# My body always tries to face the road



## drblast (Feb 28, 2017)

Ride faster, don't speed check, get low so if you fall it doesn't hurt so much.

Speed = control on flats. You need to be able to engage edges to steer, and going slow makes it much more difficult to do that. The good news is you're not going to gain speed so just go as fast as you can and realize that's the fastest you will go until you get to a downhill part.


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## WigMar (Mar 17, 2019)

The fear part of snowboarding keeps me coming back for more. I love scaring myself a little. The trick is to build up your confidence by pushing yourself a little bit all the time and building up edge control. Keeping your speed up on flats is a good skill to have. It saves you a ton of energy. Eventually the fear will subside and laziness will prevail. Falling at speed generally isn't any worse unless you slide into something. I'd usually rather slide out going 30 mph than fall straight down at low speed. 

Also, flatbasing sucks and can be a good way to catch an edge when you're starting out. On those cat tracks, I'd try to be a little on edge all the time. Flex your shins into the tops of your boots and you're on the toe edge just like that. I also find it helpful to keep your weight forward.


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## Luffe (Apr 5, 2021)

Once you get better, you won’t need to keep an edge to straightline flat terrain. But you won’t learn it unless you take some hits while catching an edge at speed. Just get a back protector and some crash pants if you wan’t less pain. Can’t do much about the face plants.

Easier to always stay on an edge thought, but it will cost you speed on the flats.

And if you didn’t prep and wax your board, do it. It makes a big difference.


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## WigMar (Mar 17, 2019)

If you're afraid of going fast on cat tracks, never wax and you'll go slower for sure. If speed in general is not cool with you, grab a board with an extruded base and deny it wax. Your speed will be much more manageable. If you're afraid of catching an edge, grab a Bataleon with 3bt and stop worrying about it. Comfort at speed comes with time on a board.


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

What used to bother me about cat tracks was not so much speed as the narrowness. With only limited space to turn or brake (and at the time being a beginner) I was nervous about being able to stay in control. I think you need to start by identifying exactly what it is about cat tracks in particular that bothers you. It could be speed, it could be perceived lack of control or options, it could be the fact that cat track snow tends to be hard and crappy, it could be the looming threat of a drop-off on one side.

As far as the unconscious turning, I had the same problem with jumps initially, and would always come down more or less sideways to the fall line. Didn't work out well. My solution in that case was to try to rotate slightly in the opposite direction, i.e. go off the lip with my toeside edge engaged and rotated slightly to toeside. Net result was a pretty much straight launch. You might find a mental trick like that helps a bit.


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## Scalpelman (Dec 5, 2017)

Always engaging an edge is easy to say when you’re first starting. Sometimes I alternate edges. Like long mini turns. It also helps with leg/calf strain on longer flats.


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## foe (Feb 10, 2017)

Been there, done that!
So there are a few things going on:
Fear of speed
Technique on flat terrain
Challenges of cat tracks

Fear of speed. This is normal when you are just starting out. Basically the more time you spend on a board, the more comfortable you will get... but... you will still need to push yourself (at least a little bit) each time.
Find a mellow slope with a good amount of space. Nothing too flat - you need to be able to pick up speed. Practice the turns you have been learning but in the middle of each turn force yourself to spend a bit longer pointing down the fall line (downhill). As you pick up speed _gently_ use your weight to _slowly_ complete the turn. Be patient and instead of skidding a speed check, ride out the turn and reduce your speed by travelling across the fall line, before starting your next turn. There are two objectives here: firstly, to gradually increase the speed you are comfortable with, secondly, to train yourself not to panic and instead to trust that you can control your speed with the size and shape of your turns.

Technique on flat terrain. 
When you try making your beginner S turns on flat terrain you will either kill all your speed and stop and/or you will catch an edge and fall. So instead of big S turns you need to use a combination of flat basing and subtle edge pressure. 
As mentioned above, flat basing is also a good way to catch an edge and fall! The key is to keep your weight/pressure towards the nose of your board and allowing the tail to follow. You will probably feel need to really exaggerate this to start with as your instinct will be to lean back towards the tail of the board (there are lots of other threads on this already). It’s easiest to practice this away from cat tracks, for example as you get to the bottom of a run and the piste flattens out. 
Flat basing is an important skill but being slightly on one of your edges will give you much more control. On flat terrain and cat tracks I probably spend 90% of the time on an edge and only 10% actually flat basing. It’s a subtle thing: as Wigmar said, just flex your shins into your boots and you will be on your toe edge, and, like Scalpelman, I like to alternate edges in a rhythm essentially doing mini turns. What really helped this click for me was learning “cross-under turns” (where you keep your board pretty much pointing down the fall line and flex you ankles to get it on one edge then the other ina series of small arcs underneath you - again there are loads of threads on them here). Really fun to learn in their own right but I now do a super-subtle version on flat terrain and cat tracks.

