I don't know what you were trying to do but if you were trying sliding you are pretty good at it but if you are trying to carve, it's not.
Your problem if you were trying to carve is the transition between the edges, its too abrupt like a car understeering when you yank the steering wheel. A good carve is powerful yet delicate. You have to smoothly change edge even when you are being quick. After you change edge, the weight on the board will change as well.
I don't really know your goal or what you want us to criticize on.
Posture wise you are bit stiff on the board but maybe you were not trying to be aggressive and dynamic.

 

Sorry i guess i didnt give quite enough info, im not trying carves here just some relaxed sweeping turns, at this stage i wanted to double check there was nothing glaringly off about stance etc. i really like the advice on edge to edge im out tomorrow so will bear that in mind and follow this up with some carving turns, thanks for the reply speedjason

James

P.S thanks for that video watching now

 

Well the thing is there is not much to tell from skidded turns in terms of posture issues. You will notice posture issues when you start carving especially carving hard you will become aware of the subtle things when one of the edges starts to skid.
From you video maybe quieten down your arms and bend a bit more at the knees. Also you toe edge is not "peeing leaning against a wall".

 

Ur doing fine at an intermediate level...but up it to the advanced riding. Here's what I see:
Ur steering from the back end and bending at the waist. You are at the inbetween stage of still moving your body over the board...when you could begin popping or moving the board under you (advanced level).

Get your rear arm down and glue both of your elbows to your ribs...as you progress you got to get your upper body more compact, coordinated and quiet.

Ur smearing/pushing the board around...mainly in/from the tail.

Things to focus on:
Attack the turns by getting on the nose...(ur are steering from the middle of the board and the tail of the board/pushing the tail around).

Let the board run on it's edges...wait for the turn/carve to develop instead of rushing and pushing it from the back end. Iirc at the 30 sec and very end there are momentary instances that you have the board on edge...LIVE ON THE EDGEs. then....

Let the turn/carve develop. Then when in the middle of the turn/carve, keep your back straight and sink in the knees...i.e. bend the knees MORE to pressure the edge and hold the carve (instead of bending at the waist...bending at the waist you loose the leverage over the edge).

As a result you will become more dynamic, able to dig trenches, faster, more precise and agile....instead of smearing yourself to glory.

my 2 cents

 

Completely agree with all of this.
(Nice analysis wrath!)
FWIW, I'm a CASI Level 2 and Carving certified instructor.

OP, you are ready to step up to the next level. Work on the details listed above.

P.S. Where are you in B.C.?
I am at Panorama the week of Jan. 16-23 with my snow club. Can't wait!

 

Thank you wrathfuldeity, thats some great advice il look at putting this into my riding and il look to upload a follow up after some practice on the points mentioned, one thing ive picked up on from these videos and echoed by you is im bending from the waist so thats an easy thing to adjust (in theory), thanks again

 

I agree with wrath's post, but I'll suggest one additional focus.

I would pay close attention to your edge changes, especially the toe to heel transition. I say this because your heelside turns generally last about 50% longer than your toeside turns. This can come from not completing your toeside turns and/or shoving/pivoting the board through the edge change (or a screwy fall line, but it looks pretty normal in the video). Most of your turns are open and the majority of the speed control is toward the bottom two-thirds of your turn. You need to get the new edge engaged earlier and actively shape the top 1/3 of your turns to really take your riding to the next level.

Get on some greens or easy blues (wide, groomed) and try to carve the slope top to bottom, actively driving the board through every part of every turn. You'll need clean edge changes and a quiet upper body to eliminate skidding. Try to sense the instant when your back foot is still in the old turn, on the old edge, as your front foot is twisting the board and engaging the new (downhill!) edge. Once you are able to control your speed with turn shape ONLY, you will also be able to skid exactly where, when, and how much you want to for when the terrain gets tighter and steeper.

 

I would say that the riding in the vid isn't bad at all.. riding that way is a good way to keep your speed well under control. When you carve every turn, your speed builds and builds and you have to find ways to control that speed. But, some really good advice in this thread

 

You look good Jimmy. You are always in control. Time to start carving. I remember the breakthrough I made at this stage was to stop leaning on my back leg, I had most of my weight on the back and used the back of the board as a rudder, not good but everyone does it for awhile. Try to put equal weight in both feet, really try to lean towards the front of the board to break the habit. I had to anyhow. Don't use the back leg as a rudder anymore. Follow that video speedjason posted, that explains things very well, i need to bend my knees more too. Also relax your knees and ankles, don't be stiff.

