# Is it me? the board? my stance?



## jyuen (Dec 16, 2007)

It could be that your stiffer board is harder to learn on? softer boards are more playful and much easier to control but once u start getting some speed you'll wish you had a smaller board. 

Not really sure though... isn't the atomic hatchet a men's board? 

I would think that the buttery fun hatchet would still be stiffer than a female's all mountain freestyle board? :dunno:

a shorter board might make things easier too?


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

Bindings set up properly? I was having problems controlling my old K2 and the problem turned out to be that the boots weren't centered.


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## ceridwen (Dec 14, 2011)

jyuen said:


> It could be that your stiffer board is harder to learn on? softer boards are more playful and much easier to control but once u start getting some speed you'll wish you had a smaller board.
> 
> Not really sure though... isn't the atomic hatchet a men's board?
> 
> ...


The Hatchet is a men's board. My friend is a fair bit larger than I am (5'10", 155lbs) and wasn't very worried about having a women's board. She got it really cheap at a ski swap (in essentially new condition).

I do think the Hatchet is a bit softer than my board, though the rental board I also tried was much stiffer as far as I could tell. I could barely bend the thing. Stiffness and size don't seem to be the answer since both boards were even larger than mine (which I do think is too big) and at least one was stiffer.



Donutz said:


> Bindings set up properly? I was having problems controlling my old K2 and the problem turned out to be that the boots weren't centered.


I'm thinking this could be part of it. I thought I had them centered but when I went to check last night it seemed like I had the bindings centered but the boots a bit biased to the toe side of the board. I've now moved them to make the boots more centered. Have to wait for Saturday to see if it made a difference though.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

flex...softer is easier
sidecut shape...deeper for sharper turns
width...narrower easier to get on edge and edge to edge response

centered as to width...there are 3 centers
foot centered
boot centered
binding centered

and then the forward lean can help width leveraging the heelside edge
and ankle strap placement...the higher the more leveraging the toeside edge

and then there is plate or binding baseplate height...the higher off the board the better/more efficient it is to pressure the edge...this is one advantage to using riser plates

and binding angle...the closer to 0 or the more direct pressure to the edges...for example if my front binding is at +15 I loose alot of power...but when it is at +12 is my sweet spot

fwiw...good luck


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