Thoughts on technique (and figuring it out)...

[SWriverstone]

I'm happy that it only took me about 1-1/2 days back on the snow to get right back to where I left off last season, and now I'm already having some personal breakthroughs.

Though it can be a bit lonely sometimes, I find that riding alone is good for my technique, because I don't have the distraction of someone else and can focus entirely on what I'm doing. (And think about it on the way back up.) I also like riding late at night, just before closing, because the slopes empty out and another distraction is removed.

I think in every physical sport, there is always a lag between your mind grasping a concept and your body following it. (In other words, just because you know what to do doesn't mean you can do it!) I've known for some time what I need to be doing, but only last night did my body start to catch up.

My little breakthrough last night might well be called a "no-DUH!" thing...but one important concept stood out:

At a given speed, centrifugal force (outward) in a turn is inversely proportional to the radius of the turn. And the radius of the turn is inversely proportional to the angle of your board relative to the snow.

This might not be true from a pure math & physics standpoint, but from a real-life carving standpoint, I think it's true.

In other words...if I get my board up on edge higher, it's going to make my turn smaller. And if my turn is smaller, the centrifugal force is greater, which allows me to be leaned over more (closer to the slope) without falling.

So my breakthrough was in trusting that if I crank my edge up more (with enough angulation and even edge pressure, of course), it's just gonna happen! I'm gonna carve a smaller, tighter turn and be leaned over a lot more and still be able to recover.

Up until now, I think I've been afraid to trust the physics. I've always had this little voice saying "No! Don't get that high on your edge! You'll crash!"

The "law" I stated above was graphically demonstrated to me at Okemo last year when someone (I have no idea who) came down to the bottom, on the flats by the lift, and did a full 360 (almost laying out flat!) at a pretty slow speed. (They didn't come flying into it.) I was sort of blown away by that, and suddenly realized that it's not about speed. It's about angle and centrifugal force in the turn.

My confirmation last night was riding back up and seeing several of my trenches in turns that---for the first time---were razor-thin all the way around the turn---no "fat-skidded" areas anywhere. That was cool! :)

Scott

[Jack M]

http://www.bomberonline.com//articles/physics.cfm

[SWriverstone]

Thanks Jack. I'd actually read that article last year, but just read it again. Outside the math (which is alien to me---I made Ds and Fs in math throughout school!), I think it pretty much says what I said above. (Doesn't it?) :)

Scott

[Jack M]

Yes, it does! :)

I'm happy to discuss carving physics any time, either here or in email.

[Fleaman]

During a lesson I took the instructor told me to get the board really high on edge by trying to drive the front knee to the snow. I was a bit apprehensive at first because it felt unnatural and I thought I would fall down, but with a bit of speed it works great. You have to feel the pressure on the side of your boots.