I would like to see another video of you going faster. We will really see your technique then.

I would say that the riding in the vid isn't bad at all.. riding that way is a good way to keep your speed well under control. When you carve every turn, your speed builds and builds and you have to find ways to control that speed. But, some really good advice in this thread

This is very true. Carving is fast and agile, but you can get too fast. I do what I call the "occasional speed dump" to stay in control.

 

Thanks for the additional advice GreyDragon & stillz, and GreyDragon its re-assuring to know im ready to step up! i was up the mountain yesterday doing as suggested (on blues and greens) and things starting to shape up (il get more video when i have a buddy with me) toeside seems nice and smooth but heel is taking a little more work, the biggest changes yesterday were actively thinking about getting on the nose to initiate turns, this is a boost straight away, it feels more dynamic kinda aggressive, feels good. + bending the knees more during the carves (especially heel).

going to try and get up again today and keep practicing thanks again guys

Oh im based in Vancouver, been using cypress mountain to practice, i hadnt heard of Panorama before, just googled it! looks ace

 

Try to stay more centered on the board, you tend to sit back in the video.

initiate the turns with your hips and bend your knees - compression and extend them after before switching edge.

 

Good deal, James. It sounds like you got the idea. Keep driving your board like that. Each turn flows into the next. Be like water.

 

Daim so much snow. I wish I lived on west coast :frown:

 

Thanks WasabiCanuck, ive been up a few times this week and you are right when im focused that front leg (mentally feels like leaning down the hill) i feel so much better and i have been working on my carves, i hope to get another video tonight and il upload it so you guys can see progress

Thanks again all, really starting to feel much more comfortable even at higher speeds thanks to the tips

 

Hey Jimmy, your starting to look real good and comfortable. A few tips

Hold on to that edge a little further give it a chance to engage, right now you look like your on a slalom course and not experiencing what its like to hold or ride that edge. Once you learn to hold that edge learning to engage it comes easier.

try some other things
attempt an ollie, take it switch, butter 180 right onto your right edge and vice versa. getting out of your comfort zone often is the easiest way to progress. Really the more your fucking about on your board the better, it's not always beneficial to ride straight down the hill with little inbetween.

Wrath got a video out he made for another member thats gold, check it out, it's real elementary stuff but sometimes it's good to know the principle of it.

 

Ah that's good to know!
I thought some of these guys could go full carving all over the place, even on steeper stuff.

Park guys are pretty good carvers, but carving on a neatly groomed jump approach, going straight is an entire different beast to carving all the way on variable terrain.

 

I wasn't trying to imply that carving is necessarily "better," or the preferred technique for most/all circumstances. In fact, I think it's far less nimble and versatile than allowing some skidding to occur. I suggested carving as a way to train toward an earlier edge change which, once mastered, will improve every turn you will ever make for the rest of your life. You will be finessing the entirety of each turn while most people only shape half (or less) of each turn. If you can change edges early enough that you can flash the base of your board at someone standing directly uphill of you, you're there. If you can sense the instant when your front foot has engaged the new edge while the back foot is still on the old edge, you've really mastered it. It will almost feel as though you melt into the next turn.

I've also never seen anyone fully carve anything truly steep. Some people think they've seen me do it, but I know better. I skid a little, and I do it on purpose, and it looks like carving, and it's close but not quite. That little bit of skidding I allow goes a long way in terms of speed and line control. It's not really a skid/carve dichotomy anyway. I think of it as a continuum with pure sideslip on one end, and pure carve on the other, with almost all turns falling somewhere in between, all of which are technically skidded.

wrath's comment about low speed carves on the bunny hill reminded me of this: Lowest speed, but highest edge angle carves you can manage. It's one of the hardest balance tasks I've ever tried. No G-forces to balance against, yet you're tilting the board as much as possible. Be prepared to look silly, even if you're really good at it.

 

GREAT post.

Yeah, I always wondered because whenever im on steeper stuff there's skidding going on, or i have to do much wider radius turns. By the time you lay a couple decent short radius carves, you're blasting. So I was always confused by the whole "use turn shape to control speed"...

In the end, i think the idea is more a mix of these two:

 

Thanks F1EA, and good link as well. Their other videos are good, too. Really straightforward.

 

OK so i figured its time to upload some more footage as you guys have been so awesome with the tips

im still a way off but thanks to you guys i know what to work on so gonna keep at it. see what you think in the vid below, turns feeling more confident, mixture of slid turns and 'carves' sorry for all the speed checks just making sure i didn't die lol

Biggest struggles i can see from this footage is bending at the waist and not bending the knees enough, OH and controlling that rear arm with a mind of its own, but im trying to look at and implement all your tips!

