# How are my turns?



## newguy36 (Feb 23, 2010)

Here's a video from the end of last season. How's my form?

Snowboarding - YouTube


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## Tristan-NZ (Oct 15, 2011)

Not a pro so won't comment on turns although they look good. 

Camera man bail


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## Matt166 (Oct 19, 2011)

Your hips are a out of line on your toeside turns - notice how you have a straight front leg and bent back leg? This normally puts people in the back seat a little bit, which makes controlling your speed on your toes on steeps difficult. 

I would work on that for now, then on some flexion and extension. Your lower body is pretty static, apart from you pushing your back leg out on those toe turns of course because your not steering the board with your front foot.

Not bad tho.


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

newguy36 said:


> Here's a video from the end of last season. How's my form?
> 
> Snowboarding - YouTube


How's my form??? your doing ollies and 180's and such :laugh:

Looks like your at Cascade, if you ever make it to Alpine Valley in East Troy drop me a pm


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## newguy36 (Feb 23, 2010)

Thanks guys! Only 40some days until I can work on moving into dynamic turns.


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## Karasene (Oct 20, 2010)

This thread makes me wonder what I could improve on... 

To the OP have fun this season!! Pushing yourself to progress is what gets me up in the morning. We'll want an update the beginning of next year:thumbsup:


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## Snownad (Oct 17, 2011)

Im guilty of the backseating. Going to try and fix that this year. Helpful thread.


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## Bayoh (Dec 17, 2010)

Snownad said:


> Im guilty of the backseating. Going to try and fix that this year. Helpful thread.


Leaning back is probably the biggest hindrance I see riders have when they're learning/perfecting to link turns. Hell, I fall prey to it too when I get intimidated by the hill. I remind myself that I need to commit to the line I take and lean forward. Can't turn if the front wheels don't have traction!


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## hhaidar (Feb 1, 2011)

To the OP. Respect for putting yourself out there! Snowolf and Matt's advice is on point. Your upper body IS very quiet and looks well aligned with the board and turn shape is very nice. Think about keeping both knees bent equally and you will get your weight centered. From there, flexion and extension will be easy to add. 
To think of flexion and extension, think of pushing your legs out at towards the apex of the turn, and bending the knees more as the board passes under you. (Suck it-Push it is an easy way to remember it for some reason!). One exercise to try is to is to picture yourself riding down a long hallway. Try to push your board out to the sides of the hallway, as your body takes a path down the middle. If that doesn't make sense let me know and I'll try to word it better.
How long have you been riding BTW?


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## IdahoFreshies (Jul 9, 2011)

Snowolf said:


> Yep, it is nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone whether rider or skier does this and only experience and confidence breaks you of it. I do it too when on something scary like this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


on the topic of form in shit like that, whats your advice for riding chutes/steep ass double diamonds in utah. The last time i was in utah i was at powder mtn which doesent have really stupid steep stuff, it was also a 2ft pow day so i stuck to glades, and the time before that i was at snowbird but it was icy as shit and didnt want to hit the double diamonds with that much ice. So provided i get my utah trip this year to snowbird or the canyons or one of the resorts and there is some workable snow, i would like to find some chutes and utah style double blacks. Any good tips, besides the dont lean back too much previously stated in this thread?


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## Ryan_T (Oct 18, 2011)

Ha, when I tried to hit steep blues or blacks, I just yell "ATTACK!!" in my head. Seems to work...although it backfires once in a while. Luckily nothing broken...so far.


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## newguy36 (Feb 23, 2010)

hhaidar said:


> To the OP. Respect for putting yourself out there! Snowolf and Matt's advice is on point. Your upper body IS very quiet and looks well aligned with the board and turn shape is very nice. Think about keeping both knees bent equally and you will get your weight centered. From there, flexion and extension will be easy to add.
> To think of flexion and extension, think of pushing your legs out at towards the apex of the turn, and bending the knees more as the board passes under you. (Suck it-Push it is an easy way to remember it for some reason!). One exercise to try is to is to picture yourself riding down a long hallway. Try to push your board out to the sides of the hallway, as your body takes a path down the middle. If that doesn't make sense let me know and I'll try to word it better.
> How long have you been riding BTW?


