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steep run HELP

30K views 111 replies 26 participants last post by  stickz 
#1 ·
Went down my first black diamond run today. 90% was challenging but not really hard. the first 10% was for me very hard. it was very steep and I couldn't figure out how to get down and not fall. toeside was no problem but when I transitioned to heel side I ended up on my ass everytime. I could get to it but when the board was parallel I couldn't keep the edge. any tips would be great. if it matters it was my 7th time ever and I ride goofy.
 
#4 · (Edited)
We have a couple of threads talking about this topic and I have posted a lot of technique in them. This is a very common issue and it is the result of a combination of factors. Number one of which is stiff legs and leaning back over the heel edge. The steeper the terrain the lower you need to be. Squat into the heelside turn and really flex the ankles to keep your body over the board not way out over the heel edge.

Another issue is too much acceleration through turn entry so that when the board moves through the bottom of the turn, there is too much force generated to maintain edge hold. Working the top of the turn and setting the the new edge earlier in the turn is crucial for speed control through your turn.

To ride steeps with any success, you need to ride very dynamically and at 7 times riding, the reality is you are not there yet. It takes time to progress into dynamic skidded turns, basic carved turns and dynamic carved turns. Start you progression into dynamic riding by focusing on keeping your body in motion at all times and never getting static on the board. The key to this is flexing and extending constantly and timing these movements so that they correctly coincide with the phase of each turn you are in.

Right now, I want you to start practicing getting as low as you possibly can when the board is across the fall line and making your edge change before the board dives down into the fall line. As soon as the turn is established, slowly extend up through the turn to increase edge pressure. Do this all the way through the apex of turn; you should be most extended at apex and most flexed as the crosses the fall line. As the board passes through the apex of the turn and you are steering it back out of the fall line across the hill, slowly begin to flex again and if heelside, squat into more and more as is drives through the bottom of the turn.

Later on, fore-aft movements will need to be added to increase effectiveness but at your stage of riding, focus on learning each new task one at a time. Really focus on flexion/extension.

Now, when you come out of the bottom of your turn , if you feel the chatter start, imediately loosen up even more. The natural reaction is to stiffen up and push the edge harder. The reason the chatter is happening is because you are loosing edge hold. Pushing against it now will only cause the edge to totally blow out and skid out of control to the outside of the turn. Anytime shit starts to go wrong snowboarding, bend something!

Give this a try and let us know how it felt and what the difference was regarding board performance.
wow bro thank you. so basically get way lower and really start working on bending and straightening my legs through the turns? and if I start to feel chatter relax and bend my knees more not try to push through hill? should I continue trying black runs? thank you so much. oh and initiate the next turn before I hit the fall line...also would it help to set the back of my bindings forward a bit?
 
#6 ·
so after thinking about this then watching some instructional videos I can better explain how I was attempting To ride this BD run. I was not trying to make dynamic skidded turns. what I was doing was trying to turn basically on the fall line or slightly before then sideslip to stop then use the slope to point me forward then sharp turn the sideslip. it was when I try to sideslip heel side that I fall. I'm assuming this isn't the correct way to attempt riding the "steeps". I will get comfortable doing dynamic skidded turns all the way down the steepest blues then make my way back the the blacks. or please correct me if I'm wrong. I can make a lot of dynamic skidded turns in a row but at some point I typically get going a little to fast and sideslip a bit then get going again. I'll work on not sideslipping. it's just so much fun considering I'm a longboarder. and I feel MUCH more comfortable going 55 on a plank of wood and asphalt than 30 on a plank of wood on soft snow. lol
 
#7 ·
Yeah there's really no need to ever sideslip unless the run narrows down REALLY tight and you've got to scrub speed (like in some treed runs or on a chute)...

Otherwise, on a steep wide open piste instead of side slipping to scrub off speed you should be making more dramatic dynamic skidded turns that turn and almost go uphill again.

Alpine boarders basically don't skid at all, yet they control their speed by spending more time going across the hill, than down the fall line.

