Any advices and critiques are welcome - Snowboarding Forum

Akirastylez · 04-19-2011, 01:06 AM

Hello All, I'm pretty new to this website, found this website when I was looking for snowboard reviews. Which lead me to purchasing a 2011 NS EVO 158 and Rome 390. I just got back from Utah and this was the first time using this board. I'm wondering if this board is too long for me and suitable for my riding. I chose this board because of the RC technology, which I assumed it would be more forgiving and easier to progress with. I'm 27 years old and 5'9" and weigh about 175ish lb and ride normal. This trip will be my 5th time snowboarding, and each trip is usually one year apart with 3 days worth of riding so I spend alot of time relearning stuff. I would still consider myself a beginner. I do not do park (maybe in the future if I'm capable) so I mostly try to enjoy the mountain in areas where I can handle the difficultly (no blacks). I envy those riders that go full speed without having to make those wide S trails. So this whole trip I was trying to learn how to ride faster like them. I noticed when I pick up speed I have a tendency to lean backwards due to fear and do the rudder control action. I also noticed my board seems to be chattering over the snow more when I pick up speed which makes me even more nervous. I spent most my time at park city's King Con lift riding down shamu,shitka, liberty trails. I feel like I got a bit more stabler, but I still have ways to go. Can anyone share some words of wisdom please. Also I feel I have to put more effort into my turns, up until this last trip I have been riding rental boards that were usually 154 o 155. Would a NS SL 155 be more suitable for me? Thanks in advance for the responses.

schmitty34 · 04-19-2011, 11:14 AM

sorry to highjack the thread, but since snowolf mentioned it, I thought I'd ask.

Regarding ankle and knee flex - any tips for a more advanced rider on how to get better ankle and knee flex. I've been riding for a long time and can handle pretty much any terrain, but I know my ankle and knee flex is terrible. I'm 6'4'' and a very inflexable person so it may just be a physical limitation that can only be fixed with better flexability.

I try to keep my ankles and knees bent more but it just feels difficult and I always find myself ending up with stiffer legs and bending more at the waist. It works for me but I'm sure I would progress even more if I could work that out. Any tips beyond just being more flexable?

schmitty34 · 04-19-2011, 11:17 AM

Oh and to the OP....the advice about initiating turns with your front foot is VERY good and will help a ton. It takes a little time feeling comfortable and confident enough to have your weight more forward (it really more balanced, but feels like you're leaning forward since you are accustome to leaning back), but turning more with your front foot was a big step for me when I was learning how to carve better.

d916 · 04-19-2011, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snowolf

The 155 would be easier for you in terms of turn initiation and overall manueverability, but in all honesty, the 158 is not that bad for free riding and the longer a board is, the better it handles speed. Since you already have it, I would advise you to just hang on to it and work on improving technique.

To that end, going as infrequently as you do, you will have a slower learning curve so take that into consideration when comparing yourself to other riders. The main thing to focus on at this point is your foundational riding skills and concentrate on good, efficient body movements to achieve the kind of board performance you are wanting. To this end, I would encourage you to peruse this section and read through the many posts regarding basic riding. In addition, read through our "how to" section as well as the video lessons that I have produced as well as Snowpro Rick`s. When you do get to higher levels of riding, Snowboard Addiction has top notch material but to be honest, you are not at that point yet.

Getting more comfortable with speed comes from confidence and confidence is gained by time on the board. Really focus on good technique. As a general "tip" really concentrate on using the board`s twist to initiate turns and use of the front foot to accomplish this through pressuring the edge of the board. The best riding is done from the feet up so really get some flex in the ankles and knees.

As you get faster, resist the urge to lean back as this will simply make you go faster and your turn initiate and control slower. Ideally, remain centered between your bindings and when initiating turns, shift your weight onto your front foot a bit. The best is about a 60/40 weight distribution. It is also important not to become static and stay forward all the time. Remember to return back to center as your progress through your turn.

As for board chatter, your best option to deal with this is to work on riding at higher edge angles. This will naturally get you closer to true carving. Carving smooths out your ride because you are now cutting through the snow rather than bouncing along on top with a flat base....

