What did you learn this season so far (2022-2023)?

[pow4ever]

notes sharing - while memory is still fresh
Most should be obvious to most but not so to me.

TOM - time on mountain is so important.  Run away and join the circus even for couples weeks does amazing for one's riding.  Good condition,  hang around with great people definitely help.  Positive energy/vibe is real.

setup:  don't be afraid of experiment

direction to the ball park:   
Centering boot on the binding
Centering binding on the board/insert
Toe lift/Heel lift
no canting 
little to no forward lean on the front boot, lots of forward lean in the back.
I like the front boot to be stiff, back boot to be soft (softer tongue/spring fore/aft flexy but stiff laterally).
stance width +/- couple CM doesn't impact much

when things are "neutral"/dial in - riding flat should feel effortless, board is very nimble/smooth to flick around. slide around

technique:
contra shape - ridding center.  everyone say riding center but what the heck does it mean?  
for me it's angulate AND rotation.  Getting the board high on edge but COM (center of mass) over the edge to maximized edge pressure.
Bend back knee/squat down and feed the heel edge when heel side start to acting up.
Don't reach for the snow; leap of faith and drop that hip.
relax, be dynamic - weighting/unweighihg (up/down; almost hoppy) so the leg doesn't get tired out. 
But not too relax - be aggressive(timing) and it become easier/relax.  quite contradicting.  Be relax and aggressive at the same time.  not sure the right words are.

misc:
don't ignore pain/pressure point.  our body is super sensitive and will unconsciously do things to avoid pain and mess with your technique. 
take the time to put the boots on right.  take mental notes on what "good fit" is.
Ice up after riding - no spring chicken no more
stretch before riding - see above
Life is short and smile.

By next year i probably have to re-learned it all again but that's part of the fun.

[philw]

1. Do not ever raise your back hand above "handbag height". I do it occasionally when fighting for balance, but it looks ugly in photographs, of which I wasted more than on excellent shot with that. I did consider photoshopping the arm back where it should be, but it seems like cheating.
    
2. With a softer board, on piste, you can get some really really deep carves with very little effort.
    
3. Sometimes pushing the back knee backwards a bit at the end of a turn seems to help round out the turn.

[st_lupo]

1. Being slightly more confident on ice/near ice conditions: pushing the nose harder, getting lower and trusting the board and technique better.

2. Being a lot more active rotationally from the waist up.

3. Riding a little looser every year.

[pow4ever]

On 2/14/2023 at 12:13 PM, st_lupo said:

1. Being slightly more confident on ice/near ice conditions: pushing the nose harder, getting lower and trusting the board and technique better.

me 3  

Not that i seek out ice/bad snow but almost every mountain have section where the snow are scrape off.
example Bottom of ButterMilk/Tiehack chair, Highland funnel point.
i used to hate those sections because it expose weakness in my riding.  Now i look forward to "conquering" it.

Gotta be near perfect with the weighting/pressuring edges/technique to not blow a carve but when done right it's a great feeling/sense of accomplishment.  A Coiler WoGoCoCo - wobbly goblin Contra help a ton.  Just ride center with high edge engagement with COM over the board and it don't feel like ice.  However the margin of error is thin but that's the fun part. 

[pmorita]

When on steeps or wanting to connect more turns per section, let the board pass under more on the transitions.  It lets me engage the downhill edge and weigh the board much earlier in the turn so it whips back across the fall line faster.

[Mr Wonton]

I learned I’m not very good. But I’m working on it. 

[lonbordin]

I enjoy 45/30 far more than 55/50.  It feels more like surfing... I like to surf.  (Not a slasher... more Taylor Jensen https://youtu.be/tUYSRRYSs38)

I'm more agile in large crowds at 45/30 than higher angles.

I need a wider board to ride lower angles, duh.  Big person... big feet.
 

 

[pow4ever]

3 hours ago, lonbordin said:

I enjoy 45/30 far more than 55/50.  It feels more like surfing... I like to surf.

hahaha! remind me of the fun lessons from Joerg/Pureboarding

[Odd Job]

Get forward. And I mean forward enough to one foot carve on a pitch. Aim to start releasing all turns right at the fall line, or a split second later. 