My suggestion is to get REALLY good at working on your turns on a blue before worrying about ramping up to steeper runs.
 
#15 ·
stickz, if you like to set yourself goals, try going to a less steep slope but still a little steep and see if you can make turns within a 3m corridor. Focus on getting dynamic as Snowolf says. Notice how the lower you get in between turns, the more it will control your speed and the quicker you will then turn as you stand tall again in the fall line. Do this without trying to jerk the board around, notice how just this up and down leg movement will do most of the work for you. Once you can do it with with good rhythm, see how narrow a corridor you can stay within.

Once you can do that, when you take it to the steeps it's the same thing. Regardless if you have a wider space to play with, you'll be able to ride down the fall line while controlling your speed and holding an edge. The more dynamic you get, the more you set a firm edge and at an angle will be keeping the speed off. Then the quicker the turn will be through the fall line (without jerking the board) and the less speed you pick up.
 
#17 ·
The only concern I have while snowboarding and skateboarding is to have fun. There is enough pressure with school/work, etc, I do not need that while boarding. For me it seems that having fun makes for natural progression.

Setting goals does not work very well for me because it feels like a chore.

I started going on steeper runs when the greens or blues started to get somewhat boring, meaning my mind/body were ready for steeper terrain.
I wanted to have more fun and more fun was to be had at steeper terrain.

I do not know the technical terms (dynamic, etc), I just started going on steeper terrain until I felt comfortable riding it. Since I knew I was going to be somewhat slow on steeper terrain at the beginning, I kept to either the left or right of the run, usually the one with more snow, that way I was not inconveniencing the faster riders going in the middle. Also since I was not in the middle I could stop on the side of the run away from all the traffic if a felt like I could not handle anymore turns.

Stickz: Skateboarding is so much in the summer. You can always look forward to skate/snowboard with your kids. I see tons of dads skating with their kids at my local park.
 
#20 ·
Improving your technique so that you can easily ride well down a 45-50 degree pitch with steeze IS fun....;)

Sideslipping a technical steep is a crime against humanity; if you can`t turn on on it, stay off of it and dont scrape all the of the good snow off of the hill and ruin it for others.
I only meant to say that when I venture onto a steep, I merely start the first downward movement using a sideslip just to get over my fear and commit to it. I then have more success (and fun) when I start turning aggressively. The sideslip for me is just to overcome my initial mental barrier (fear). It doesn't last but for 10-15 seconds or so. I didn't articulate that well in my previous reply.
 
#25 ·
We have a couple of threads talking about this topic and I have posted a lot of technique in them. This is a very common issue and it is the result of a combination of factors. Number one of which is stiff legs and leaning back over the heel edge. The steeper the terrain the lower you need to be. Squat into the heelside turn and really flex the ankles to keep your body over the board not way out over the heel edge.

Another issue is too much acceleration through turn entry so that when the board moves through the bottom of the turn, there is too much force generated to maintain edge hold. Working the top of the turn and setting the the new edge earlier in the turn is crucial for speed control through your turn.

To ride steeps with any success, you need to ride very dynamically and at 7 times riding, the reality is you are not there yet. It takes time to progress into dynamic skidded turns, basic carved turns and dynamic carved turns. Start you progression into dynamic riding by focusing on keeping your body in motion at all times and never getting static on the board. The key to this is flexing and extending constantly and timing these movements so that they correctly coincide with the phase of each turn you are in.

Right now, I want you to start practicing getting as low as you possibly can when the board is across the fall line and making your edge change before the board dives down into the fall line. As soon as the turn is established, slowly extend up through the turn to increase edge pressure. Do this all the way through the apex of turn; you should be most extended at apex and most flexed as the crosses the fall line. As the board passes through the apex of the turn and you are steering it back out of the fall line across the hill, slowly begin to flex again and if heelside, squat into more and more as is drives through the bottom of the turn.

Later on, fore-aft movements will need to be added to increase effectiveness but at your stage of riding, focus on learning each new task one at a time. Really focus on flexion/extension.

