The BOARDWORLD Forums ran from 2009 to 2021 and are now closed and viewable here as an archive

   

Ask your riding questions here!

Avatar

Nice. Well you might just have to switch to surfing lol.

 
Avatar

Hahah, problem is I don’t live in Bali and I wear glasses (too scared to put on contacts lol).

 
Avatar

Bummer, skating it is!

 
Avatar

Okay guys! More riding questions!

What a damn peach season it has been already! And yesterday marked my one year of riding WOOHOOO!

So with all good progression I need some tips for bigger kickers.. Ruin Castle has finally got it’s game on at Falls and is the best place to ride.

Have been riding the bigger lines now ( up to about 20ft) but still need some help with stomping out the bigger airs. The fundamentals of popping for big air and landing.

What are a few go to checks you make when jumping?
So simple I know but I want to perfect the solid foundations !

Cheers smile

 
Avatar

Hey guys I just have a small questions re technique for carving.

I have been working on getting faster and faster with my riding and my carving. I think I might take a lesson soon but in the meantime I was wondering if you can give me any pointers on carving particularly on my heel side. I can get nice and fast and low and a nice arch on my toeside but on my heelside turns I find my back foot tends to want to slip out a bit so I am sliding more than carving.

I think I just need to be stronger in the back foot but any tops on technique would be helpful. I know its hard without seeing me do it.

 
Avatar

Flex your toes up, forcing the board to go deep on your heels - something I only figured out the other day… Haven’t caught an edge since!

 
Avatar
Stellvadore - 21 July 2014 02:36 PM

Okay guys! More riding questions!

What a damn peach season it has been already! And yesterday marked my one year of riding WOOHOOO!

So with all good progression I need some tips for bigger kickers.. Ruin Castle has finally got it’s game on at Falls and is the best place to ride.

Have been riding the bigger lines now ( up to about 20ft) but still need some help with stomping out the bigger airs. The fundamentals of popping for big air and landing.

What are a few go to checks you make when jumping?
So simple I know but I want to perfect the solid foundations !

Cheers smile

1. Make sure you’re getting your speed right. The best way to do this is watch several people hit the jump before you. Watch where they drop in. Then do a couple of practice runs where you roll up with the correct speed and roll over the knuckle. This will give you a good idea as to the feel of the run up and the speed required.

2. Commitment. Yes, it can be scary riding up to a big kicker at speed, but you have to commit. No unnecessary speed checks out of fear, as this will put you on the knuckle = not good!

3. Don’t let the jump compress you! What do I mean by this? When you are actually on the transition of the kicker, the kicker is exerting an upward force through your board/legs/body (this is what makes you go up and get air). However, you need to manage this force. If you let the force compress you, namely your knee/hip joints (legs), the jump will shoot your lower body up without your upper body! Ever see someone’s legs go flying up and they land on their ass? This is what’s happening there. KEEP YOUR LEGS STRONG AND 100% SOLID! This way the jump is putting you in the air as a SYSTEM, a whole. Don’t let the jump compress you. Keep your legs strong and show it who’s boss. At the start I always tell people to just stay solid and ride off, i.e. don’t worry about popping etc. If you have the right speed and you stay solid, you will coast smoothly over the jump. With time, you can start popping a bit and actually pushing back on the jump.

4. Stay calm, spot your landing, and stomp down hard with a flat base.

5. Repeat.

 
Avatar
StamfordKid - 21 July 2014 03:16 PM

Hey guys I just have a small questions re technique for carving.

I have been working on getting faster and faster with my riding and my carving. I think I might take a lesson soon but in the meantime I was wondering if you can give me any pointers on carving particularly on my heel side. I can get nice and fast and low and a nice arch on my toeside but on my heelside turns I find my back foot tends to want to slip out a bit so I am sliding more than carving.

I think I just need to be stronger in the back foot but any tops on technique would be helpful. I know its hard without seeing me do it.

It’s a very common problem that even advanced riders struggle with at times. It’s harder to carve on your heelside edge because, a) your heels are closer together than your toes, and b) the ankle joint is taken out of the equation (so pressure control is harder).

What it comes down to is pressure control. If you aren’t controlling the forces going through your edge, something will give, and you will feel the slip/slide. Think of it as balancing on the heel edge, letting it cut cleanly through the snow. Rather than focusing on lifting your toes, think about balancing on your heels. Be gentle with it, find your balance point, find the right amount of pressure control (pushing and absorbing). Understand that you need to use independent foot control; your front foot needs to act before your back foot. Keep your legs loose (but strong), and absorb the forces when you need to.