I agree I have trouble with steep blacks and going fast also

But I have looked about it in the forums and most of the trouble is caused by fear. So I am guessing I just have to learn how to get over it. Also, about the chatter, I have gotten some great tips from Snowolf as always and here is what he has told me about chatter and it worked great for me

. He told me a while back that for chattered conditions that we should be more flexed in the knees to work it like springs so that your legs can absorb most of the chatter out. When you relax and flex your knees more it will basically absorb most of the chatter out. Thank you Snowolf!

Akirastylez · 04-20-2011, 12:27 AM

Thanks for all the helpful responses! I will keep them in mind and review these tips before the next time I go snowboarding. It probably won't be until next Feb. I was wondering if it will damage my board if I put on my gears and messing around on carpet? I know it sounds pretty silly, but I feel like it will help keep my memory fresh and it's still pretty fun

jlm1976 · 04-20-2011, 10:35 AM

Softening your legs when your board chatters will help as will edge angle but what about not developing chatter in the first place? Chatter is a symptom of other problems in the turn, mainly pressure distribution through the turn. Sudden increases in edge pressure will cause the board to chatter. How much change is required to get chatter depends on the snow conditions, pitch, board, and a bunch of other factors.
Focus on keeping edge pressure consistant through your whole turn from start to finish. This usually means increasing pressure a little at the start and backing it off at the finish.
Try listening to your turns while riding. Is the volume consistent through the whole turn or are there sections where the volume seems higher/lower?
Try slightly increasing the volume in the quieter parts of the turn by pressing on your edge a little harder and decreasing the volume in the louder parts of the turn by backing off the edge pressure.
Also, if you feel that you need to increase edge pressure at the bottom of your turn due to speed, try to manage that speed by turning the board slightly up hill rather than pressing harder on the edge.

schmitty34 · 04-20-2011, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snowolf

I find that a softer flexing boot helps and I have been liking the 32 Lashed with the articulating ankle cuff built into the boot.

thanks for the thoughts Snowolf. I'll be buying new boots next year and will keep that in mind. I have relatively stiff boots right now (Vans Fargo) and they probably aren't making it any easier for me to flex my ankles.

t21 · 04-25-2011, 12:02 AM

"Try is on steeper blues to get the feel for this and the timing. Once you get this fore aft movement down, you will gain confidence quickly that you can make turns on steep pitches without the terrifying speed build up from taking too long to get the board through the turn..."

this, is what was holding me back from overcoming the fear on a much steeper pitches. my fear is not able to turn toeside quick enough and if i do manage to kick my back foot to turn,i would swing it too far then i'm sliding down. i tend to straigthen up my front leg when i attempt to turn which leads to me getting bounce around once i turned. a steeper blue/black pitches i have no problem turning but a black/double black(close enough)pitches especially that its churned up gets me. i have no problem turning to my heelside but its just the initial toeside turns freaks me out.so i just heelslide across until i know i can start turning without any problem.

Leo · 04-25-2011, 04:27 PM

Schmitty: I whole-heartedly agree with Snowolf on the softer boot recommendation for ankle flex. I don't like stiff boots and never have. I've always been on mid to mid-stiff boots. This season, I got the soft Burton Restricted Hails. I didn't really like them the first few times. I even had them up for sale on these forums. Good thing no one bit though because I decided to give them a few more tries. I always felt they were super comfortable, but I was just too used to boots that were a little more responsive. Now I absolutely love my boots. I've gotten used to it and I no longer want stiffer boots.

I also rock a moderate forward lean on my bindings.

As for board chatter, I would say a stiffer or more damp board helps too. Technique first, then board of course. Just saying that some boards are definitely more stable than others.

bamfb2 · 04-25-2011, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t21

"Try is on steeper blues to get the feel for this and the timing. Once you get this fore aft movement down, you will gain confidence quickly that you can make turns on steep pitches without the terrifying speed build up from taking too long to get the board through the turn..."

this, is what was holding me back from overcoming the fear on a much steeper pitches. my fear is not able to turn toeside quick enough and if i do manage to kick my back foot to turn,i would swing it too far then i'm sliding down. i tend to straigthen up my front leg when i attempt to turn which leads to me getting bounce around once i turned. a steeper blue/black pitches i have no problem turning but a black/double black(close enough)pitches especially that its churned up gets me. i have no problem turning to my heelside but its just the initial toeside turns freaks me out.so i just heelslide across until i know i can start turning without any problem.

