J-turns?

[skategoat]

You guys ever heard of a J-turn?

I was talking to a salesman at a ski shop today about the type of skiing I like and he described me as a J-turner. Even though I've been skiing for 25 years, I've never heard that term before. He said a J-tuner likes to hook the nose into a turn and then whip around the apex fast, coming back across the fall line and then quickly into the next turn. This opposed to a constant radius GS turn. To do this, he suggested a slalom ski with a stiff tail.

That's exactly the kind of ski and snowboard turns I like to make. But does a J-turn make a good carve? It seems to me that most good guys I watch carve are more smooth and constant in their turning radius, whereas the J-turn seems to be a more abrupt.

With regard to technique, it seems a J-turn requires more forward weighting to initiate the turn.

[Chris Houghton]

I think that a lot of boarders would call this "diving" into a turn, where you get lined up while going straight, then compress the nose hard to initiate the turn. You'll get shot back out the other side, then get ready for the next one. You're right, most carvers keep more even pressure on the edge(s) through the turn radius, but who cares how you do it as long as it works for you?

[skategoat]

Thanks for the explanation C2C. I'm going to try the Garland. I know what you mean about the ankles. When I have my boots done up too tight or if I accidentally have my walk/ride levers in the wrong position (I ride in walk mode), it really hampers my turn initiation.

[Neil Gendzwill]

J-turn is also a ski racing term from the 80s, I think, referring to a particular type of slalom turn where you head pretty straight for the gate and then hook a hard turn just under it. No carving involved, IIRC.

[Rob Smith]

I,ve always associated J turns with racing. A racers "line interpetation" can be diagnosed as rounder (more Euro style) or a J turn (straighter line). Novice racers tend to ride a lower line and try to correct it by jamming a turn, a crude J turn! Elite riders will ride either style & quite often incorpoarte both styles on a course. Course set, snow conditions, pitch, equipment & each athletes skill set will determine which technique is faster.

A good racer does not load the board at the end of a turn. They slam the "J" on the fall line.