# How do you skate?



## Homies911 (Sep 10, 2014)

Ehh, when I skate I put my push on the toe side. It's awkward as hell but I suck it up and push harder so I won't have to hobble my way up hill as much...

...maybe I should just go with 90 degrees for my lead foot so it's like skateboarding... :embarrased1:


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## TimelessDescent (Oct 26, 2014)

Homies911 said:


> Ehh, when I skate I put my push on the toe side. It's awkward as hell but I suck it up and push harder so I won't have to hobble my way up hill as much...
> 
> ...maybe I should just go with 90 degrees for my lead foot so it's like skateboarding... :embarrased1:


 You skateboard with your lead foot at 90 degrees? hmmm. Never tried it.


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## snowklinger (Aug 30, 2011)

A trick I've found with skating is to pretend both feet are free in the sense that you don't only use your back foot to push. I push off my front foot too. Get busy.

Heelside only. Try not to fall down too much in the parking lot.


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## Deacon (Mar 2, 2013)

Heelside. 
Toeside would be mad awkward.


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## Kink (Jan 6, 2015)

Heelside only, never understood how people skate on their toeside.


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

Like Kink said I see some of these ppl and most of them seem to be younger tween type kids. Just looking at these ppl skating toeside makes my body hurt. 
All twisted up, off balance, actually digging the toeside edge in as they push as well. Which to me just defeats the purpose of trying to "glide" over the top of the snow, foot pushing + edge digging in = drag & frustration. 

When at the resort I may, if I"m bored, see if it is actually younger riders that toeside push or a variety of age groups. Than again...I may not...


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## speedjason (May 2, 2013)

Heel side with body inline with the board. I can't imagine how someone can skate toe side with body perpendicular to the board bending the knee at 90 degree.
Unless they have improperly fitted boots, for me its impossible.


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## Extremo (Nov 6, 2008)

Who the fuck skates to a lift? You walk to it, strap in, and get in line.


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## Deacon (Mar 2, 2013)

Extremo said:


> Who the fuck skates to a lift? You walk to it, strap in, and get in line.


Uh what? Did somebody go ans remodel every lift everywhere last night so they're all the same? :facepalm3:


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## f00bar (Mar 6, 2014)

Deacon said:


> Uh what? Did somebody go ans remodel every lift everywhere last night so they're all the same? :facepalm3:


Yes. You're welcome


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## Extremo (Nov 6, 2008)

Skating went out with leashes in like '01.


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

I wasn't riding in 01 so I still skate to the lifts draggin my leashe from my front foot sometimes stepping on it and crashing just as I get into that over crowded lift line

I used to do it like this till some snot nose punk told me "your doing it wrong"


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## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

Heels idea push mostly. I will topside push sometimes too though. I wish I had lift lines like extremo that I could just stand there and I magically glided through the line and got loaded on to it. Sounds awesome


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## CassMT (Mar 14, 2013)

always toeside unless some odd terrain. how the heelside kick became the most common i have no idea, your front f-ing leg is blocking you from getting any kind of powerful kick where your leg goes way forward of the front foot. same as one kicks a skateboard or especially a longboard


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## Extremo (Nov 6, 2008)

Argo said:


> Heels idea push mostly. I will topside push sometimes too though. I wish I had lift lines like extremo that I could just stand there and I magically glided through the line and got loaded on to it. Sounds awesome


There's a difference between skating (pushing your self to slide somewhere) and walking with your front foot strapped in, as in a lift line. As far as I can tell we're talking about skating, which can and should be avoided at all costs.


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## CassMT (Mar 14, 2013)

first i ever heard of this distinction


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

CassMT said:


> always toeside unless some odd terrain. how the heelside kick became the most common i have no idea, your front f-ing leg is blocking you from getting any kind of powerful kick where your leg goes way forward of the front foot. same as one kicks a skateboard or especially a longboard


Always used toeside as well.

Dunno, maybe the heelside preference has to do with the flatter angles ducks have, which urge you to an akward pigeon toe, front knee twisted inwards position skating toeside, something not so pronounced with steeper stances... I found skating toeside akward as well with my new flat front angle...


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

Extremo said:


> There's a difference between skating (pushing your self to slide somewhere) and walking with your front foot strapped in, as in a lift line. As far as I can tell we're talking about skating, which can and should be avoided at all costs.


 still not really following. When I'm going from one lift to another 40 yards away (we have a small resort) I skate.