Last year was my first full season. Total I have about 14 days standing sideways. I wish I could go more throughout the season. . I think I'll have about ten more days under my belt by the end off this season. I really want to get dynamic turns down and start getting comfy in the air this season.


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## hhaidar (Feb 1, 2011)

you're already off to a strong start. The best thing you can to do to progress from here is to set some achievable goals and figure out what the best steps to take are to get there.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

IdahoFreshies said:


> on the topic of form in shit like that, whats your advice for riding chutes/steep ass double diamonds in utah. The last time i was in utah i was at powder mtn which doesent have really stupid steep stuff, it was also a 2ft pow day so i stuck to glades, and the time before that i was at snowbird but it was icy as shit and didnt want to hit the double diamonds with that much ice. So provided i get my utah trip this year to snowbird or the canyons or one of the resorts and there is some workable snow, i would like to find some chutes and utah style double blacks. Any good tips, besides the dont lean back too much previously stated in this thread?


PNW chutes and steeps on 2 ft pow day...scope, pick your line...point it, keep loose...slash and destroy. On an ice day...walk away and live to ride another day.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Snowolf said:


> Yep, it is nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone whether rider or skier does this and only experience and confidence breaks you of it. I do it too when on something scary like this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


If that is pow...so slash-able, if its warm and wet spring...looks fun...and if glazed or icy...walk away...you don't want to loose it and go careening off the planet.


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## jdang307 (Feb 6, 2011)

Bayoh said:


> Leaning back is probably the biggest hindrance I see riders have when they're learning/perfecting to link turns. Hell, I fall prey to it too when I get intimidated by the hill. I remind myself that I need to commit to the line I take and lean forward. Can't turn if the front wheels don't have traction!


Is it weird that when I'm on a steep hill, my first inclination is too lean a little forward to steer with my front foot? I find it's easier for me to turn and I need to turn so I don't go flying down the hill. I notice when I lean back it's harder to turn and I actually gather speed too fast. So when I'm looking at a steep hill I lean forward and go, helps me with control for some reason


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## Bayoh (Dec 17, 2010)

jdang307 said:


> Is it weird that when I'm on a steep hill, my first inclination is too lean a little forward to steer with my front foot? I find it's easier for me to turn and I need to turn so I don't go flying down the hill. I notice when I lean back it's harder to turn and I actually gather speed too fast. So when I'm looking at a steep hill I lean forward and go, helps me with control for some reason


Turn initiation is started at the front, when you lean back you lose that. By leaning forward on a steep you're more squarely centering yourself over your board allowing it to do it's job. Our natural instinct is to lean back up the hill to be in line with gravity, when being perpendicular to the slope is what's required to ride the board properly.


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## jdang307 (Feb 6, 2011)

Bayoh said:


> Turn initiation is started at the front, when you lean back you lose that. By leaning forward on a steep you're more squarely centering yourself over your board allowing it to do it's job. Our natural instinct is to lean back up the hill to be in line with gravity, when being perpendicular to the slope is what's required to ride the board properly.


For some reason my natural instinct is to lean forward. I guess I learned quickly on that


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## IdahoFreshies (Jul 9, 2011)

thanks for the great reply!! It looks like i will be working on refining the fore-aft weight shifting this year. Is that something that some what happens on its own already by initiating turn and changing edges, or do i need to the thinking about it and making sure to shift my weight each time? also im not sure if im too tall while riding, i dont think i am, i am pretty sure i usually keep a low aggressive stance. so ill keep that in mind and see if i need to not be as stiff legged. That chute looked killer if it would have had some decent snow all the way down, but that just looked miserable.


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## oneshot (Oct 8, 2010)

take advice from the Euro's
"you carve you carve, you no slide.. even when its icy..."


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## IdahoFreshies (Jul 9, 2011)

i think ill take advice from capt. snowolf up there instead.


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## oneshot (Oct 8, 2010)

Classsics of carving..