Now, when you come out of the bottom of your turn , if you feel the chatter start, imediately loosen up even more. The natural reaction is to stiffen up and push the edge harder. The reason the chatter is happening is because you are loosing edge hold. Pushing against it now will only cause the edge to totally blow out and skid out of control to the outside of the turn. Anytime shit starts to go wrong snowboarding, bend something!

Give this a try and let us know how it felt and what the difference was regarding board performance.
This. All of it.

I was up in Seattle and I kept washing out heel side on steeps and at speed. It's actually a problem I've had going back a few seasons if I'm not almost bombing the run straight down. Could never figure it out (toe side was no problemo) until I read a few threads in here.

You can do just put your ass into it :yahoo:

Seriously, I just squatted as far as I needed to until the board stopped chattering and skipping the snow. I always had a problem carving heel side and this solved it. It's amazing what a little technique change does for you.
 
#29 ·
Keeping low to the ground also has other adavantages besides one mentioned already.

If you are lower to the ground and you fall, it hurts less.

When I ride steep terrain, getting low on turns help me slow down without side slipping. The slower I want to get, the lower I try to bend my knees and ankles.
 
#36 ·
Oh it can really freakin hurt. Took a tailbone shot early this season on a double black...icy mogul. Bled speed at the wrong time! Still hurts today. On the flipside...lost my edge a couple seasons ago on Scotty's at Mammoth. Second turn in on an icy morning, heel edge lifted and down I went. Buddies estimated I traveled 1/4 mile on my ass! Didnt hurt a bit but took some coordination on my part not to spin or tumble during the slide. Just have to go with it and try not to stand back up if your board is in front of you.
 
#39 ·
so my knees hurt like shit, but my speed increased my 3 times from last week. I realized that when I got choppy it was for not bending over the board and or bending my knees. I had way more control, and made it down 3 black diamond runs without falling or sideslipping
 
#41 · (Edited)
it sounds to me like it is -possible- that you had some heel overhang that was popping your board out from underneath you, though that is probably unlikely so here's my advice

1) lean forward, the tendency to lean back is great on the steeps, but this is essentially putting on the brakes and will make it almost impossible to link turns. you need your weight forward as you enter turns, my bet is that you are favoring toeside, which you start with your weight forward, but you are gaining speed too quickly so you go to make that heelside turn and you are instinctively standing up/putting your weight back/braking and landing on your butt as a result.

2) get comfortable. at speed. there is no way to properly navigate most steeps without a certain amount of speed, the only time when you should consider taking a steep slowly/slower is if it is extremely steep or icy. if you find that you are fine with speed, but not necessarily speed on a steep hill, you probably haven't learned to fall properly. watch bob burnquist fall and you'll realize why most people eat it so hard and why that is so unnecessary. you want to slide your falls out, and you want to absorb them as slowly as possible, you do not want to catch yourself/stop yourself instantaneously, especially with your wrist, legs, ankles, ...head...



once you are comfortable with falling and realize that it -will- happen, you need to get comfortable knowing that to progress you need to be comfortable taking on what may feel like more risk. in reality, i'll take a high speed heelside fall on most steeps to a high speed toeside catch on near flat ground anyday.

3) accept that you will have to treat the terrain more seriously and ride dynamically. until you are better, you will have to be more concious of the terrain, the quality of the snow, the turns you are making, the types of turns you are making, and where you are going to make them. you will have to learn to move your weight back and forth as you turn. generally speaking you want your weight forward as you initiate each turn and your weight back as you end it.

