Seedy J

I've searched but can't find anything... what defines a beginner, intermediate, or advanced rider?

I know, it's been said several times before - you should just ride for your own satisfaction and enjoyment and not worry about fitting into some label. I agree, but... I'm sure knowing roughly what category I'm in would come in handy when signing up for lessons, buying boards, or just having some goals to shoot for.

Snowolf

Based on what AASI spells out along with some personal opinion based on experience and talking with other instructors, the following is how I define the different levels of riders. I classify my own riding as in transistion from intermediate to advanced. I do some advanced and even a few expert tasks such as backcountry terrain very well, yet am still weak enough on a few things that I am not fully into the advanced column yet.

Beginer: first time rider through the rider that is linking turns consistently on groomed green terrain and is venturing onto blue terrain.

Intermediate: Is totally comfortable and competent linking turns on green and blue terrain and is venturing onto black diamond terrain. The intermediate rider is exploring off piste, tree runs and is venturing into the terrain park, riding switch and playing around with ground tricks. Is working on dynamic skidded turns, basic carved turns on well groomed green and blue terrain. This rider is very well qualified as an AASI level 1 instructor.

Advanced: Is totally comfortable and confident linking turns on any terrain in any condition, can ride off piste well on all terrain and is competently getting small air off any terrain feature. The advanced rider is able to negotiate any situation that the mountain throws at them. This rider should be able to spin 1`s 3`s and may be working on larger rotations. Has a decent supply of tricks at their command. This rider has mastered dynamic skidded turns and is consistently performing quality dynamic carved turns on well groomed black diamond terrain. This rider is well qualified as an AASI level 2 instructor.

Expert: This rider not only can handle anything the mountain can throw at them, including double black diamonds, but is also venturing into and negotiating more extreme riding conditions and terrain. The expert rider is able to handle backcountry chutes, steeps and other conditions. The expert rider should also be able to cometently get bigger airs off features. Can easily pull off a plethora of tricks. This rider is able to make flawless dynamic carved turns on any terrain in a wide variety of snow conditions. This rider is well qualified to be an AASI level 3 instructor and DCL or examiner.

I think it is very important to recognize what we in snowboard instruction call the Y model and that is at a certain point in a rider`s progression, they may branch into 2 main directions to take their riding. Freestyle and freeride. A rider, who has focused on freeride may not be able to do much in the terrain park and may have never hit a single rail. This does not mean that they are not advanced or even expert. The same holds true for a freestyle rider who may not be great at dropping gnarly backcountry chutes, yet can still be considered advanced or expert in their area.

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quicksilver1689

Hmmm, can you explain the dynamic carved turns? im trying to figure out where im at, i thin im between intermediate and advanced.

Augie09

Dynamic, opposite of simplistic

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Seedy J

Thanks! Looks like I'm in the intermediate/advanced boat too (but can't do anything from the expert column). Can you make a decent living as a snowboard instructor? I'm moving back to the US next year, have no idea what I'm going to do when I get back, and teaching snowboarding sounds cool.

I'm confused on the difference between regular and dynamic turns too. Also, what's typical for a black diamond in the US? I can ride blacks here but they're probably not real blacks... max. gradient around 40 degrees, average between 20-30, usually covered in big moguls.

Snowolf

First question, first....Yes, you can make a living doing it at the right spot and if you get the level 2 and then 3. It is`nt a great living, but it does almost pay the rent. The reason for doing it has to be for the love of doing it and theo "living the dream" experience. You can make much more money working in town. I do this simply for the love of teaching and the stoke of sharing this sprt with others. Your passion for snowboarding has to be the driving force behind it, not financial gain.

Second question which was also asked by anothe poster....the whole dynamic versus regular riding. In it`s most simplistic terms, in regular riding and turning, the body travels in the same path as the snowboard. In dynamic riding and turning, the snowboard and body travel in different paths. Sounds confusing.....think of it like this. In a regular turn, the rider tilts, twists or pivots the board to get it to turn and they keep their upper body centered over their board all the time. In a dynamic turn, the board will be out in front of or behind the upper body as the turn reaches it apex. The body will be over the board as the rider crosses the fall line, In dynamic ridint, the legs almost feel like a pedulum swinging and shifting the board back and forth beneath the upper body.

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Seedy J

Ok... I'm pretty confused, so I dug up this discussion - How to carve on a snowboard??? - Techniques & Styles Forum @ ABC-of-Snowboarding - where you (I'm guessing it's you... there can't be too many Snowolves out there, right?) said, "a Dynamic carved turn (or even a dynamic skidded turn) is officially defined by AASI as having an edge change prior to reaching the fall line." So it's basically just a really quick turn?

For example, let's say I'm doing a heelside turn, and I haven't reached the apex of the turn yet. Before I reach the apex of the turn (nose becoming parallel with fall line), I make a toeside turn. Is that a dynamic turn?

Augie09

Last year I started really improving in speed and carving and I remember a particular point when I realized at certain speeds I could ride my down hill edge while I was still close to perpendicular with the fall line of the slope so long as I was beginning to initiate a turn, where as I used to fall on my ass instantly if my down hill edge caught and the only time I'd transition from edge to edge was when I was close to parrellel with the fall line or pointing down hill.

does that make sense? trying to use the right terminology, but would this be considered dynamic carving?

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Snowolf

Yes, that is part of dynamic carving. Basically you switch to your downhill edge to start the next turn. In order to safely do this (Normally, switching to the downhill edge means an edge catch) the board MUST be travelling tip to tail in a straight line with no sideslip going on. If you think about it, the snowboard really does`nt care whether it`s pointed down the hill or not; it turns the same regardless where it is ponted. The critical thing is sideslip. Anythime there is sideslip you don`t want to lower the "leading edge" because it will catch.

To do a dynamic carved turn like this, your upper body will be inside the turn radius of the board and at the moment of edge change, it crosses over the top of your board.

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PETE BFLO

Interesting thread. I think I really need to learn how to dynamic carve. I just started snowboarding about a month ago and I've been out 5 or 6 times. I took a lesson the first day at Holiday Valley on the east coast and spent the entire first day on the bunny hill learning to link my heel and toe side turns. I can now do this with ease on both greens and blues. I can do ollie's on fairly level terrain and small jumps but that's about it. Yesterday I went down some black diamonds for the first time and it was a blast.


Whenever I board I make sure that am I'm linking my turns (aka carving?) except for when I'm on the diamonds or a steep blue because I get too much speed so I resort to doing garlands to control my speed.

The problem that I have is picking up speed and riding straight down the hill or linking my turns without busting into a garland. From this topic it looks like if I learn dynamic carving then I will be more comfortable picking up speed and I won't be braking heelside when linking my turns (aka garlands)

Would I still be considered intermediate? Even though I'm going so slow? What's the key to making the jump to dynamic turns? Will it come naturally as I get more experience or is there something I can do my next time out to actually start doing the dynamic carves?

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