiences.

Clear out all the great tips when riding because you don't have time to think.

14 hours ago, wulf said:

Visualize yourself doing it, then give it a try.

I use these as a screen saver.

[barryj]

Hey Pew,

Welcome!    Can you post photos of your board/binding  with and without your boots attached.

Shots from the side and overhear would be helpful to see your boot/binding setup and boot forward lean.

....of course any video of your riding would help significantly  in assessing pilot error problems.