Challenges of cat tracks
Donutz has already pointed out lots of reasons why cat tracks are not fun for beginners so practice the stuff above (speed, flat-basing, riding an edge) away from them on slopes where you have more space. 
For me the main challenge on cat tracks was/is the narrowness because this compounds everything else (speed, flats/uphills, ice, traffic etc etc). 
Key thing for me is to look ahead (sounds obvious right?!!) anticipate what’s coming and use the terrain to your advantage: when there’s a bend in the track: ride on the relevant edge to make the turn, look ahead for changes in gradient (for example allow yourself to pick up speed _now_ because you can see a flat/uphill section ahead).
On a similar note, maybe try following someone else down the track? My daughter is at the point-and-go stage of learning to ski (i.e. “what’s a turn?”) and when I’m trying to keep her in sight I don’t (over)think about what I’m doing!

Hope that helps somewhat. I’ve been in your position and now whilst I don’t always love cat tracks I can often enjoy them.

Nb It’s great that you had a lesson and I would always recommend them. Even after a number of years I get 1-2 a season. 

Nb 2 i mentioned this in another thread about speed: I highly recommend the book “Inner Skiing” if you are interested in the psychological aspect to learning and dealing with fear etc.


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## garikgarik (Dec 15, 2011)

Separate your lower body from upper body. Get a little loose. Drive the board with your legs. Get centered within sidecut of your board. While you are flatbasing you must do micro adjustments to compensate the bumps, if your lower and upper body are absolutely squared/acting like one and legs are stiff/not absorbing the bumps, you will be pivoting uncontrollably and every little bump will throw you of axis, then you’ll land on the wrong edge and fall hard. Beginners are often taught to turn the board with upper body, later on riders just drive it with legs.
Also try to look straight and don’t panic if the board moves under you. 
Falling on flats sucks.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Management of fear, stoke, skills and execution is the magic combo. Understand that when your edges are parallel to the fall line and that your body is stacked and aligned in the cereal box with slight weight on the nose...there are no edges to catch. Don't fight the board or gravity...let the board flow down the fall line...even if the cat track is fairly flat and narrow. Also LOOSEN-UP da body....via a loosened mind.


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## t21 (Dec 29, 2010)

Not panicking on cat tracks is easier said than done. beginners are afraid to run into someone especially into kids. speed checking should be done sooner while looking ahead of how the skiers/riders are doing in front of you. If the cat track has a drop edge on one side, use the hill to slow down by riding on the side but not going over the top. as you ride up on the side drop your tail slightly to use it as a brake, stay in control of your board. If passing someone, call out the side you are passing then pass safely. Flat terrains is where you should practice your turns. S turns long and short quick turns and quick speed checks to be able to slow down prior to hitting cat tracks. Avoid putting all your weigh on your back leg when initiating these turns because you will get tired quickly and you could wash out as you try to slow down.


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## garikgarik (Dec 15, 2011)

Also having a rocker in the middle of the board complicates flat-basing, camber helps to keep the board straight, but on rocker it is easier to skid and go slow on cat-tracks. Cat tracks are usually steep enough to skid the turns, or roll the board under you from one edge to another.
Camber works better, if you have to ride through long flat parts, or if some sections of your pistes go uphill, then you have to flatbase, like you are in bordercross, unless you want to unstrap and skate or walk.
If you must flatbase and maintain speed to get through the flat section of your piste, and especially if the snow is hard, your board will be getting inputs from you and also from the slope’s imperfections: bumps, holes, changes of slope angles. Whenever you notice, that the board moves funny under you, try to get lower, kinda do the squat, so you will press into the board evenly with both legs but don’t bend in your waist, think of legs like a suspension and steering unit.
At some point you’ll be going scary fast, then breath, don’t freeze, don’t panic, eventually you will loose the speed anyway, or reach the place where the slope is steep enough and you can speedcheck.


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## garikgarik (Dec 15, 2011)

When we learn how to turn, the hard part is the turn initiation when we lean into the turn and kinda press into the edge but not enough to engage the sidecut and board still goes straight. You kind of want that while flatbasing.


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## ciokan (Apr 18, 2021)

Donutz said:


> My solution in that case was to try to rotate slightly in the opposite direction


This is something I'll try right away. To basically overcompensate the subconscious movements with conscious ones.


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## ciokan (Apr 18, 2021)

foe said:


> Been there, done that!
> So there are a few things going on:
> Fear of speed
> Technique on flat terrain
> ...


Awesome stuff, thank you.


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## garikgarik (Dec 15, 2011)

Another tip - apply pressure with both of your legs simultaneously. On flat terrain if your front leg presses on toe edge or heel, your back leg can’t really stay flat, it almost always will press the opposite edge and twist the board, you don’t want that


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## Maya (Mar 9, 2021)

foe said:


> Nb 2 i mentioned this in another thread about speed: I highly recommend the book “Inner Skiing” if you are interested in the psychological aspect to learning and dealing with fear etc.


This seems interesting. Book will be on my ereader before the end fo the day.


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## Surgeon (Apr 13, 2020)

Keep your weight on the front foot in those situations.


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## Manicmouse (Apr 7, 2014)

Surgeon said:


> Keep your weight on the front foot in those situations.


If the board starts getting squirrelly, get your weight forward again and try to keep your body loose with your knees bent.


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