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Quick edge to edge and speed control

25K views 17 replies 11 participants last post by  jdang307 
#1 ·
I can link my turns all day without any problems. Right now I have two things I'm trying to work on: controlling my speed better and going edge to edge faster. Mastering either of these would benefit the other, I think, as they both seem to be related issues.

Right now, I get on an edge (either edge, it doesn't matter, I'm comfortable on both, and riding either regular or switch, they both feel natural to me) and sideslip a bit to control speed. The problem is that my board sometimes gets locked in and starts carving. The carving is fun, and feels great, but that's not what I'm trying to do here, and it is kinda unnerving since I don't have a lot of control over the board when this happens. Also, it tends to really increase my speed, which is the opposite of what I'm currently trying to learn. Also, when locked into a line I have a really hard time letting it go to switch to my other edge. So, in order to really slow down, like when waiting for someone, I have to all but square up to the fall line to slow down. Sometimes, squaring up out of the line isn't enough and I have to bail the turn to keep from hitting something or someone. This is all mostly (90% of the time) a problem in icy conditions. I hate ice!

The other thing I'm trying to get is very fast changes in direction, fast edge to edge control and things of that nature. For example, if traversing heelside, I can unweight my board and flip it 90 degrees toeside with moderate success. However, what I really want to do is be able to go edge to edge very, very quickly without catching instead of having to essentially hop up and spin the board. I also see people doing this to control their speed, which is something else I'm trying to master.

Any advice would be most appreciated!
 
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#2 ·
Cool, I'll work on that next week when I'm up. I probably still move my upper body a bit more than I need to while riding. I'll focus on putting most of the movement into my lower body.

Regarding the unwanted carve, it actually happens evenly on both my toe and heel edge, though I think you're right in that I'm leaning my entire body too hard.

Thanks so much for the thoughtful advice!
 
#4 · (Edited)
Sno, your advice was awesome! It took a few tries to figure out how this should feel, but once it clicked it all came together smoothly. I'm still a bit squirrely doing it, but I feel like I have the basics down and just need to master the technique now. If it matters I was practicing this on dusted ice (early morning) and slush (it got to 57F by noon where I was over the weekend).

This really opened up my riding ability and gave me more options when going down the hill. It also really upped my confidence at higher speeds. Thanks so much! Your time and knowledge and your willingness to share both are very much appreciated!
 
#5 ·
I was having the same problem controlling my speed. I'm a beginner but couldn't pass up a custom x on clearance for $150. The bruises I have will be worth it after I catch up with the learning curve. Thanks for the advice. I would get my edge locked in and have to almost completely stop to change from heal to toe or vice versa. Also, its a 156 and I'm 5'10" and 179 pounds. I think it was the correct size?
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the feedback. It means a lot to me to know that my efforts have helped someone; that is why I do this both here and on the slopes....:thumbsup:.
I have learned more from your post than I have in the last few years by myself.

I was having the same problem controlling my speed. I'm a beginner but couldn't pass up a custom x on clearance for $150. The bruises I have will be worth it after I catch up with the learning curve. Thanks for the advice. I would get my edge locked in and have to almost completely stop to change from heal to toe or vice versa. Also, its a 156 and I'm 5'10" and 179 pounds. I think it was the correct size?
I think a 158 is more your size, but the question is what are you going to be using it for?
 
#8 ·
my dynamic riding has really come a long lately. what i consiously think about is advice i think i read from snowolf some time ago. its to sort of pump by sucking up your feet during the edge transition and then pushing out forward for heelside and pushing out back for toe side. your body stays in the same place so youre not fighting your inertia. im thinking push forward, suck up, push back, suck up, push forward, suck up, repeat. sucking up gets you low and allows the board to transition between edges much much easier. I'm getting good and can now transition edges about once per second. With some aggressive skid angles to control speed and this quick dynamic riding, i can now tackle blacks pretty darn well.
 
#9 ·
Sounds like detuning your tip and tail of the board would help.
In your case, the tip detuning helps smoothly initiate a turn. The tail detuning will help smothly come out of a turn and enter into the next.

There are various instructions on the internet on this and videos on youtube. Just search "snowboard detuning". It's not really hard but if you're nervous about your "mechanical skills", just bring it to a shop.
 
#10 ·
Screw "good riding technique". Just "cheat" and tune your board like everyone else. Unless you are trying to force yourself to LTR the hard way because it will build character or something, just give your board a good tune to your specific type of riding you do most. You will have a much better time. SnoWolf is just one of those ancient Kung Fu dudes who will forever seek some perfection and true harmony with mind and body an snowboard (instead of sword). :laugh:

BTW, pro competitors tune their equipment all the time too...or they have ppl turn it for them like "World Cup Technicians". There actually is such a worker! :)
 
#11 ·
Detuning and bevels are not really required for good riding technique. You have the right idea. It is called unweighting. In order to make good, positive and quick edge transitions using both feet simultaneously or close, you need to briefly unweight the board. There is up unweighting where you pop up off of the snow with a rapid push up away from your board and a down unweighting, where you briskly collapse your lower body and you drop down toward your board. Up unweighting is fun and effective for wide open carves but down unweighting is a better tactic for steep terrain where you are doing more dynamic skidded turns....:thumbsup:
Cheers Snowolf, I've just spent a productive day at the snowdome mastering down unweighting and dynamic skidded turns from the info in this thread. Thanks to this forum my riding's progressing faster than I could have dreamed, I just wish I could get more time on the snow to put all the theory into practice!
 
#13 ·
And if you really want a quick edge change, do a slight simultaneous counterotation with your upper boddy and arms while you unweight. This will allow you to whip the board faster arround. The basic idea is that: every (rotational) action has an equal and opposite (rotational) reaction. It takes some time to get used to this advanced technique apparently, so it would need some extra work.

And if you have a tip-tail detune and bevel, as snowolf mentioned, it will be more forgiving if you aren't "perfect" like some ppl. But the advantage is that you can make quicker edge changes on the fly, dodging those trees and little kids. ;)
 
#17 ·
Quick Edge tips from Snowolf not showing

Highly interested in the reply by Snowolf but it does not show. Can anyone repost? (if allowed) I am always looking to intake edge control tips. I am a long time snowboarder and full advanced but know that I can always learn more and/or better techniques. Thx.

Also hoping that these tips can be applied to big feet wide board rider.
 
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