Hugh Posted February 3, 2006 Report Share Posted February 3, 2006 In my experience, stance widths are usually longer on a soft setup than a carving stance, compare 20" to 17-18". This will allow you to get lower while carving and lower your center of gravity. Bend at the knees, not at the waist. Is that a Maine Coon cat in the background? I have a 18 lb Coon cat named "Sumo". Good luck, Hugh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daneille Posted February 3, 2006 Report Share Posted February 3, 2006 dont study mine! Actually D-Sub, I prefer your surfy style. Daneille Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allee Posted February 3, 2006 Report Share Posted February 3, 2006 Hugh, Sumo is a sweetheart! D-Sub, if I could board like you, I'd be VERY happy! Hi Valerie ... nice setup! Top suggestions so far : 1. Wind those angles back - 60s is way high for a beginner, a lot of experienced carvers don't ride that high. 45's would be a good start. 2. Leave the boots in walk. Again, a lot of people here ride in walk or powder all the time, it's a lot easier to learn with a bit of flex happening than all locked in. 3. Hook up with Kirk. Save yourself half a season of pain and frustration (and this one comes from experience!) Have fun out there!! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Posted February 3, 2006 Report Share Posted February 3, 2006 Valerie, Lotsa of replies. There is a lot of great info in the archives, so I highly recommend you browse through Jack Michaud's articles. He writes some great stuff. I set up a fair amount of folks on new gear, so FWIW, here is my 2 cents thrown into the growing pot: 1) Stance width: personal preference is a big factor, but something around .6 times your inseam is a good starting point ( for instance, my inseam is 32 inches so I run around a 19 inch stance width, give or take depending on the deck). You should be able to center the bindings on a line drawn half way between the insert patterns with the Donek. 2) Angles: Something that gets your toes and heels pretty close to over the edges without any overhang is also a good starting place- probably will end up in the mid 50s. Again, personal preference, but I relax my back foot and run it around 3-5 degrees flatter than the front. With your freestyle background, a initial angle setup that is not overly steep will give you some comfort level as it should help you draw on some of the riding skills you have honed over the years with your softies. 3) Cants/Lifts: Unless they are significantly knock-kneed or bow-legged, I typically start folks out with a flat front foot and 3 degrees of lift on the back- no canting whatsoever. I feel this promotes a natural neutral stance and is a good starting point for most riders. 4) Boots: I noticed you had your front boot locked way forward and your back one more upright. You should strive to set up your boots so they will give your ankles the ability to flex smoothly and equally. Consequently, I woud recommend you play around with the walk and powder modes of the Suzukas in order to allow your ankles to open and close as a means to start edging the board. 5)GET WITH SOMEONE! No lack of folks in the area who will be happy to take a few runs with you and give you some pointers. I would recommend you hook up with someone however who has a bit of coaching or teaching background as they can help you develop good habits from the get go. Stick with it and things will start to click- the first time I tried this gig, I was ready to throw the stuff in the trash. Once I felt the board hook up though, the thrill was worth the wait. Hope this helps- welcome to the world of endless advice and ever growing quivers. Regards, Sean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Valerie in Utah Posted February 4, 2006 Report Share Posted February 4, 2006 I gave Kirk my # and we'll hook up at Snowbasin some time soon. When I see him, my binding angles will be turned. I'm going to wait on narrowing the stance until I try a run or two. Thanks again everyone for all your help and advice! I'm really surprised how many people look at this forum, since I never see anyone on the hard boots when I'm at the resort(s)! Hugh - your 18 lb Maine Coone would tromp my cat. Alexa is only about 10 lbs; just recently rescued from Animal Control. She's just a mixed breed. I didn't even notice she was in the frame when I took the photo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gleb Posted February 4, 2006 Report Share Posted February 4, 2006 hey valerie and welcome to BOL. I just started carving as well. Its awesome! Going out for a lil bit with an experienced person defintly shot me forward a bit. I was riding flat, no cant, and I had problems with heel side. I was told that a rear cant plate would help me drive me rear knee in on a heelside turn. I'm not saying thats what you should do, i'm just saying the most effective way to get help is either ride with someone, or videotape urself. Whatever you do, don't give up!! Welcome to the other side:eplus2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack M Posted February 4, 2006 Report Share Posted February 4, 2006 the norm? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotts.Scheinman Posted February 4, 2006 Report Share Posted February 4, 2006 d-sub do you hate the east coast or the eurocarve? ive always wounderd what you were refering to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted February 4, 2006 Report Share Posted February 4, 2006 d-sub do you hate the east coast or the eurocarve? ive always wounderd what you were refering to Like any left coaster he hates the ice coast however I'm pretty sure that its Extreme Carving that he and most people are refering to when they say EC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted February 4, 2006 Report Share Posted February 4, 2006 actually, I dont hate either in the slightest, and the "EC" was a reference to "Extreme Carving" AND i was being completely facetious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted February 4, 2006 Report Share Posted February 4, 2006 actually, I dont hate either in the slightest, and the "EC" was a reference to "Extreme Carving" AND i was being completely facetious. Sorry I should have added or something else to indicate sarcasm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted February 4, 2006 Report Share Posted February 4, 2006 nah man, I was answering Scott. I knew you were just messin. we're cool ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted February 4, 2006 Report Share Posted February 4, 2006 nah man, I was answering Scott. I knew you were just messin. we're cool ;) I know that we were on the same page I was more worried that I was setting you up to get flamed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted February 4, 2006 Report Share Posted February 4, 2006 aww come on, you know Im down for the flame! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest romigjrhigh Posted February 7, 2006 Report Share Posted February 7, 2006 I live in SLC and am a bigger carver. Too bad you didn't show up at the WTC. I was there Sunday and then I took a lesson today from Martin up at PC and split the cost with 2 other guys I met at the WTC. Martin is a great hardboot instructor. if you are interested in taking a lesson, let me know and maybe we could find some other people to split the cost with us. My email is adonohu@hotmail.com. Drop me a line if you want to ride with me. I ride at Brighton but will travel. Keep trying. It is an awesome sport! Anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Stevens Posted February 7, 2006 Report Share Posted February 7, 2006 Hello; Do you remember when you first tried snowboarding? Did you try to turn right away? Probably not, because you just couldn't, even if you wanted to. Now you know how, but maybe that knowledge is standing in your way at this point. If you want to practice edging and balancing at the same time, don't confuse yourself by involving too many turns. Traverse alot. While you're traversing, edge a bit and then back off. Do this from one side of the run to the other. Use the whole slope width but watch out for people flying down. they won't be expecting you to be using all that space. The constant repetition of the edging move will get you into a rythm for an eventual move to the fall line and a much more natural feeling turn. Your stance looks ok, but for sure will feel f#*ked compared to what you're used to. Goodbye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow|3oarder Posted February 7, 2006 Report Share Posted February 7, 2006 Traverse alot. When i started learning i actually found it easier to learn if i pointed the board straight down the hill. Then it is easy to initiate either a heel or toe turn without much trouble. Of course I wouldnt recommend this on any double blacks your first day. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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