Extremeo; said:


> pushing your self to slide somewhere


if I'm tired I will unstrap, carry my board and walk 
When I'm in the lift que, I skate here as well. 

So not really clear on why you say skating should be avoided at all costs, makes no sense what so ever...


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## Handbanana (Dec 10, 2013)

I always skate toe side. Heel side sounds akward as hell, although I can't recall ever even trying it.


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

slyder said:


> So not really clear on why you say skating should be avoided at all costs, makes no sense what so ever...


Well, I _avoid_ skating as well . In my resort, with plenty of flats to cover on each run, you have to skate a lot if you don't learn to pick up enough speed to cover them. Skating all the time to cover flats on runs sucks, so one "avoids it at all costs" and adjusts speed to the topography. Maybe he meant it in that way :dunno:

If I'm stuck on a flat outrun (no decline) 40yd away from the lift, I'd skate. If it's 100yd, I do the same as Extremo. Strap out n walk to the lift.


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## Extremo (Nov 6, 2008)

slyder said:


> still not really following. When I'm going from one lift to another 40 yards away (we have a small resort) I skate.
> if I'm tired I will unstrap, carry my board and walk
> When I'm in the lift que, I skate here as well.
> 
> So not really clear on why you say skating should be avoided at all costs, makes no sense what so ever...


I guess I'm not following...

If you want to get onto a lift you don't strap in 40 yards away and skate to it...you just keep walking the extra 40 yards and save yourself the hassle of unnecessarily midget pogo hopping 40 yards. 

If you want to get onto a lift, from the mountain, you just ride to the end of the lift line...not stop 40 yards away.


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## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

I don't get what you are saying about hoping or walking with your board strapped in. I am and most are literally skating. One foot strapped in, board sliding on the ground straight and the back foot pushing. There is no hoping or jumping involved, just a smooth skating motion like you're on a longboard or skate board......


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## CassMT (Mar 14, 2013)

who even stops? if the liftys are on it with their lil gun i only slow to about 20mph and just roll thru yo


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## Homies911 (Sep 10, 2014)

TimelessDescent said:


> You skateboard with your lead foot at 90 degrees? hmmm. Never tried it.


Ehh I don't actually, I was just saying maybe I should switch my binding degrees to an extreme angle that only benefits skating over actually snowboarding down the mountain. :happy:


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## speedjason (May 2, 2013)

CassMT said:


> always toeside unless some odd terrain. how the heelside kick became the most common i have no idea, your front f-ing leg is blocking you from getting any kind of powerful kick where your leg goes way forward of the front foot. same as one kicks a skateboard or especially a longboard


Nope, my knee won't bend that way. It's very weird.


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

Extremo I never hop or walk with my board on unless I"m going a very short distance up hill to one of my kids or a buddy crashed. 

I always skate unless tired like I mentioned faster to get around. Again this might be confusing since all of us ride such different types of resorts. we have 6 lifts within 200 yards of each other. I wouldn't skate to the lifts most opposite of each other. 

This is how I skate and skate while in the lift line.


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## Deacon (Mar 2, 2013)

Neni brought up a good point... toeside skaters, what is your front binding angle? I agree with cass, you'd definitely get more push toeside, but for me I'd need about a 20-25 angle, at least, to make it work.


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## Handbanana (Dec 10, 2013)

Deacon said:


> Neni brought up a good point... toeside skaters, what is your front binding angle? I agree with cass, you'd definitely get more push toeside, but for me I'd need about a 20-25 angle, at least, to make it work.


15 degrees


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## Clayton Bigsby (Oct 23, 2012)

heelside, whenever I skate toeside, I cut the back of my pants with the toe edge


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## JH84 (Nov 30, 2014)

I tried toe side skating a few times, It just feels weird and awkward.


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## ShredLife (Feb 6, 2010)

skating on your toeside is the snowboarding equivalent of pushing mongo on a skateboard. shit is kooky as fuck. way more power and control pushing from heelside... i'd bet i'm faster on heelside than any kook in the whole fucking world is pushing off toeside. yea i said it. :finger1:


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## chomps1211 (Mar 30, 2011)

ShredLife said:


> skating on your toeside is the snowboarding equivalent of pushing mongo on a skateboard. shit is kooky as fuck. way more power and control pushing from heelside... i'd bet i'm faster on heelside than any kook in the whole fucking world is pushing off toeside. yea i said it. :finger1:


Not that I would ever _dare_ to contradict Shred,.. (fucker scares me sometimes!)  :laugh: I'll bet that's true of anyone skating a board with ducked angles! I've watched lots of toeside skaters and it does look kind of twisted and awkward as hell. I even tried it once or twice myself and failed miserably at it.

