How to handle steeper blues? - Page 3 - Snowboarding Forum

t21 · 03-25-2012, 10:58 PM

i would normally just do dynamic turns(skidded/scarving) on choppy stuff a tad squatting down form but it does tire me out since i'm kindda old too

. today was more spent on black mogul runs and that is a freaking workout. but i think the flexion/extension technique works good if i can only keep my legs to keep pumping a little bit longer

nataku · 03-25-2012, 11:39 PM

I'm glad it's not just me when I was having trouble with bumpy and choppy snow on the blue runs I was riding the past couple of weeks. It took me a while to learn how to pick lines (going around mounds of snow instead of trying to ride over them), and falling in the deeper snow really tired me out in addition to the riding. Spent a lot of time on the ground just catching my breath and resting.

**Donutz** · 03-26-2012, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snowolf

And an important thing to remember when riding conditions like this is it really makes you a better rider. You may not think so at the time but where you notice it is when you go back out and ride on a good day. That's when you get the " wow" moment.

I just got a taste of this. Yesterday was my first day back on Seymour after 4 days on Whistler. Damn, what a difference! I hit everything yesterday, and blasted through stuff that used to intimidate me. Also my stamina was way up -- I did 11 hours on Seymour no problem.

poutanen · 03-26-2012, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snowolf

And an important thing to remember when riding conditions like this is it really makes you a better rider. You may not think so at the time but where you notice it is when you go back out and ride on a good day. That's when you get the " wow" moment.

Yeah this is another reason I'll ride through anything (and I encourage my GF to as well). I'd rather ride through choppy snow than hard pack groomed ice anyway!

At least chop is predictable.

Plus most of the glades I've been in get choppy about half a day after a snowfall, so if you want to play in the trees, you gotta be able to handle the bumps.

D1CKER1 · 03-26-2012, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snowolf

And an important thing to remember when riding conditions like this is it really makes you a better rider. You may not think so at the time but where you notice it is when you go back out and ride on a good day. That's when you get the " wow" moment.

Agree.
I've been used to riding groomed surfaces. With the occasional
Powder. And like you said I don't turn away from the mountain
If conditions are shitty

snowklinger · 03-26-2012, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snowolf

And an important thing to remember when riding conditions like this is it really makes you a better rider. You may not think so at the time but where you notice it is when you go back out and ride on a good day. That's when you get the " wow" moment.

My whole season has been practice for the good days (not this year).

Intheshit · 03-26-2012, 01:13 PM

sliding turns with lots of unweighting. unweighting is like making your feet lighter as you perform the slide, gives you a sort of "tricky" feel to regular riding. Cant give a detailed verbal instruction on it at this time. just think about sucking up the chunky parts and finding a nice spot to dig in afterwords. Gives you a sort of floaty up down up down up down feeling when you ride , rhythm.

and yeah, im a tree line guy myself, nice tight turns down the fresh stuff because most people are afraid of losing it to a trunk. *shrug* dont blame any concussions on me.

Intheshit · 03-26-2012, 01:19 PM

yeah, i guess say there is a chunk in front of you, what you want to do is turn on the very top of that chunk, to do that you are going to suck your knees up and rotate , then push back down to regain control. it just feels more slippery.

- think about rotating on the very center of your board as well.

jdang307 · 04-02-2012, 02:19 AM

I just conquered this at squaw last week (and alpine). Snowolf hit the nail on the head, again. Instead of trying to cut through it (I couldn't) I figured out, you gotta ride on top of it. It was soft, not iced over (it did get iced over towards the end of the day and I then proceeded to eat snow).

I don't point it straight down, but at a slight angle, usually toe side because I feel more comfortable. Then really really really loose legs. Bent at the knees, back straight. Other than the occasional launch, My torso almost stays the same while my legs act as suspension absorbing all of the bumps and mounds. It was the fastest I ever went on such terrain and was a real confidence booster.