4) stop trying to carve. it sounds like you are trying to carve a steep on your heelside at slow speed, which is just asking for a butt-beating the second your board catches any edge. again speed will help you here, you might feel less stable but you are going too slow to carve and your board is probably not stiff enough to handle it. so learn to link skidded turns or skidded stopping turns (not what you think it is, but what your skidded turns -MUST- turn into when you start facing 50 degree plus icy, narrow, rocky terrain)

5) do some less-steep mogul-covered runs as aggressively as possible. this will get you used to being semi-out-of-control of your brakes since the moguls will largely dictate where you can brake, which will let you realize that you don't always have to be in control of your speed. additionally it will teach you how to snowboard dynamically which is the most important thing you need to start progressing. you will learn how to turn properly as well since you will have to have your weight forward as you begin to crest a mogul, and you will probably instinctively turn/brake after each mogul, meaning you will learn to start your turns with your weight forward and finish them with your weight back. this is good stuff and will definitely make the slightly steeper terrain you face more manageable, as your legs, body, and board will find the less dynamic riding much more reasonable.

the best advice i can give you though is to make an effort to keep your weight forward and ride outside your comfort zone so long as you are not endangering anyone else. you will endanger yourself, and you will fall, but you can't get scared or let the pain dictate your future riding. everytime you face a steep you need to be thinking aggressively. its sort of like forcing yourself to jump into a pool of ice cold water. i go through this every season. i approach a steep and instinctively put my weight back and start to slide on my ass/stomach down, and i have to force myself to get my weight forward.
 
#43 ·
thanks for the great advice. I'm comfortable at speed as I'm a dh skateboarder, and I only got down the steeps today by linking dynamic skidded turns going slow on the groomed steep last week was like you said almost impossible to try and link turns. I did do something way outta my comfort zone today. on the left face of outer limits was a really steep mogul run and I made it down most if the way, really fresh powder. then hit some ice and then lost my edge and crashed hard. hit my head really hard. have a huge bruise on my eye, but it didn't hurt thanks to my helmet. leaning forward and really bending my knees was amazingly more successful on the same run I couldn't make it down last week.
 
#48 ·
Cool!

Glad this is working for you better. It's amazing what proper timing of your flexion extension movements will do for your dynamic skidded turns on technical steeps! Keep this up and start incorporating your fore-aft movements that we talked about as well and really pay attention to the timing. Go to a blue cruiser and ride at speed then dial in you fore-aft here before going back to the steeper terrain. As you do your turns, shift your hips as far toward the nose as is comfortable and initiate the turn. Before the nose of the board points down the run and just before turn apex, shift your board as far forward as you comfortably can and retract the back leg a little. It should almost feel like setting up for an Ollie! Feel how the board just rockets through turn completion with incredible edge hold, smoothness and fluid movement. Get a rhythm going and dial in your timing. In a short while, you are going to really dig the way this feels and will start wanting to use fore-aft all of the time. Then go back to that technical steep armed with this new skill and feel the difference!


As you know, on technical steeps, it is imperative to shift toward the nose for turn initiation but you can't stay there through the turn. As that board reaches the apex of the turn, remember to shift your board out ahead of you so that you are fully aft through the bottom of the turn. This increases edge pressure as well as tightens the turn to get the board pointing slightly back up hill allowing you to change edges before the fall line line and work the top of the turn. The steeper it is the more intense your fore-aft movements must be.

I am thrilled at how much my own riding on technical steeps has improved by really improving my own fore-aft movements through attending training. I am actually carving (not skidding) 45 degree pitches now. Not long ago, I had to use hop turns on technical steeps, now I am carving them!

This is Chute 225 in A Zone Heather Canyon at Mt. Hood Meadows on Friday where I carved about 90% of the time and dynamic skidded the rest. No hop turns!



this is excellent advice and you if you watch go pros of say jeremy jones bombing a supersteep you will see that his board disappears from view as he exits turns and reappears as he enters them. that is how dramatic this movement needs to be to stay under control on faces like this.



notice how each time he initiates a turn you see less of his board and each time he begins to complete a turn you see the most of his board. this should give you a great feel for what is being discussed albeit more intense and with a bit more skid/braking than you should probably have on the runs you are working on
 
#49 ·
Cool!