Here’s some quality reading on the subject:

https://www.boardworld.com.au/snowboarding/how-to-ride/pressure-control/
https://www.boardworld.com.au/snowboarding/how-to-ride/edging/
https://www.boardworld.com.au/snowboarding/how-to-ride/carving/

 
Avatar

Rider you always come through with the absolute goods!!

Spotting my landing - something so simple I don’t think I have even thought of with just straight airs!

I also think I need to bend my knees more on impact?

 
Avatar

Thank you. I’m glad I was able to help. grin

Yes, absorb the some of impact by bending your knees when you touch down.

 
Avatar
Stellvadore - 21 July 2014 04:08 PM

Rider you always come through with the absolute goods!!

Standard Rider!  clap  clap

Must share my exp with straight airs and the spotting the landing thing. I swear it took me longer than I would like to admit to feel comfortable hitting medium jumps (20-30ft).. Initially everything was so unfamiliar and I barely had time to think through the process, it all happens so fast when learning.. Just want support what Rider has said, getting the right speed is key to progressing as safely as possible. All the best Stell, make sure share your experiences with the tips from Rider when you get out riding next!  punch

 
Avatar

Yeah love it, he is so on point!
Thanks for more of the deets Tracks, I think the best way I learn is when I break things down into mechanics and physics / how things work.

That way when I freak out on the roll up I can start thinking science and it makes me think my way through the ride instead of chickening out…. Also find if I sing on my way into the kicker I loosen up and ride better hahaha… Such a girl!

The biggest thing to conquer is now “speed is my friend” - I’m not scared of the imposing height anymore, it’s more that I need to trust that a bigger air is a cleaner/safer air than being too slow and knuckling it!

 
Avatar
StamfordKid - 21 July 2014 03:16 PM

Hey guys I just have a small questions re technique for carving.

I have been working on getting faster and faster with my riding and my carving. I think I might take a lesson soon but in the meantime I was wondering if you can give me any pointers on carving particularly on my heel side. I can get nice and fast and low and a nice arch on my toeside but on my heelside turns I find my back foot tends to want to slip out a bit so I am sliding more than carving.

I think I just need to be stronger in the back foot but any tops on technique would be helpful. I know its hard without seeing me do it.

What Jez said and also another thing is shift your weight to the back foot as you’re exiting the turn (for me I put more pressure on my back foot from the middle of the turn till the exit). I’ve been trying to perfect my carve for 4 seasons now and that’s what I found work best for me. I also watched a lot of pro riders they put more pressure on their back foot (NOT kicking it out) when they’re turning. Watch any Nico or Terje’s clip and you’ll see what I mean.

 
Avatar

Thanks guys

 
Avatar

Seems like you guys have pretty much got these questions bang to rights.

Most of the technical stuff on hitting jumps and carving has been covered above so I’ll just share what I always think about for what it’s worth.

Hitting jumps:
Small jumps/jumps onto features: I usually ollie off the tail of the board it allows me more control over what position my body is in and I go marginally higher.  Eg. if I wanted to gap to the down on a flat down and land in a press (I’m having a good day let’s assume!).  Also popping is important so that the flight in the air matches the downslope of the jump landing/feature.

Big jumps: First thing I do is try and remind myself of the key points before it’s my turn to drop in.  Then just try and calm down and focus on nailing it (visualisation or creating a bit of confidence).  When I drop in I like to drop in from a point where I can pretty much go straight so speed control is taken out of my hands.  Then just try and stay relaxed as the surroundings start to rush past and focus on the lip.  When you start to hit the transition make sure your board is completely flat and fight that compression like rider says.  I normally find your having to push pretty hard on big jumps to resist the compression forces however I like to add a bit more just as I’m about to reach the lip, this time pushing off both feet equally, not off the tail.  The trying to pop isn’t for the extra height (consider that a freebee) it’s so your flight through the air matches what the jump designer had in mind and hence you should meet the transition smoothly and reduce the risk of overshooting.

On the carving, what rider said about the lack of the ankle as a pressure control aid on heelside carves is for me the big difference from toe side carves.  Try and avoid letting your legs get locked or stiff as that screws your pressure control, keep nicely flexed and try and keep the board pressed into the snow with an equal amount of force.  The pressuring and driving of the board subtly from nose to tail helps too but is only useful if you’re handling the pressure well first.

Another idea on carving is to avoid whistler spring mornings or mornings down under I guess.