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## Jenzo (Oct 14, 2008)

IdahoFreshies said:


> on the topic of form in shit like that, whats your advice for riding chutes/steep ass double diamonds in utah. The last time i was in utah i was at powder mtn which doesent have really stupid steep stuff, it was also a 2ft pow day so i stuck to glades, and the time before that i was at snowbird but it was icy as shit and didnt want to hit the double diamonds with that much ice. So provided i get my utah trip this year to snowbird or the canyons or one of the resorts and there is some workable snow, i would like to find some chutes and utah style double blacks. Any good tips, besides the dont lean back too much previously stated in this thread?


Depends how ridden it is... that's when you get into jump turning on moguls. God I love steep pow runs with no skiered up shit on em, though it can be fun too. One great thing about Silver Star, lots of double blacks. When I went to Mt. Bachelor the conditions were so bad they had warning signs all over this gondola run (it was like a double black of ice, literally). I made it down but it was a bit scarey as if you fell you slide, allllll the way down. To me steep double blacks with mogles and decent snow are nothing, ice is the enemy!


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## viennadisco (Nov 10, 2011)

Matt166 said:


> Your hips are a out of line on your toeside turns - notice how you have a straight front leg and bent back leg? This normally puts people in the back seat a little bit, which makes controlling your speed on your toes on steeps difficult.
> 
> I would work on that for now, then on some flexion and extension. Your lower body is pretty static, apart from you pushing your back leg out on those toe turns of course because your not steering the board with your front foot.
> 
> Not bad tho.


Thanks OP for this, I found this site searching for snowboarding steep hills. I have a very similar style to you and I am having a problem controlling my speed on the steep stuff. Lots of good info here, thanks Matt and Snowolf.


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## Peaceryder (Nov 21, 2011)

oneshot said:


> take advice from the Euro's
> "you carve you carve, you no slide.. even when its icy..."


Haha, those europeans know how to get it done. Technically if you're 'sliding' down the mountain, you're going toooooooo slow! Think it's mostly to do with confidence because any intermediate and up rider will tell you that double blacks are WAYYYYYYY easier to ride down than say a green where you have zero speed.... When I first learned snowboarding I went with my buddy (expert skier) who took me on nothing less than double blacks most of the time and when you're doing that you have to commit to a line going down, lol, so it forces you to actually learn to snowboard the right way. Not gonna lie, my board took a beating going over rocks because I wussed out and 'slid' sideways down the hill for a short time, but what happens is you say to yourself, screw this man, I'm going for it and you point your board down the steepest line and JUST DO IT. WAIT MAN, that's not so bad, my turns flowed so smoothly and I had such awesome consistent momentum. Plus, many stay away from the real steeps, hehe, so you always get a pow run! 
I dunno, went into a bit of a tangent here. The gist of what I'm saying is sometimes you learn best by throwing yourself down the mountain. I found that my once stiff leg going down runs was caused by me being mentally lazy. Why? because I had zero speed and was waiting for the turn to start itself (I'm sure many shredders know what I mean here). Getting sick of catching an edge, falling on ur arse or w/e, then point your board down and charge at it with confidence. P.s. when you (crash) on a double black you don't have far to fall because you're already laying down in the freshie when you carve 



Jenzo said:


> Depends how ridden it is... that's when you get into jump turning on moguls. God I love steep pow runs with no skiered up shit on em, though it can be fun too. One great thing about Silver Star, lots of double blacks. When I went to Mt. Bachelor the conditions were so bad they had warning signs all over this gondola run (it was like a double black of ice, literally). I made it down but it was a bit scarey as if you fell you slide, allllll the way down. To me steep double blacks with mogles and decent snow are nothing, ice is the enemy!
> 
> This reminds me of Kicking Horse Resort if you've ever been. It's a GEM of pow most days, that is until you get to the bottom portion of the hill where it's a skating rink every spring, lol.


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## [email protected] (Nov 23, 2011)

Shoulders are open....try pretending like you are putting your lead hand in your trailing pocket. Not initiating your turns with your front foot....try putting more weight on your leading foot. Sorry if I repeated others didnt look through the replies.


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