evilfeline007

Hi y'all!!

You may remember me from last season just learning how to snowboard and being fearful of blue runs. Well, I've managed to move beyond that and ended last season on some diamonds on the "soft landing" type days... lol

Anyways, my skill set seems to be stuck so I'll take any advice from drills to binding changes...

Here's where I'm at:

I'm now finding I prefer the steeper blues... I tend to hurt myself on shallower runs... and I'm really uncomfortable going fast on a green or flat traverse type part (its like i'm worried about losing my edge and catching an edge). I can link turns on steep runs for sure but I'm constantly mentally pushing myself to do so and not "chicken out" and skid to a near-stop. I actually like the runs under the lifts because I feel I'm being watched so I push myself and mostly swoop fluidly down, maybe slowling down significantly a couple of times and then picking up speed again.

Those are skidded turns though.. I can't seem to carve. I think I'm not getting enough speed and I KNOW I'm supposed to make speed my friend but it's not something that's natural to me.

Also, once I have a good fall, it completely rids me of any sort of skills... I think I stop leaning forward enough.

So, in the end, I can't seem to carve AND my steering is also not precise enough. I can negotiate people but I can't negotiate trees or moguls and I have a hard time on the narrow cat trails that traverse between two lifts.

That being said... I went on the bunny hill with my friend (who is on day 4) and I found that I was suddenly using my rear leg as sort of a rudder and just going straight switching from edge to edge...

Is there more than one way to turn?

Anyways... youtube wasn't being a very good instructor so I figured I'd go to this forum. I was considering booking a lesson but I really don't have the money for that right now (but I do have a seasons pass )

grafta

Here > http://www.snowboardingforum.com/tip...ons-video.html

evilfeline007

I think it's all in my head. Those vids are awesome btw.

I can do all of those things... skidded turns, pivot turns, those carve turns snow wolf shows in the cat track video.

I think I totally psych myself out like I have no faith that I can do it when I have to. It seems like whenever I fall I wipe out really good with zero control or even knowing what happened and whenever I get good speed I think "this would hurt if i fall now". Liquid courage doesn't help either.. one beer and i become a flailing unco-ordinated mess. lol.

grafta

I can sympathise, I know what you are talking about but i'm a lot less help than the link I posted. Sometimes going back to fundamentals can help. Highlighted a couple things above, you seem like you are contradicting yourself

evilfeline007

yea i can confuse myself on the best of days...

what i meant is when i see/hear the technique i go "oh that thing" because i think i do it without much thought. I took lessons a while ago but ended once I could link turns.... now I'm just riding and figuring out that there's more than one way to control the board and it's confusing me because I guess I also don't know what is right/wrong and when/when not to apply certain techniques. That combined with a fear of falling or rather crashing because that's what I do... I crash...(i had to get XL snowpants so i can fit all my crash shorts, knee pads, etc underneath)

grafta

Ha, yeah all good, I know what you mean. It's difficult to translate theory into practice sometimes.

wrathfuldeity

Start riding with folks who are better...forget everything and just try to keep up. And if you fall, its fine, just pop back up and mob. You need to get your head out of the way...thinkin is too slow...your body is starting to know what to do...so if you start to fall...struggle to keep going...let your body do everything to keep going, you'll be suprised.

Another thing is to pick a spot further down the hill to end up at and then is getting used to reading/anticipating the terrain infront of you...start looking at the terrain 50 yards down the hill and trust your body to deal with what's flying under you at the moment...you can't think fast enough for that...and if you do...its too late, you've already rode it. Its about staying ahead of the game and your riding becomes more stragetic or tactical...how are you are attacking the line instead of reacting to the line.

__________________

grafta

This is good advice for me too, thanks Wrathful.

I rode by myself on sunday and realized how crap I ride when I'm not keeping up with my buddies (and gf). Riding with people who rip def helps Less thinking, more just hitting shit

lisevolution

Yeah I agree with this also... my riding has sort of plateaued at this point because I don't ride with anyone better than me anymore. The only time I find myself being pushed is when I go out west and ride with some of my friends that made that move out there.

evilfeline007

I think that's great advice. I went out a couple of days ago when conditions were pretty good and I took your advice and rather than slowing down and being like "OH GOD! A LUMP" I tried said to myself "let your legs do their thing" and it totally worked!

I always ride with my boyfriend who is better than me even though we started at the same time... maybe not better but more fearless.

Today I had less luck but it was icy out...