Glad this is working for you better. It's amazing what proper timing of your flexion extension movements will do for your dynamic skidded turns on technical steeps! Keep this up and start incorporating your fore-aft movements that we talked about as well and really pay attention to the timing. Go to a blue cruiser and ride at speed then dial in you fore-aft here before going back to the steeper terrain. As you do your turns, shift your hips as far toward the nose as is comfortable and initiate the turn. Before the nose of the board points down the run and just before turn apex, shift your board as far forward as you comfortably can and retract the back leg a little. It should almost feel like setting up for an Ollie! Feel how the board just rockets through turn completion with incredible edge hold, smoothness and fluid movement. Get a rhythm going and dial in your timing. In a short while, you are going to really dig the way this feels and will start wanting to use fore-aft all of the time. Then go back to that technical steep armed with this new skill and feel the difference!


As you know, on technical steeps, it is imperative to shift toward the nose for turn initiation but you can't stay there through the turn. As that board reaches the apex of the turn, remember to shift your board out ahead of you so that you are fully aft through the bottom of the turn. This increases edge pressure as well as tightens the turn to get the board pointing slightly back up hill allowing you to change edges before the fall line line and work the top of the turn. The steeper it is the more intense your fore-aft movements must be.

I am thrilled at how much my own riding on technical steeps has improved by really improving my own fore-aft movements through attending training. I am actually carving (not skidding) 45 degree pitches now. Not long ago, I had to use hop turns on technical steeps, now I am carving them!

This is Chute 225 in A Zone Heather Canyon at Mt. Hood Meadows on Friday where I carved about 90% of the time and dynamic skidded the rest. No hop turns!



I'm a little confused on how to actually shift my board forward. is it just straightening your legs faster? and when you say move your hips forward. should I do this by turning them or sliding them forward. while lifting my back foot a little I'm assuming this really helps initiate the next turn? thanks bro really love All the instruction. just want to make sure I'm practicing the right movements.
 
#53 ·
I just want to clarify some things about the fore/aft movement techniques.

So at the top (is this what we mean by 'apex' of a turn?), just as you switch edges, you lean/pressure the front of your board to set the edge in the snow.

As your board makes its arc, your board will point down the fall line. At this point, should you be balanced?

The board will continue its arc after you cross the fall line, and I can understand that you have to shift to put weight on the back of the board to keep the edge engaged... primarily to prevent the back of the board from slipping out and losing your edge (correct?).

Then, just as you switch edges for the next turn, you shuffle quickly from back to front, and continue?
 
#55 · (Edited)


I hope Snowolf is ok with me sharing his diagram, it helped me greatly.

The apex is the widest point of your turn/carve, as you reach the apex you should be fairly centered with your board, i.e. no forward or backward pressure , just downward pressure.

My understanding of the perfect turn (which I hope Snowolf will correct as he sees fit) is that you begin with a quick bend of the knees, almost like you are preparing to ollie on a skateboard.



This serves two purposes, one...getting your weight forward, and two creating a moment of semi-weightlessness in which you can safely re-engage a new edge. Many riders will "hop" from edge to edge which has it's time and place but you generally do not want to get accustomed to throwing yourself away from the side of the mountain, I believe that this is the safest way to unweight the snowboard and get it on a new edge. Snowolf will refer to this movement a down-unweight.



So now you are entering a turn with your weight forward and your knees bent, now again, while it definitely takes balls to start each new turn on a steep with your weight forward, it also takes balls to slowly release forward pressure/weight on the board and shift it backwards, the tendency is to either release too fast (brake) or release too slow (and start traversing), so the moment you begin making a turn you want to think about and visualize a curve(carve) and commit yourself to following that line.

As you begin to come to the apex of the turn, you want to be thinking of neutral force on the board, no backwards or forwards pressure, but rather simply downwards pressure on the edge, as you exit the apex and begin completing the turn you should be fully neutral and shifting your weight/pressure onto the tail of the board, this is where many have the tendency to skid-out their turns and this might be unavoidable in less favorable snow conditions (or more favorable deep powdery conditions)







Eventually as you ride the turn out you will decide (very rapidly as you begin to catch speed) that it tis time to set a new edge and start a new turn (and bleed some speed off), this is when you shift your weight forward, drop your chest to your knees and set a new edge and begin the process all over again.