 

Check 1:19 in this video; you would never realize he is getting that forward without slow-mo. Always thought the "get forward" thing was barbaric bullshit technique since there is also contradicting tips about staying "centered".

I am also learning loss of angulation, especially toe-side is a result of the board getting away from you. Have to keep the board held back, otherwise it will creep forward as the turn progresses prematurely, especially on steeps.

 

I am also observing my tracks more thoroughly now. Deep pressure before or at the fall line == good.

 

Attempting the same on softboots. Not letting my really soft, softboots and a non-raceboard alleviate me from attempting the above.

 

Also, I forget to do this as I mix in other things. I've been playing with timing of angulation, eventually trying to hit the apex of the turn with angulating so much, I may catapult towards the side of the run by high-siding. I call it high-side suicide.

Edited February 17, 2023 by Odd Job

[SunSurfer]

Rider style: + stance, regular, with 67Front and 63Rear and riding with not much initial nose loading transitioning to tail loading in the turn i.e. centred.

Learned that stance length can be too LONG as well as too SHORT. 56cm is my Goldilocks spot, 54 too short, 58 too long

Longer is good up to a point because it increases my base of support and makes soaking up bumps while carving without being thrown off balance easier.

Too long makes it harder for me to effectively put weight/emphasis on the lateral side of my front foot during heelside turns on steeper hardpack. So while the toeside (R) turn bites reliably, the heelside (L) grip is less solid. Get my weight a little more onto that lateral front foot and the heelside edge grip is more solid. 

2023 Contra 173 MCC demo board construction damps vibration from lumpy, hard snow. My Thirst Superconductor (built  in 2019 or 2020) superconducted much of that same vibration to me. Back to back riding at MCC Day 4. The difference made the lower Main run at Turner stop start on the Thirst and pretty smoothly carve able on the Contra.

Postscript after riding with CrackAddict at Revelstoke -

Don't let my toeside/outside arm trail when going into a heelside turn. Keep it in front of me a little. Helps with the body angulation and knee drive, giving better grip.
Compress more as the slope gets steeper/icier.
Work on bending my board more as I enter the new turn.

Postscript after August 2023 snowboard trip.

Crucial skill for newbie carvers to gain is to maintain their balance on their edge, to tilt the board a little on edge with their knees, ankles, and feet, while keeping the upper body as still as possible. To do so by just putting pressure on that edge with both feet, while feeling their edge through all those nerve endings in the soles of their feet. That way you neither sit on the toilet (heelside), nor pat the dog (toeside).

When riding my Kessler 162 slalom board turn @pow4ever "leap of faith" into a fall of faith i.e. tip myself down the fall line and carve the traversing board back underneath my COM to catch myself before I hit the snow.

Forward facing pelvis, outside of turn knee drive, and ankle tilt to tip the board even further on edge makes for great grip on firm snow.

I will daily commute a long way (376km round trip, 4 and a half to 5 hour drive) for a combination of good grooming, good gradients, and little traffic!

 

Edited August 16, 2023 by SunSurfer
recent coaching

[Eastsiiiide]

I don't need hardboots or a special board to make low angle, pencil-line carves.  

I don't have one preferred binding angle for carving, it's a much wider range than I thought, and varies depending on the board specs and other factors--I learned to be more open minded about including factors beyond trying to mimic my "fighting stance" foot and body position. (edit: foot spacing is getting longer too)

More layers of safety equipment doesn't detract noticeably from my experience.  (edit: knee supports, armor shirt, neck collar & full face helmet)

Ultra narrow boards are super fun. (edit: but also cranks the 'heard it in the lift line' experiences up to '11')

Some part of me wants to do park still.

 

Edited February 21, 2023 by Eastsiiiide

[pow4ever]

nice! some great tips/lesson learned!  Thank you all for sharing.
Most are probably beyond me but look forward to have those aha moment when i progress enough.

pads up and look up hill more is great safety habit to ingrain into muscle memory.
Funny that bunch HARP video show up in my youtube feed after we rode together at ABasin.  Mighty Google is all hearing and all knowing LOL...

[Jack M]

That a board built with both metal and “secret” construction is a good thing. 

[RoroSnow]

5 hours ago, Jack M said:

That a board built with both metal and “secret” construction is a good thing. 

