Hi Guys,
I've been riding since 1990 but only average about 8 days/season. I basically learned to ride on race boards with a hard boot setup and angles in the high 40's (I even rode a season or two on the asymmetrical boards). I've spent the past 12 or so seasons on a freeride setup and switched to a duck stance last year and loving it.
Back then I was taught to press my back knee into the front one, and use my hips to initiate and complete turns (some upper body as well). The race setup works really well for armpits-to-the-ground carving but those days are long gone.
Anyway, my frontside turns come easily to me with the freestyle/freeride setup. I can't really explain what I do, but my upper body is relaxed and in line with the board at all times; i just dig the edge into the snow and it seems to turn all on its own. I can even apply enough pressure and keep my balance to carve a complete 360 if I have enough speed.
I've had problems adjusting my backside turns to the new way of riding though. My turns are much wider, and I can barely get the board parallel with the mountain before I've exhausted myself and turn frontside, which is the only side I can use to speed-check without interrupting a carve (by essentially riding up the hill). My riding basically devolves into short frontside carves and long, exhaustive backside ones.
I've read some things about torsion and using the flex of your board to carve, but I can't really figure out what this means. Do I basically think about lifting my toes and digging my heels into the snow? Does it involve doing so to my front foot before my back one? It seems to me that the inherent problem is that I can angle my board a lot farther into the hill on my toe edge (because I have knees!) so turns are faster and more controlled.
Any help is appreciated!
doron
I've been riding since 1990 but only average about 8 days/season. I basically learned to ride on race boards with a hard boot setup and angles in the high 40's (I even rode a season or two on the asymmetrical boards). I've spent the past 12 or so seasons on a freeride setup and switched to a duck stance last year and loving it.
Back then I was taught to press my back knee into the front one, and use my hips to initiate and complete turns (some upper body as well). The race setup works really well for armpits-to-the-ground carving but those days are long gone.
Anyway, my frontside turns come easily to me with the freestyle/freeride setup. I can't really explain what I do, but my upper body is relaxed and in line with the board at all times; i just dig the edge into the snow and it seems to turn all on its own. I can even apply enough pressure and keep my balance to carve a complete 360 if I have enough speed.
I've had problems adjusting my backside turns to the new way of riding though. My turns are much wider, and I can barely get the board parallel with the mountain before I've exhausted myself and turn frontside, which is the only side I can use to speed-check without interrupting a carve (by essentially riding up the hill). My riding basically devolves into short frontside carves and long, exhaustive backside ones.
I've read some things about torsion and using the flex of your board to carve, but I can't really figure out what this means. Do I basically think about lifting my toes and digging my heels into the snow? Does it involve doing so to my front foot before my back one? It seems to me that the inherent problem is that I can angle my board a lot farther into the hill on my toe edge (because I have knees!) so turns are faster and more controlled.
Any help is appreciated!
doron