I do however think neni's point about those folks riding with extreme forward angles seemed reasonable. With such a forward angle on the lead foot,..? Toeside would seem to be the _natural_ way to push off. Just as if you were pushing a skateboard!.

The absolute _strangest_ skating method I ever witnessed being attempted, was the obvious NooB on the hill who was trying to ride his board _regular_, but skated it _goofy!_ :huh: Whenever he stopped falling down the hill,..? He unstrapped his *back* foot, turned the board around fakie, and tried to skate with his *front* foot!!!!!  :facepalm1: Talk about witnessing an accident in the making!! :blink: :eyetwitch2: :facepalm1: :injured:


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## Snow Hound (Jul 21, 2012)

A bit of both depending on terrain but mainly heelside. I was pretty pissed on my first day when I found out I wasn't 'allowed' to push mongo! MONGO FOR LIFE! I started skating before mongo was even a thing, I just did what felt natural. I'd never comment negatively on those really tight women's panties you like to wear Shred.


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## davidj (May 30, 2011)

*Skate Both Ways?*

Not to threadjack (but doing just that I guess :facepalm1...

Does anybody out there work at skating both ways - regular and switch? If so, for what reason?

BTW, to answer this thread, I skate exclusively heelside.


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## CassMT (Mar 14, 2013)

ShredLife said:


> skating on your toeside is the snowboarding equivalent of pushing mongo on a skateboard. shit is kooky as fuck. way more power and control pushing from heelside... i'd bet i'm faster on heelside than any kook in the whole fucking world is pushing off toeside. yea i said it. :finger1:


i would take that bet, and when i win you have to post, sincerely, in the Today I Love thread every day for 1 year

mongo is a heelside kick btw, quite elegant when done right


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## vajohn (Jan 12, 2014)

Have always skated toeside. I will occasionally kick heelside or alternate. I guess if you have no skateboarding background, heelside might feel more natural.


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## ItchEtrigR (Jan 1, 2012)

heelside is for pussies, woman and children 

seriously? i just pick a side, I missed class that day...


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## Extremo (Nov 6, 2008)

ItchEtrigR said:


> heelside is for pussies, woman and children
> 
> seriously? i just pick a side, I missed class that day...


Seriously...I can't believe this is even a thread.


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

Extremo said:


> Seriously...I can't believe this is even a thread.


more so that we've extended it to 4 pages and most of us already know how to skate, walk, hop, or duck-walk to where we need to be. 
Lets see if we can get 6 pages of replies...:computer2:


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## Handbanana (Dec 10, 2013)

So wait, pushing a snowboard the way you'd push a skateboard is mongo? Weird. I did try to push heel side today. Not as akward as I thought. Feel like I can get a fuller push toeside though. In the end, I agree with everyone else. Who really gives a fuck.


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## radiomuse210 (Sep 5, 2014)

vajohn said:


> Have always skated toeside. I will occasionally kick heelside or alternate. I guess if you have no skateboarding background, heelside might feel more natural.



Interesting take...I did start off trying to skate toeside because of my skateboarding background. But then realized that heelside is much faster and smoother (for me). And I can easily pop my back foot on and off if I need to. Getting off of this particular lift, there's an option of three slopes. To get to two of them, you need to go over this flat area so you have to skate/coast. I know skiers who say it must be annoying to have to unstrap, but I can skate faster than any skier pushing with their poles over that flat area. Not that I'm out there trying to race skiers on flats, but y'know...just an observation to counter their observation.


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## Snow Hound (Jul 21, 2012)

Handbanana said:


> So wait, pushing a snowboard the way you'd push a skateboard is mongo? Weird. I did try to push heel side today. Not as akward as I thought. Feel like I can get a fuller push toeside though. In the end, I agree with everyone else. Who really gives a fuck.


Nah mongo is pushing with your front ( left if regular) foot. It made sense to me to have the foot on the board near the tail for quick direction changes. Apparently I'm now some sort or social leper.


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## vajohn (Jan 12, 2014)

Never tried mongo on a snowboard. I am goofy and I push with my left foot on the toe side. I would also take the bet about kicking heelside vs kicking toeside. There is just no way...try doing that on a longboard and see how many kicks it takes to realize you should be kicking on the other side of the board. 