This is sort of my breakdown of the process, my opinion is that riders struggling with steeps have the most trouble at the beginning of the turns, where they want their weight backwards to feel safe, and at the apex, where they want their weight to in an extreme forward/back stance which will accordingly traverse/brake your board accordingly.

Another thing is not to focus on looking down the steep face in horror, and just concentrate on looking where you want to go, if you are constantly looking straight down the mountain, your board will just traverse/sideslip down the mountain, use your forward hand to reach out and guide your weight forward/out and use your rear hand to reach back and guide your weight back/in.
 
#58 ·
Sideslipping a technical steep is a crime against humanity; if you can`t turn on on it, stay off of it and dont scrape all the of the good snow off of the hill and ruin it for others.
Does sideslipping improve icy conditions? Sometimes I'll go on a run in the morning and it is icy but then it gets kind of fluffy at like 3 or 4 o oclock? Some of these runs are pretty busy and they dont run the cats in the daytime, or is it the temperature?
 
#59 ·
fluffy? maybe in the same way that a snocone is fluffy. shaved ice. beneath that shaved ice there is still going to be ultra-hard-hardpack...

my guess is you are confusing hardpack with ice. hardpack -can- improve with use though it won't be the most stable ride, it will better support aggressive snowboarding.

ice only gets more slipppery and more frustratingly slick and dangerous in the afternoon. night boarding in icy conditions is unadvisable because you can't see the shine/sheen of the icy areas and you -will- pay for it if you try to board aggressively. in other words there is no good time of day to snowboard on ice.
 
#62 ·
Cool!

Glad this is working for you better. It's amazing what proper timing of your flexion extension movements will do for your dynamic skidded turns on technical steeps! Keep this up and start incorporating your fore-aft movements that we talked about as well and really pay attention to the timing. Go to a blue cruiser and ride at speed then dial in you fore-aft here before going back to the steeper terrain. As you do your turns, shift your hips as far toward the nose as is comfortable and initiate the turn. Before the nose of the board points down the run and just before turn apex, shift your board as far forward as you comfortably can and retract the back leg a little. It should almost feel like setting up for an Ollie! Feel how the board just rockets through turn completion with incredible edge hold, smoothness and fluid movement. Get a rhythm going and dial in your timing. In a short while, you are going to really dig the way this feels and will start wanting to use fore-aft all of the time. Then go back to that technical steep armed with this new skill and feel the difference!


As you know, on technical steeps, it is imperative to shift toward the nose for turn initiation but you can't stay there through the turn. As that board reaches the apex of the turn, remember to shift your board out ahead of you so that you are fully aft through the bottom of the turn. This increases edge pressure as well as tightens the turn to get the board pointing slightly back up hill allowing you to change edges before the fall line line and work the top of the turn. The steeper it is the more intense your fore-aft movements must be.

I am thrilled at how much my own riding on technical steeps has improved by really improving my own fore-aft movements through attending training. I am actually carving (not skidding) 45 degree pitches now. Not long ago, I had to use hop turns on technical steeps, now I am carving them!

This is Chute 225 in A Zone Heather Canyon at Mt. Hood Meadows on Friday where I carved about 90% of the time and dynamic skidded the rest. No hop turns!



these aft movements are awesome, I finally dynamic skidded turned uphill and fast and sharp:) made it down Aquarius face with no problems was told I even did a couple double black treen runs.
 
#64 ·
Well, for dynamic skidded short radius turns on steeps, we have talked about flexion-extension and fore-aft movements. Keep practicing both and increase the intensity of the movements as the terrain becomes more challenging. Additionally, experiment with your timing of these movements on different terrain. As the pitch increases, you will find that you need to initiate these movements a little earlier in your turn to account for lag time that exists between executing a movement and the board responding. This lag is not noticeable on typical resort terrain but can have a profound impact upon board performance on technical steeps.

