# Riding straight and fast



## skycdo

You gotta keep even pressure on both legs. If your back legs is sliding out then you're off balanced. I had the same problem before. I can't go too fast but it's a decent speed. There was a thread on this made a week or two ago. Unfortunately with me having the flu, I have a hard enough typing let alone searching :/


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## linvillegorge

Point board downhill, grab sack, ride.

I don't know man. Are you putting too much weight on your front foot and the back of the board is getting squirrely as a result? About the only thing I can think of right off the top of my head.


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## wrathfuldeity

Generally be on an edge even a slight one when maching, sounds like you are twisted up or slightly in the back seat. get your shoulders, torso and hips parallel to the board and quiet and ride centered or slightly on the nose...squirrelly board = backseat...shift hips forward/sideways toward the nose...1/2- 1 inch.

also check and make sure your foot/binding is centered waist wise across the board.


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## skip11

I used to have this problem too. You just gotta have your body properly aligned (parallel) and stacked over your board. Don't do unnecessary movements, one technique my friend thought me is imagine that you're an arrow and just point downhill. If you do that you will be able to flat base and go straight. Another thing to picture is that if you just let a board go downhill it will go straight and will not catch an edge. Make sure to keep your knees and legs loose so you can absorb bumps.


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## mastershake

i know i have a problem of doing unnecessary carving..one time on the blue i let myself get on edge slightly and just hold it while trying to keep myself balanced and shoulders parallel to the board...i acutally didnt turn much and was able to catch speed and catch up to my friend. sometimes when i am on edge i have the tendency to carve just by habit and because i like carving to control my speed...but this time i just let myself relax, look ahead and stay on edge without trying to carve a lot....the less movement the better i think.


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## BoardWalk

I find that having a beer in each hand helps keep my weight distributed evenly. Of course if you take a drink out of either one you must match the displacement by consuming the same volume from the opposite canister. It get's pretty technical, so I don't recommend it unless you have a degree in hydro physics. You might want to just stay centered and loose, the good thing is speed wobbles are almost impossible on a snowboard.


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## Leo

Hit a few boxes. You will have to learn to stay completely flat based.


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## linvillegorge

Leo said:


> Hit a few boxes. You will have to learn to stay completely flat based.


LOL

Yep, that's one way to learn and learn fast. :laugh:


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## david_z

I remember the frustration of not being able to flat-base when I was starting out. Loose & balanced is the name of the game. You need quick reaction time and that just comes with practice & developing good muscle memory. Leo's preferred lesson will not help you unless the terrain is also really smooth you need to be able to react very quickly to bumps, ruts, etc., that will want to redirect you and throw you off that balance resulting in the dreaded edge-catch-to-scorpion. 

Also remember you can _pressure_ an edge without being _on_ an edge.


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## Leo

Shut up Dave. My lesson is sound. 

But seriously, it was meant as a tool to get him used to the feeling of what it's like to be completely flat based. He should then take that technique to the slopes and learn the ropes of staying flat on varying conditions.

Man, you've been anti Leo lately. Just because I hate on your faded turd hoodie. :cheeky4:


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## IdahoFreshies

david_z said:


> Also remember you can _pressure_ an edge without being _on_ an edge.


bingo, i like that one.


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## Sudden_Death

Since your board has reverse camber sections it can get squirrely. Keep the weight either a bit forward or stay very slightly on edge. What you could be feeling with the board turning too much when on edge is the effect of the magne-traction causing it to bite and turn more than you'd like.Trying to totally flat base a board with a RC combo profile can be really tricky.


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## Leo

Sudden_Death said:


> Since your board has reverse camber sections it can get squirrely. Keep the weight either a bit forward or stay slightly on edge. Trying to totally flat base a board with a RC combo profile can be really tricky.


Unless you hit boxes. 

/thread 








:laugh:


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## wrathfuldeity

david_z said:


> I remember the frustration of not being able to flat-base when I was starting out. Loose & balanced is the name of the game. You need quick reaction time and that just comes with practice & developing good muscle memory. Leo's preferred lesson will not help you unless the terrain is also really smooth you need to be able to react very quickly to bumps, ruts, etc., that will want to redirect you and throw you off that balance resulting in the dreaded edge-catch-to-scorpion.
> 
> Also remember you can _pressure_ an edge without being _on_ an edge.


Yes loose and balanced...but no you can't react fast enough for bumps ruts and stuff...that's why you keep loose and learn to "float" over them. You get in trouble trying to react to them...cause you will stiffen/tighten up and get tossed. Floating is keeping your body balanced and going in the intended direction...directly down the fall line...thus no edges to catch. The having your legs loose...usually sucking up the knees to absorb the bumps and if you get air time...just keep compacted (i.e., no flaying about) and absorb landing...don't try to turn or slow down until you are back in contact with the snow.


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## Sudden_Death

Very true, as I found out the other day.


Leo said:


> Unless you hit boxes.
> 
> /thread
> 
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> :laugh:


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## IdahoFreshies

Snowolf said:


> Leo has a great point.


oh good job, now he is going to start doing an "i told you so" victory dance


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## The111

I am not by any means an expert, but I have found that on long flats where I need to go as straight and fast as possible, I actually weight my BACK foot. Or maybe I am just weighting evenly, and to me it feels like I'm too far back since I'm used to being further forward when riding more dynamically.