I have heard that people taking lessons are taught to skate on the heel side...might be fine for getting on and off the lifts, but it looks stupid and you need to learn how to kick toeside for kicking across flat sections (I just try to keep enough speed to stay strapped in if I know one is coming up).


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## BoardWalk (Mar 22, 2011)

slyder said:


> Lets see if we can get 6 pages of replies...:computer2:


Bumpity Bump Bump


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## speedjason (May 2, 2013)

Skate mongo is not same as skating heel side.
Skate mongo would be like skate switch which is weird as fuck.
I have a buddy who still can't pick a side he would ride regular and skate goofy.


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## tokyo_dom (Jan 7, 2013)

Weird, i skate both ways (heel and toe), depending on how i feel, or the slope i am on. Never really thought of it as being one way better than the other. I *think* i tend to more toeside, which lets me do a skate style power push (not on the mountain so cant confirm)

And screw walking 40m when i can do 2 pushes and slide the entire way.


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## ridinbend (Aug 2, 2012)

Videos or it didn't happen


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## jjz (Feb 14, 2012)

Kink said:


> Heelside only, never understood how people skate on their toeside.


This so much.


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

I never understood why people hold a fork with their left hand


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## Snow Hound (Jul 21, 2012)

http://youtu.be/4w7sVSMbjyM


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## ridinbend (Aug 2, 2012)

Snow Hound said:


> http://youtu.be/4w7sVSMbjyM


I miss the good old days of fuel tv.


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## SGoldwin (Oct 10, 2011)

Most of the time heelside, but occasionally toeside. Depends on slope/terrain.

For you skateboarders there is a solution 
Turn 90 degress


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## kdon27 (Sep 29, 2014)

For me it depends on terrain. Flat terrain or downward slope I use heel side skating. On a bit of an upward slope I use toe edge. Occasionally I lift up the board a tad to readjust. Same goes for both natural or goofy.


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## SkullAndXbones (Feb 24, 2014)

definitely heel side.


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## Hirvy (Dec 30, 2012)

chomps1211 said:


> The absolute _strangest_ skating method I ever witnessed being attempted, was the obvious NooB on the hill who was trying to ride his board _regular_, but skated it _goofy!_ :huh: Whenever he stopped falling down the hill,..? He unstrapped his *back* foot, turned the board around fakie, and tried to skate with his *front* foot!!!!!  :facepalm1: Talk about witnessing an accident in the making!! :blink: :eyetwitch2: :facepalm1: :injured:


This sounds like some stupid shit I did while I was learning when I spent 3 days on the mountain trying to figure out if goofy or regular was the better way for me to go.

Regular stance heelside skate for me.


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## CassMT (Mar 14, 2013)

this thread has me watchng people skate. objectively speaking it's f-ing retarded looking however you do it


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## vajohn (Jan 12, 2014)

CassMT said:


> this thread has me watchng people skate. objectively speaking it's f-ing retarded looking however you do it


Pretty much agree on that. 

I noticed yesterday my nephew pushes heelside and I have no idea where he picked up that habit...but he really moves kicking on that side, so I guess it is not too bad if it works for him.


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## CassMT (Mar 14, 2013)

also noticed....when i skate toeside i have 90% of my weight on the board foot, and those skating heelside seem to have 90% on the kicking foot? going crosshill with a foot of pow, lil bit of crust under the heelside kicker would be fukt, i'd be gone. also, since you can't get your back leg ahead of the front when skating heelside, the only way to go faster is to kick faster, whereas toeside you can stretch a longer gait and increase rate. like i said, this thread has me thinking way to much abou tthis, fuck this thread//


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## Handbanana (Dec 10, 2013)

CassMT said:


> this thread has me watchng people skate. objectively speaking it's f-ing retarded looking however you do it





CassMT said:


> also noticed....when i skate toeside i have 90% of my weight on the board foot, and those skating heelside seem to have 90% on the kicking foot? going crosshill with a foot of pow, lil bit of crust under the heelside kicker would be fukt, i'd be gone. also, since you can't get your back leg ahead of the front when skating heelside, the only way to go faster is to kick faster, whereas toeside you can stretch a longer gait and increase rate. like i said, this thread has me thinking way to much abou tthis, fuck this thread//


Agree completely


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