The next concept to incorporate into your dynamic riding is "upper-lower body separation". In essence, this simply means allowing the lower body to rotate indendent of the upper body. The lower spine becomes the pivot point that allows the hips and legs to rotate under a stationary upper body.

Just as we can actively rotate our shoulders and upper body in either an anticipatory rotation to generate board pivot or a counter rotation to slow or stop board pivot, we can allow our board to generate lower body rotation while maintaining a stationary upper body. The edging movements and sidecut of the board generate these rotational forces.

So, as riders, why do we care about this? From day one, we have been told to keep our upper body aligned with our board right? Well, for 90% of resort freeriding, this remains true and is good riding habits. But, when we start riding steep terrain, moguls, steep trees, chutes, etc, we need quicker board response. In these riding environments, we want to align our shoulders with the slope or general direction of intended travel instead of aligned with the board.

The reason has a lot to do with lag time as mentioned earlier. The more mass to move, the slower it starts and stops; if you remain aligned with your board, you must start and stop your entire mass as you initiate and complete every turn. On technical steeps, this will create substantial lag time in every turn as you rotate your entire mass nearly 180 degrees every turn.

Now, if you position your shoulders inline with your direction of travel, you no longer have to start and stop your entire mass every turn. Allowing your lower spine to swivel freely, you can use twist and tilt to energetically turn your snowboard more effectively and efficiently without having to also turn your upper body along with it. Additionally, since the upper and lower body naturally want to realign, the snowboard will have a little extra rotational force upon it favoring a return to your general direction of travel down the will. In short, it initiate every turn quicker with better edge engagement and less skid. This is what is crucial on technical steeps to maintain control throuout the entire turn as well as maintain a desired speed.

So, to start practicing this, pick a nice blue run that is nice and straight. As you begin, pick an object that is straight down the run long distance; can be a tree, sign, lift tower, building, etc. Point your front arm at that object and keep it there. Place your back hand on your hip to help prevent "wagging the dog". As you ride, use your feet to twist and tilt your board through the turns allowing the sidecut to do the work. As the board turns, loosen up the lower spine to freely allow your hips and legs to move around with the board and rotate underneath your generally static, stable upper body. Some upper body rotation will still happen but your goal is eliminate all of it and keep your shoulders aligned with the slope. Every time your board is across the fall line, heelside or toeside, there will be an approximate 90 degree twist in the lower spine. Understand that at first, you may not have this range of motion and some upper body rotation may exist. With practice and stretching excercises such as Yoga, this is totally attainable.

Get the feeling of this technique which is also a huge part of doing correct "cross under turns". When ready, start incorporating this into your dynamic steeps riding and prepare to take your riding to the next level!
awesome thank you so much. you have been a gigantic step in my progression. I have already been doing this a little but I will do it all day next week. if this were a golf forum you would be asking me for $50 a Internet lesson. gotta love a boarders giving attitude......
 
#65 · (Edited)
i 2nd that. i learned more applying the things snowolf posted here than in 3 years of intermittent boarding.

snowolf what you just described, you can link turns that way, i.e. crossover turns back and forth which is extremely aggressive and basically what we know as "bombing" correct?

but i assume the more practical usage and the more dynamic and situational application would be learning how to stay with your shoulders aligned with the fall line while the board flexes+extends (absorbs) and slashes through the moguls?

also when you watch people like travis rice bombing steeps, their go pro's don't really seem to move much, is this also an example of using lower rotation in powder while you keep your shoulders aligned/head facing down the fall line?

what exactly is the advantage to this? when and where do you wan to use this?
 
#66 ·
I will be practicing this until the end of the season. my last day I will have someone go pro a few runs so you can see my progress and help me get better next season. this weekend I rode alot more black runs and had a blast. it's already making the blue runs that were so hard 3 weeks ago very easy.
 
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