Popular Post crackaddict Posted February 27, 2023 Popular Post Report Share Posted February 27, 2023 We put some effort into editing this one... People are actually watching my videos now after the Ryan Knapton promotion from MCC. I started the YouTube channel just to share video with you guys but now I'm getting carried away. Only one more video is planned for this season though; ride more film less. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortcutToMoncton Posted February 27, 2023 Report Share Posted February 27, 2023 I can’t speak for those closest to you but personally I think breaking 100 views has really gone to your head….. Killer riding on a super steep pitch. I’ve been bouncing back and forth between my hardboot Contras and my new softboot Contra for the past couple weeks, and my biggest weak point so far on the softy is heelside chatter/washout. Do you have any tips on your heelside body positioning? When I watch your videos I feel I’m instinctively replicating my alpine stance for softboot…lower crouch, upper hand off the snow and lower hand reaching for the edge. Your stance seems more upright especially with hands & upper body. Is that deliberate? Thanks for the videos, they are always inspiring!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crackaddict Posted February 27, 2023 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2023 @ShortcutToMoncton My next video will be a "how to carve" thing with all my best tips... Here's a preview: -Keep your shoulders level by crunching in the obliques -Bring your back arm forward, on heelside it can touch your front knee or boot cuff to find the right amount of rotation and compression -Keep your butt over your rear highback, even touching the highback for extra compression, not hanging out over the edge I also had trouble at first with heelside chatter on my first softboot Contra, then I discovered that I was just riding too fast for that board. Slow it down to smooth it out. To slow down you may have to turn tighter; bend more in the knees, rotate more (like bring the back hand to the snow as well as the front), and push harder into the board. Trust the board, it's a Coiler! More compression is better (to a limit of course) and will increase edge hold. My mantra on scary terrain, whether steep or tight or icy, is always "get low, slow it down, hold any turn". My straight legs are an expression of style, I would advise you to bend more if you're having trouble keeping the edge in the snow. Once that feels easy play around with minimizing your movements and getting taller. When the riding is great I love to feel the extension right from my toes through my spine and up through my neck, like a surfer just pushing hard on the board for a super tight bottom turn! It's dangerous though to ride too tall, small bumps can have a large impact on your spine if you're not in a position to absorb them. Good luck. We should be able to shoot the last sections of the "how to" video as soon as the sun comes out and the powder gets groomed flat. 50cm fell this past weekend so it might be a little while... 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkaholic Posted February 27, 2023 Report Share Posted February 27, 2023 Killer riding James, nice work! I look forward to watching and sharing your next vid with friends who are starting to carve. ink 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xargo Posted February 27, 2023 Report Share Posted February 27, 2023 (edited) 40 minutes ago, crackaddict said: I also had trouble at first with heelside chatter on my first softboot Contra, then I discovered that I was just riding too fast for that board. Slow it down to smooth it out. To slow down you may have to turn tighter; bend more in the knees, rotate more (like bring the back hand to the snow as well as the front), and push harder into the board. Trust the board, it's a Coiler! This! I rode my Contra ECC (174 x 16m, 247 waist) yesterday and then switched to Völkl AFC (154 x 7.9, 252 waist) with same boot setup and stance. Contra ofc is way stiffer and longer with much bigger scr and tons of more ee. I did expect a big difference but still it surprised me how slow I had to ride to get rid of the heelside chatter with the AFC. Of course this works the other way around as well. If you are used to ride "normal" boards, it can take a while to find the aggressiveness needed to really drive those stiff big scr boards (like James is riding in the vid). The thing is that before I had ridden alpine gear, I thought the AFC was overly stiff. Now that thought just feels amusing. Anyways, it was a fun test and now I appreciate the Contra even more. Also that back arm forward advice is great but with low binding angles it's possible to overdo it (tail can lose grip) but reaching for front leg does sound about right. Edited February 27, 2023 by Xargo 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.