You are likely trying to turn toeside too fast, from too extreme an angle (the board's angle relative to the fall line -- fyi we are not talking about the angle of the edge of the board to the ground). When you are a bit fearful of a steep slope, and you are traversing heelside into your toeside setup, your board is almost perpendicular to the fall line. Normally, when traversing heelside the board might be at something like a 45 degree angle or much less even. The perpendicular position of your board makes it very difficult to "kick out your back foot", which isn't the correct technique anyway. If you think about it, what are attempting to do is almost a 180 heading down in the opposite direction. It's hard to complete one of those when you are just learning how to turn in different environments.

My suggestions (do all of these, except the last one which is optional):

when traversing heelside into the toeside setup, allow your board to slowly turn straight down the fall line (by putting all your weight on your front foot). Don't try to initiate the turn right away (on your edge). When you are subsequently pointed horizontal to the fall line, you will pick up speed. This might scare you a little. That being said, it becomes very easy to initiate a toeside turn from this position, so you can slow down pretty quick. You won't have the issue of throwing out your back leg (it'll kind of just go from this position). It might make you nervous at first to do this, as your mind/body remembers just how difficult/awkward the motion you were trying to complete earlier was. But once you have completed a few of these in this manner, you'll see that it is far easier and simpler to do it this way.
Bend your knees. Both of them. Pop a squat like you are taking a poop. Just get down real low with both legs.
Bend your back knee 'outwards'. Put your back hand on your knee if you need to in order to ensure that the knee stays out and does not bend inward towards your other knee.
Lean forward on your front leg, and initiate the turn with this leg. This will allow your rear leg to easily swivel, and get rid of the need/desire to "kick out your back leg". So you lean forward with a low stance and very bent knee just prior to your turn, and you allow your board to go down the fall line as I described earlier. Again, you'll pick up speed quick and it might scare you, but the upside is that the toeside turn becomes very easy to complete from this position. It's almost automatic.
Turn your front shoulder into the toeside turn (and maybe a little down too), to insure that your upper body does not remain 'facing downhill' and that you stay properly stacked on your board. You kind of just tuck your should into the turn.
If you like, you can incorporate a small hop into the turn. It's kind of what you do in powder, but it works here as well. I'd get everything above sorted out first though.

04-19-2011, 01:06 AM	#1 (permalink)
Akirastylez Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 4	Any advices and critiques are welcome Hello All, I'm pretty new to this website, found this website when I was looking for snowboard reviews. Which lead me to purchasing a 2011 NS EVO 158 and Rome 390. I just got back from Utah and this was the first time using this board. I'm wondering if this board is too long for me and suitable for my riding. I chose this board because of the RC technology, which I assumed it would be more forgiving and easier to progress with. I'm 27 years old and 5'9" and weigh about 175ish lb and ride normal. This trip will be my 5th time snowboarding, and each trip is usually one year apart with 3 days worth of riding so I spend alot of time relearning stuff. I would still consider myself a beginner. I do not do park (maybe in the future if I'm capable) so I mostly try to enjoy the mountain in areas where I can handle the difficultly (no blacks). I envy those riders that go full speed without having to make those wide S trails. So this whole trip I was trying to learn how to ride faster like them. I noticed when I pick up speed I have a tendency to lean backwards due to fear and do the rudder control action. I also noticed my board seems to be chattering over the snow more when I pick up speed which makes me even more nervous. I spent most my time at park city's King Con lift riding down shamu,shitka, liberty trails. I feel like I got a bit more stabler, but I still have ways to go. Can anyone share some words of wisdom please. Also I feel I have to put more effort into my turns, up until this last trip I have been riding rental boards that were usually 154 o 155. Would a NS SL 155 be more suitable for me? Thanks in advance for the responses.