 

One thing I noticed is that while your legs are flexed into a good athletic stance (they are bent enough), they're always flexed about the same amount. Try opening up a larger range of motion in your legs by flexing and extending your legs more as you turn. Have your center of mass close to the board sometimes, further away other times. If you can create extra pressure during the turn, you might be able to make your turns smaller. If you can reduce pressure on the board for the edge change, your edge change may feel more effortless. This is the beginning of dynamic riding.

You will need to stay in your carves a lot longer and bring them across the hill more to even begin to control your speed with them. The speed checks were the responsible thing to do. Find somewhere really wide and not that steep to begin full carving with speed control. Be patient and stay on your edge. You will gain a bunch of speed, but as you take your momentum across and perhaps back up the slope a bit, you'll begin to slow down. Make sure you carve uphill until you slow down enough that you can ride out the speed you'll gain from your next carve. Same as above, dynamic movements that create more pressure during the turn will flex the board and put you into a shorter radius carve, and reducing pressure will allow you to change edges easily and reset your position to add pressure to the next turn.

In my opinion, bending at the waist and waving the back arm are minor nitpicks that you can fix by finding your neutral stance and alignment (especially at the end of toeside turns -- don't get in too countered of a position in an effort to keep looking downhill. If you can find a sunny run where you can watch your shadow, you can easily keep an eye on yourself. Once you've found a good neutral position, see if you can use your front ankle more actively and aggressively to steer the nose of the board around. The more weight on the front foot, the quicker you will drive the board into the next turn. Try to make so many turns that your front ankle gets tired and you need to give it a break. Burn it out a bit, then rest a while, then repeat. Your body will remember and adapt.

 

Awesome thank you Stillz. Its remembering to stand slightly (i guess to relieve pressure slightly) when changing edges as a start to the dynamic riding then to bend to add pressure during the carve? il be working on this (and other suggestions) on my next trip up the mountain!

its nice this learning curve. even when thinking / practicing its fun!

 

Very nice improvement, you are letting the board run, you look much more comfortable, confident and quieter upper body.

Stillz notes
Try opening up a larger range of motion in your legs by flexing and extending your legs more as you turn. Have your center of mass close to the board sometimes, further away other times. If you can create extra pressure during the turn, you might be able to make your turns smaller. If you can reduce pressure on the board for the edge change, your edge change may feel more effortless. This is the beginning of dynamic riding.


I concur...the way I think about this is to "crouch or sink in the knees in the middle of the turn/carve" and see if you can get low enough to touch the snow. So for a heelside carve...touch the snow with your leading hand/fingers....And for toeside carve touch with your trailing hand. Then in the transitions you are both standing up and moving toward the nose. Then once you are on the nose, then immediately start to sink in the knees to get your center of mass close to the board as possible (which will be stacked over the edge that you are on).

As for that trailing arm thing...either bring both of your fists up to your chest and keep them there. Or bring both of your hands together and hold them between your inner thighs. Try doing some carves along with going up and down. Holding your fist/hands together really compacts and quiets your upper body. You will notice that your movements become much quieter, more efficient and smoother.

 

Thanks wrathfuldeity, practice practice now! we are expected snow this week too! so should have some nice conditions (if abit overcast)

 

Man you look good! Just got to get more comfortable with the speed and weight transition. You look much better in this video and more relaxed. Just keep working on it. I think it is a confidence thing at this point, your technique looks pretty solid. Confidence will come with time on the board.

To summarize what some of the guys are saying, I try to think of my body absorbing the pressure of the turn, the pressure builds as the front of your board points downhill and then lessens as you turn and your board points towards the side of the run. At that point you transfer weight to other edge and begin another turn. When I'm in the groove, I feel like I am coming in and out of a squat but very relaxed and natural. I never fully stand up and I never go to a full squat but legs look and feel like shock absorbers through each turn. The thought of that feeling is bringing a smile to my face right now, everything just feels dialed in. :grin:

As others have said, find a wider run that is pretty empty, a mellow blue would be good. If you get too fast, try to hold your turn a little longer so you slow down. See how many turns you can do before you do a skid to dump speed. I have started doing this and it is helping my riding. I am also having to relearn all of my turn mechanics since I am starting to ride switch. :crying:

 

This has been a really helpful thread. Thanks to the OP for sharing and that video by Wrath was awesome! I love the cereal box idea. I need to practice that.

 

that was super helpful