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Riding feedback please

3K views 13 replies 5 participants last post by  rwspear 
#1 · (Edited)
As posted on another thread which was correctly migrated to the "Slam Section", due to my incorrect riding i caught a nasty edge and injured myself.
Here's a link to me, riding down a ski road, some time before the accident




Can you please provide some feedback on what im doing wrong? From my limited understanding,
  1. I ride like a dork
  2. I ride too extended, i need to flex down more, i think
Thats where my knowledge ends and i need you guys to guide me to the correct direction.

Thanks for considering this
 
#2 ·
As posted on another thread which was correctly migrated to the "Slam Section", due to my incorrect riding i caught a nasty edge and injured myself.
Here's a link to me, riding down a ski road.

Cruising down the ski road - YouTube


Can you please provide some feedback on what im doing wrong? From my limited understanding,
  1. I ride like a dork
  2. I ride too extended, i need to flex down more, i think
Thats where my knowledge ends and i need you guys to guide me to the correct direction.

Thanks for considering this
I thought it was a video showing you catch an edge but it wasn't. I am not an experienced rider just to declare first. But I think you rode pretty well in the video. Of course, one could argue that you could have ridden more aggressively. But if you did not intend to ride aggressively during the filming of the clip, you did great. You looked relaxed and not struggling. Especially even so as you named the run a 'cruise' to begin with. Cheers.
 
#4 ·
ok i corrected the description. No accidents in the video.

Since it was a mellow run i had no option to ride more aggressively but even at that pace, i found myself not being stable on the board enough.
At many times i felt like i was loosing control and was about to catch edge (which i did eventually). The board would wiggle longitudinally. Also by the end of the run, my front calf would burn like hell. I dont have an experienced/keen eye on detail to spot what exactly im doing wrong hence my post.
At this time maybe it would help to describe my stance.
  • I ride regular as seen
  • with a +15/-15 angle
  • and the bindings set as far apart from each as permitted possible by the board inserts
The last point was after a recommendation from a local instructor. I was advised to adopt the "cowboy stance".
 
#12 ·
Couple of things going on here that I am seeing that may be increasing your risk of edge catches:

1) You are riding with very low edge angles consistently rather than tilting the board higher onto its edge. This is a result of very static legs. Notice how you are riding pretty tall all of the time with nor flexion and extension? Work on flexion and extension to get higher edge angles. If you are riding solidly on an edge, it is impossible to catch an edge. For now, simply focus on getting really low (bend ankles and knees) just before the edge change, then once you start the new turn, slowly extend through the turn.

2) While your riding overall is looking very solid, you are pushing the back foot around still like a rudder. This is most noticeable in your heelside turns. The board is pivoting way more than twisting and tilting. This is also a result of very static riding as mentioned in (1)

3)Your stance width looks too wide in that it appears to be impeding your range of movement. Ideal stance width is a "sweet spot"; too narrow and it lessens your range of movement and too wide also lessens range of movement. To dial in your ideal stance width, do the following:

Without the board strapped on, place your feet about shoulder width apart and then squat down as low as you can go without pain and I mean get really low. You will have to adjust your feet to accommodate this. Rise up and squat low several time and move the feet in and out to find the spot that allows you the most range of movement with the most comfort. Measure the distance between the center of each foot. This will be your ideal stance width.....:thumbsup:

Other than the above, just start getting more dynamic overall and use twist and tilt to steer the board, not pivot and start working with this constant getting low before the turn and rising up through the turn and you should not only reduce your edge catches but feel a lot smoother in all of your riding. Once you get this dialed in, it is time to talk about up and down unweighting for your edge changes...:)

Thanks Snowolf much appreciated.

You mention twisting and tilting vs pivoting in point 2.
Tilting, i presume, you mean angling the board in respect to the snow. For instance the whole board is tilting more in its side, like cutting through the snow while flexing or extending the ankle, is that correct?

What do you mean by twisting tho?
 
#14 ·
The Machete is a rocker. I know people like to claim that rockers are more forgiving that traditional camber when it comes to catching edges, but I disagree. Yes, if you're in a vulnerable situation, traditional camber will catch quicker than a rocker, but I find that camber keeps me out of those vulnerable situations. It's more stable at speed and removes that squirrelly feeling that occurs immediately before you scorpion in front of a bunch of bunnies.

Have you always ridden rockered boards?
 
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