I bled off speed with the occasional toe side skid (probably not protocol but that's what I did). It's pretty exhilarating when you figure it out. After my 3rd year, I finally did.

Out of necessity. My legs were too fucking tired trying to navigate steep terrain with choppy snow. I was being a pussy and braking every few seconds. My legs literally burned and my knee was getting shot and I was a long way from base. So I sucked it up and pointed it down.

Leo · 04-02-2012, 07:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snowolf

And an important thing to remember when riding conditions like this is it really makes you a better rider. You may not think so at the time but where you notice it is when you go back out and ride on a good day. That's when you get the " wow" moment.

This is always my argument to people who bash the ice coast. I always tell big mountain people that their worst day is our best.

While we don't have the vert and level of steeps, those are our only obstacles when riding on a big mountain.

For example, when I went to Tahoe last year, I had 0 issues riding the terrain other than experiencing my first real epic pow day. Even then, I picked up pow riding in a snap. The only daunting thing out west was the vert (lung killer) and steep runs (scary). Didn't catch an edge or wash out any of the 3 days I rode there. Felt great.

Learning to ride bad snow makes you a much better rider on good snow.

03-25-2012, 10:58 PM	#21 (permalink)
t21 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: mt. Posts: 264	i would normally just do dynamic turns(skidded/scarving) on choppy stuff a tad squatting down form but it does tire me out since i'm kindda old too. today was more spent on black mogul runs and that is a freaking workout. but i think the flexion/extension technique works good if i can only keep my legs to keep pumping a little bit longer

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03-25-2012, 11:39 PM	#22 (permalink)
nataku Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 46	I'm glad it's not just me when I was having trouble with bumpy and choppy snow on the blue runs I was riding the past couple of weeks. It took me a while to learn how to pick lines (going around mounds of snow instead of trying to ride over them), and falling in the deeper snow really tired me out in addition to the riding. Spent a lot of time on the ground just catching my breath and resting.

03-26-2012, 01:13 PM	#27 (permalink)
Intheshit Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 42	sliding turns with lots of unweighting. unweighting is like making your feet lighter as you perform the slide, gives you a sort of "tricky" feel to regular riding. Cant give a detailed verbal instruction on it at this time. just think about sucking up the chunky parts and finding a nice spot to dig in afterwords. Gives you a sort of floaty up down up down up down feeling when you ride , rhythm. and yeah, im a tree line guy myself, nice tight turns down the fresh stuff because most people are afraid of losing it to a trunk. shrug dont blame any concussions on me.

03-26-2012, 01:19 PM	#28 (permalink)
Intheshit Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 42	yeah, i guess say there is a chunk in front of you, what you want to do is turn on the very top of that chunk, to do that you are going to suck your knees up and rotate , then push back down to regain control. it just feels more slippery. - think about rotating on the very center of your board as well.

04-02-2012, 02:19 AM	#29 (permalink)
jdang307 Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 2,063	I just conquered this at squaw last week (and alpine). Snowolf hit the nail on the head, again. Instead of trying to cut through it (I couldn't) I figured out, you gotta ride on top of it. It was soft, not iced over (it did get iced over towards the end of the day and I then proceeded to eat snow). I don't point it straight down, but at a slight angle, usually toe side because I feel more comfortable. Then really really really loose legs. Bent at the knees, back straight. Other than the occasional launch, My torso almost stays the same while my legs act as suspension absorbing all of the bumps and mounds. It was the fastest I ever went on such terrain and was a real confidence booster. I bled off speed with the occasional toe side skid (probably not protocol but that's what I did). It's pretty exhilarating when you figure it out. After my 3rd year, I finally did. Out of necessity. My legs were too fucking tired trying to navigate steep terrain with choppy snow. I was being a pussy and braking every few seconds. My legs literally burned and my knee was getting shot and I was a long way from base. So I sucked it up and pointed it down.