04-19-2011, 11:14 AM	#2 (permalink)
schmitty34 Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Probably at work wasting time Posts: 869	sorry to highjack the thread, but since snowolf mentioned it, I thought I'd ask. Regarding ankle and knee flex - any tips for a more advanced rider on how to get better ankle and knee flex. I've been riding for a long time and can handle pretty much any terrain, but I know my ankle and knee flex is terrible. I'm 6'4'' and a very inflexable person so it may just be a physical limitation that can only be fixed with better flexability. I try to keep my ankles and knees bent more but it just feels difficult and I always find myself ending up with stiffer legs and bending more at the waist. It works for me but I'm sure I would progress even more if I could work that out. Any tips beyond just being more flexable? Last edited by schmitty34; 04-19-2011 at 11:18 AM.

04-20-2011, 10:35 AM	#6 (permalink)
jlm1976 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 110	Chatter...... Softening your legs when your board chatters will help as will edge angle but what about not developing chatter in the first place? Chatter is a symptom of other problems in the turn, mainly pressure distribution through the turn. Sudden increases in edge pressure will cause the board to chatter. How much change is required to get chatter depends on the snow conditions, pitch, board, and a bunch of other factors. Focus on keeping edge pressure consistant through your whole turn from start to finish. This usually means increasing pressure a little at the start and backing it off at the finish. Try listening to your turns while riding. Is the volume consistent through the whole turn or are there sections where the volume seems higher/lower? Try slightly increasing the volume in the quieter parts of the turn by pressing on your edge a little harder and decreasing the volume in the louder parts of the turn by backing off the edge pressure. Also, if you feel that you need to increase edge pressure at the bottom of your turn due to speed, try to manage that speed by turning the board slightly up hill rather than pressing harder on the edge.

04-25-2011, 12:02 AM	#8 (permalink)
t21 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: mt. Posts: 264	"Try is on steeper blues to get the feel for this and the timing. Once you get this fore aft movement down, you will gain confidence quickly that you can make turns on steep pitches without the terrifying speed build up from taking too long to get the board through the turn..." this, is what was holding me back from overcoming the fear on a much steeper pitches. my fear is not able to turn toeside quick enough and if i do manage to kick my back foot to turn,i would swing it too far then i'm sliding down. i tend to straigthen up my front leg when i attempt to turn which leads to me getting bounce around once i turned. a steeper blue/black pitches i have no problem turning but a black/double black(close enough)pitches especially that its churned up gets me. i have no problem turning to my heelside but its just the initial toeside turns freaks me out.so i just heelslide across until i know i can start turning without any problem. __________________ 2011 Ride Antic 163 2011 Status Focus 158 NX2-AT Last edited by t21; 04-25-2011 at 12:07 AM.

04-25-2011, 04:27 PM	#9 (permalink)
Leo -LIFETIME MEMBER- Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Detroit Area Posts: 6,212	Schmitty: I whole-heartedly agree with Snowolf on the softer boot recommendation for ankle flex. I don't like stiff boots and never have. I've always been on mid to mid-stiff boots. This season, I got the soft Burton Restricted Hails. I didn't really like them the first few times. I even had them up for sale on these forums. Good thing no one bit though because I decided to give them a few more tries. I always felt they were super comfortable, but I was just too used to boots that were a little more responsive. Now I absolutely love my boots. I've gotten used to it and I no longer want stiffer boots. I also rock a moderate forward lean on my bindings. As for board chatter, I would say a stiffer or more damp board helps too. Technique first, then board of course. Just saying that some boards are definitely more stable than others. __________________ www.aGNARchy.com Reviews and David Z's rants

04-19-2011, 11:17 AM	#3 (permalink)
schmitty34 Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Probably at work wasting time Posts: 869	Oh and to the OP....the advice about initiating turns with your front foot is VERY good and will help a ton. It takes a little time feeling comfortable and confident enough to have your weight more forward (it really more balanced, but feels like you're leaning forward since you are accustome to leaning back), but turning more with your front foot was a big step for me when I was learning how to carve better.

04-20-2011, 12:27 AM	#5 (permalink)
Akirastylez Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 4	Thanks for all the helpful responses! I will keep them in mind and review these tips before the next time I go snowboarding. It probably won't be until next Feb. I was wondering if it will damage my board if I put on my gears and messing around on carpet? I know it sounds pretty silly, but I feel like it will help keep my memory fresh and it's still pretty fun

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