Basically though I take a lot of weight off my front foot, and crouch down to limit wind resistance, and rest my elbows (and therefore my entire upper body) on my back knee. This helps keep my hips/chest/shoulders parallel to the board (which is much different than how I twist them when carving), and I can also get very slightly on either edge and go ALMOST straight. In my mind it is preferable to be going ALMOST straight (but on an edge)... true you have to cover slightly more distance, but you decrease the friction between the board and the snow by more than enough to make up for it. I find it easy in the position I described to rock from rail to rail every so gently and give the illusion that I am going straight, but keep greater control and speed. Plus, I hate being 100% flat because I am always paranoid the wrong rail will catch first if the board starts drifting.


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## moondoggy

when i first learning how to go straight, i used to put pressure on both edges on different leg (i.e. front foot heel, back foot toe, or vice versa). now i just become lazy and stand still, which may not work to my advantage these days because i'm so accustomed to it that i just stand there on most runs that i do.


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## david_z

wrathfuldeity said:


> Yes loose and balanced...but no you can't react fast enough for bumps ruts and stuff...that's why you keep loose and learn to "float" over them. You get in trouble trying to react to them...cause you will stiffen/tighten up and get tossed. Floating is keeping your body balanced and going in the intended direction...directly down the fall line...thus no edges to catch. The having your legs loose...usually sucking up the knees to absorb the bumps and if you get air time...just keep compacted (i.e., no flaying about) and absorb landing...don't try to turn or slow down until you are back in contact with the snow.


Yeah you're right I guess "react" was maybe a poor choice of words since my "reaction" to these conditions is pretty much just what you describe: floating and absorbing the chatter with your knees rather than trying to muscle through it, and especially not stiffening up. 

Also to OP check your speed whenever you get too fast for comfort!


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## Snowferret

K I'm new to this forum and rusty at snowboarding but I finally started my season yesterday ...

I have the complete opposite problem. Whenever I hit a steep spot I forget everything I know, and just go straight and missile down the hill. The guy at the chair lift saw me zoomin down the hill and was like "Ha think you can go any faster??" I get nervous to turn/carve/anything thinkin the board will catch and I'll go flying.


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## Gustov

Snowferret said:


> K I'm new to this forum and rusty at snowboarding but I finally started my season yesterday ...
> 
> I have the complete opposite problem. Whenever I hit a steep spot I forget everything I know, and just go straight and missile down the hill. The guy at the chair lift saw me zoomin down the hill and was like "Ha think you can go any faster??" I get nervous to turn/carve/anything thinkin the board will catch and I'll go flying.


start on a smaller, flatter hill. if you've done it before, you need to get your muscle memory back. i don't go straight for the blacks on my first run of the season.


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## Snowferret

Gustov said:


> start on a smaller, flatter hill. if you've done it before, you need to get your muscle memory back. i don't go straight for the blacks on my first run of the season.


That's good advice... The problem is I've been out of it for too long (used to ride in high school and since then I've gone 1 in the last 5 years til yesterday). I'm in eastern Canada and we've had a really mild winter, they started making snow on Dec. 11th and didn't open the slopes til Jan. 7th. And yesterday they only had 2 runs open, a bunny hill and the main advanced run. Except I didn't know it was advanced. I saw the shapes and colors and was thinking the black diamond meant easy or intermediate or something. Later on (when I got home) I realized I was on the advanced run. Now I'm all kinds of sore  Back at it tomorrow! (They have at least one more open now)


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## WetWork999

First time back on a board after > 10yrs. GF bought me a Burton Barracuda and boots and bindings. We went to Mountain High and I started on Blues and had no problem getting off the lift or getting down the hill for that matter. 

After several runs I decided to hit some of the boxes which proved to be a bad idea. Bravado got the better of me. Anyways, I got onto the box with no problem and then my board started to spin and well, after that I turned into a yard sale (goggles and hat one way and me another)

I need to get in a few more days to get my legs back but I had a blast. I also need to work on tracking straight. Thanks for all who offered advice.

~A


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## TXBDan

Thanks for all the input. I guess i'll just keep practicing and I'll try to remember more of exactly what is happening so i can report back if need be.

Thanks


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## AAA

Work at it on a gentle green hill, keeping your base dead flat and your body aligned dead straight over the board. Bent knees, no rotation. No cheating with subtle edge pressure. You'll feel the board get squirrely under your feet, shimmying back and forth. It's unnerving, but if you maintain your composure and stance, you'll reach a point where you get comfortable with this. The subtle oscillations will self correct. You'll learn at what point the board kicks too far out of line and slams you, and when you need to consciously correct. Sometimes (usually the faster you go), it's just too late.  Whatever you do, MAKE SURE YOU KEEP IN CONTROL AND CAN STOP OR AVOID A COLLISION with others on the mountain. I can't stress that enough, and will say that MOST of the straightliners I see are grossly out of control and are serious hazard to other people. I and others get slammed by these jagoffs every year...skiiers and boarders alike. 

Years ago, I was in a closed course, Super G race on a black diamond run in glare ice conditions. The 8 or so gates were spaced so wide apart, that you could take a beeline to the bottom if you lined up right. We all talked about how the winner would be the person with the biggest stones to flatbase all the way down, without feathering an edge. We all lamented over the ominous fact...that someone WAS going to get hurt. Sure 'nuff, one of the girls got slammed and hauled off unconscious by the ski patrol. We did the math, based on run length and time, and estimated speeds around 55 mph. It was "interesting" under controlled conditions, but definitely NOT something to do on a run opened to the public.


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