.........thought that (for Donek secret boards) what was secret was the kind of metal that wasn't exactly titanal.....but maybe I did miss something......

[pow4ever]

14 minutes ago, RoroSnow said:

.........thought that (for Donek secret boards) what was secret was the kind of metal that wasn't exactly titanal.....but maybe I did miss something......

see this post:

"Triaxial sheets.  272 g/m2.  The fibers run 0, 60, -60 degrees.  Apparently this is the material the military uses in applications where they need to replace metal.  I suspect this is what's in Donek "secret" construction."

on metal and secret
i am embracing the power of "AND".  not just angulation "OR" rotation but Angulation "AND" Rotation. 

[lafcadio]

Related to: 

On 2/16/2023 at 7:50 PM, lonbordin said:

I enjoy 45/30 far more than 55/50.  It feels more like surfing... I like to surf.  (Not a slasher... more Taylor Jensen https://youtu.be/tUYSRRYSs38)

I'm more agile in large crowds at 45/30 than higher angles.

I need a wider board to ride lower angles, duh.  Big person... big feet.
 

 

A wider board with lower angles can give you more stability and control, especially on ice and choppy snow. I don’t know why it took me until this year to learn this. It should have been obvious, right?

 

 

[Jonny]

Loose pants at the waist or my back will blow up. Basically if I slip the suspenders off my shoulders and the pants don't fall down, they're too tight. Carving at my age and girth is really aerobic and if there isn't room to breath all the way down to my groin, even when my chest is right on my front knee, I'm screwed.

[pow4ever]

12 hours ago, lafcadio said:

I don’t know why it took me until this year to learn this. It should have been obvious, right?

lol; better late than never . I am glad we are all still learning.  Guess we are not that old yet.

12 hours ago, Jonny said:

Loose pants at the waist or my back will blow up.

interesting...  my back is killing me this past 2 seasons.  wardrobe is something i should pay more attention to. 

[Jack M]

On 2/18/2023 at 3:13 PM, RoroSnow said:

.........thought that (for Donek secret boards) what was secret was the kind of metal that wasn't exactly titanal.....but maybe I did miss something......

I seem to recall Secret construction did not involve any metal, but I could be wrong.  The point being that metal is difficult to laminate, and also some people feel metal boards are too damp.

[1xsculler]

Don’t get hit from behind and break your arm AND don’t slip on black ice two weeks later landing on the same shoulder which necessitated shoulder surgery. Hoping to get a few very careful turns in at Crystal next Monday and Wednesday to get some semblance of my former life back. 

[VSR-Alex]

Drills, Drills, Drills.

It saves time to develop the muscle memory to have good technique from drills than spending half the season wondering why your riding is good one run and sucks the next.

[1xsculler]

24 minutes ago, VSR-Alex said:

Drills, Drills, Drills.

It saves time to develop the muscle memory to have good technique from drills than spending half the season wondering why your riding is good one run and sucks the next.

Can relate to that! I try to do some Norms every once in a while and I would do well to do more!

[Kurt Swanson]

After nine years, finally learning the subtle techniques to carve on steeper runs:

1. Keeping my front leg stiff and not flexing the knee.

2. Pulling my rear knee into the turn instead of letting it point outward

3. Turning the board slightly uphill before initiating the turn

4. Having Chester at Montucky Clear Cut center my bindings on the board (just a few centimeters, huge difference)

Applying these four techniques have been a total game changer for my carving.

[1xsculler]

19 minutes ago, Kurt Swanson said:

After nine years, finally learning the subtle techniques to carve on steeper runs:

1. Keeping my front leg stiff and not flexing the knee.

2. Pulling my rear knee into the turn instead of letting it point outward

3. Turning the board slightly uphill before initiating the turn

4. Having Chester at Montucky Clear Cut center my bindings on the board (just a few centimeters, huge difference)

Applying these four techniques have been a total game changer for my carving.

Very good to know and encouraging because anything steeper than Eagle’s Rest at Jackson (their bunny chair) causes me grief and forces toooo many slarves to keep my speed down and avoid the trees!

[lafcadio]

1 hour ago, Kurt Swanson said:

2. Pulling my rear knee into the turn instead of letting it point outward

Is this specifically for heelside turns?

For toeside, I think pointing your rear knee "out" and into the turn is basically the same.