Cross-Through

[Board Doctor]

Jack M, I presume that you're Jack Michaud?

These are some great articles!  Can I ask a question about Cross-Through?

https://nicholaswmin.github.io/alpine-carving/articles/cross-over-under-through/article.html

The way that it's defined in this article seems to be similar to how I ride, a combination of cross-under & over (more of a continuous spectrum than either boundary condition).  For cross-through, the skiers seem to say that the COM should move strictly left to right and not up at all.  Now people use the term down-unweighted.  Can you clarify these terms?

 

[Jack M]

That's me, thanks.  If your COM is low enough, like when carving fully laid-out turns, your COM has to rise by some amount in order for your board and lower body to be able to cross underneath it. Not many skiers achieve such a low COM.

Down-unweighting usually means letting your COM fall in order to release pressure from the edge, let your knees come up, and change edges.  I'd say it's similar to cross-under, and the opposite of cross-over.

 

[nicholaswmin]

17 minutes ago, Jack M said:

That's me, thanks.  If your COM is low enough, like when carving fully laid-out turns, your COM has to rise by some amount in order for your board and lower body to be able to cross underneath it. Not many skiers achieve such a low COM.

Down-unweighting usually means letting your COM fall in order to release pressure from the edge, let your knees come up, and change edges.  I'd say it's similar to cross-under, and the opposite of cross-over.

 

Did I understand correctly that you can alter the radius of the turn in this pattern?

When you change your edge you can extend and excessively bend the board with your legs?

[Corey]

Adding downward pressure bends the board and tightens the radius. 

The board does not know or care how you do it. It's all quite momentary, but both movements are a way to set the edge and board flex at the beginning of a turn, before the g-force that comes from the turn has started. This puts you in charge, not waiting for the side cut to start working. 

Learn both so you can deal with whatever is happening at a particular moment. This sport can be messy with a variable surface, so versatility is key!