huskerdye

So I went out for my fourth day today snowboarding.. I have both the turns down, but am having monster problems linking from my heel side edge turn to a toe side edge turn.. Every time I try linking them I almost always catch when my board is flat. Is it just something you get a feel for or what, I'm sure it's my timing, but I can't figure it out.. Any pointers? I ride regular and I can do both turns fine, I just can't link them.. What I've been doing is I'll go down down the slope all heel edge.. And when I start getting too far left I just go fake and stay heel edge, taking the board right. I'm tired of doing this!! I want to link those turns, but not eat it everytime.. Any pointers would be greatly appreciated!

Also, I had seriously a stupid instructor my first day, he told me to ride down the mountain completely flat footed and straight. I knew this was wrong and after two huge faceplants I told him I was done with he lesson and I'd get it on my own.

Tachypsychia

Are you catching a certain edge when you transition to flat?

I noticed I was doing the same thing for a bit and learned to initiate the transition from flat to the turn by leaning hard on my front knee in the direction i wanted to go and a little torsional flex in the same direction. For instance from regular going from flat, I'd push the knee right and push my front toes down, and the board would go and I'd start to press the rear toes in to start digging the edge in to carve.

My issue is doing to too fast and loosing control, either leaning back too much, or not being able to switch back cause I'm turning so sharp. Either way, I hope that helps. After a few runs I stopped doing that.

sb60

Good to know I am not the only person who couldn't link turns for a while. In my case I was not keeping my weight forward and staying square with the board. I had a lesson that helped me and after that I could turn without problems. If you can take a lesson, the instructor can probably point out what you need to correct. A stupid thing that helped me stay square (not twisting or leaning back) I learned in a lesson. Imagine you have two little penguins on the edges of your board. Keep your hands on their heads when you ride to practice staying straight with your board. For a while I would just think penguins when I found myself twisting.

And don't worry. Even people like me who took forever to get the hang of things can get to be pretty good riders.

gjsnowboarder

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience with an instructor. I would go back and get another lesson and let them know about your experience and that you want a "certified" instructor.

To assist with your heel to toeside issue. It is likely that you are trying to changes edges when your board is still across the fall line versus being in it. Let your board go almost flat. Then slowly spin your hip/front knee in the direction of your next turn, Once the nose of the board is pointed at least a 45 degree angle down the slope or straight down. Shift your weight onto your toes. Once your weight is shifted you can bend your knees down over your toes or lift your heels more to finish out your toeside turn. Make sure to look where you are turning too in the snow. If you look straight down the hill "you're going to have a bad time".

huskerdye

Thanks a lot guys.. I have another question, I'm still a little unsure about what exactly torsional flex is. I mean I understand that I'm keeping one of my feet flat, but putting the other fut on an edge, but I don't understand what this is doing for me and when I need to do this.

Snowolf, am I using the torsional flex of the board by initiating the turn with my lead foot and then coming in slowly with my back foot? If somebody could help clear these terms up it would be great.. I'm really sorry!! Going again Saturday and want to get everything down.. Don't wanna dish out the money for another horrible instructor.

mbesp

Snowolf does a great job explaining things.
Just one little thing i see tons of beginners on the hill doing is leaning too far back.
None of the directions snowolf gave will work if you are leaning back.
Try and keep your weight centered once you are turning and slightly on your front foot when initiating turns and linking heel and toe turns as snowolf described.


Edit: typing too fast. now it should make more sense.

huskerdye

Yeah, I wish I could have Snowolf as an instructor.. You make everything seem so much clearer!

Sorry for the repetition, so all I'm doing when using that torsion flex is just initiating a turn with my lead foot allowing it to get on it's edge and then slowly starting the turn with my back foot?? So basically my back foot needs to be flat until my front edge has initiated the turn?

Also, do I start my next turn as soon as I feel my first turn is done? Or do I start it after I've committed my first turn?!??

huskerdye

One more time, just to clarify..

So let's say I'm going down the mountain on my heel edge.. I'm coming to the point where I want to switch directions and go on my toe edge.. To do this I'm going to relax my lead foot and make it flat based and then gradually do the same thing on my back foot. When do I start going toe edge on my front foot? Will it be as soon as I have begun to relax the back foot? Meaning I will only be flat based for a very short time? And then, to get on my toe edge I'm going to get on my front foot toes and then slowly do the same thing on the back foot? Is that correct? And then I do the same thing to get back on the heel edge.. Put my lead foot flat and then gradually do the same thing to my back, and then get on my heel side edge with the front foot, while the back foot is flat, and then gradually go heel edge with my back foot.

So the torsional flex (having one foot relaxed and the other on an edge correct?) is going to help guide me through the turn?

To get this straight am I also going to relax my front foot before going into a new turn and again how do I know when to place my front foot on the new edge?

So I'm basically alternating each time with my front leg as to when it will be flat and when it will be on one of the edges, while the back foot will be the opposite.. in relationship to the turns. Sorry if I'm making this confusing...

I really do appreciate this guys, just want to get this straight for Steamboat!!

Mooz

Your backfoot does an amazing job of following what the board and front foot just did. If you're initiating the turn with your front foot using torsional flex, the board is going to carry that "twist" to the backfoot. It kind of goes along with the situation. Just don't resist it. You're right you will be flat based for a brief period. This is important because it makes that edge change smooth and easy. Trying to change edges while skipping the flat based portion is often how you catch an edge.

To answer your question, once your front foot has gone flat based, you can begin to pressure it to the new edge. Again as long as you aren't resisting with your back foot, it will flatten out and then follow along to the new edge. Think of it like a wave. What you do with the front moves like a wave to the back. The wave in the back doesn't have to end before the next wave begins.

Another important thing to remember is to quiet your brain. You've only got 4 days in. Linking turns will develop. Just keep practicing and try not to over think it. Analyzing your every movement is the instructors job, not yours

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huskerdye

Thanks a lot guys.. The other thing I've been confused with is just how far you need to look when going toe edge.. Like I said, my instructor was a complete idiot, so I'm not sure how correct he is.. He essentially told me I need to be looking basically all the way up the mountain. Is that really necessary? If I look where I'm turning will that be good enough, or do I really need to actually turn and look up at the mountain?