# Dave's Learning Journal



## JTCarver

Great journal. It will be fun for you to look back on your journey to shredding. 

Is learning to ride while "pretty buzzed" helping or hindering your progression?


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## fr0z1k

Awesome journal 
Although i wouldn't recommend noobies going exactly the same way you did (especially going in "buzzed" for starters) but there are a lot of helpful stuff here 

P.S: I'm not against going in "buzzed", i do it sometimes myself, but it is very dangerous for noobies. I know someone who went in "buzzed", flew off the track into a tree and his liver exploded... So take care dude...


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## dave785

JTCarver said:


> Great journal. It will be fun for you to look back on your journey to shredding.
> 
> Is learning to ride while "pretty buzzed" helping or hindering your progression?


Definitely helping - it loosens the muscles and makes me less afraid of leaning forwards. Combine it with the padding and I credit that with my ability to progress so quickly.

But I'm not drunk by any means. I don't care about putting myself in danger but I would NEVER put anyone else in danger. My biggest hang up right now is that I still don't feel too comfortable getting too close to other people. especially since I'm still learning the skid out point of my edges.


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## KIRKRIDER

dave785 said:


> Definitely helping - it loosens the muscles and makes me less afraid of leaning forwards. Combine it with the padding and I credit that with my ability to progress so quickly.
> 
> But I'm not drunk by any means. I don't care about putting myself in danger but I would NEVER put anyone else in danger. My biggest hang up right now is that I still don't feel too comfortable getting too close to other people. especially since I'm still learning the skid out point of my edges.


Try pot too...great for muscle pain and generally to relax and flow on the board. And better does not impairs vision or balance. ;-)


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## JTCarver

KIRKRIDER said:


> Try pot instead...great for muscle pain and generally to relax and flow on the board. And better does not impairs vision or balance. ;-)


Fixed it for you


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## dave785

Haha thanks guys. I used to smoke weed a bunch but I've grown out of it. It just doesn't appeal to me anymore and I hate how stupid it makes me (in the short term anyway).


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## KIRKRIDER

dave785 said:


> Haha thanks guys. I used to smoke weed a bunch but I've grown out of it. It just doesn't appeal to me anymore and I hate how stupid it makes me (in the short term anyway).


Nothing personal...but why booze makes you smart? I am talking about half a spliff every hour or so, not backed after dabbing 3 times in a row... Use..not abuse.


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## dave785

Booze doesn't make me smart but it doesn't demotivate me later on in the week. Some people can function really well with weed... For me it makes me lazy and tired with a hint of paranoia. I wish that wasn't the case but I work really long hours during the week and really can't afford to be anything less than 110%. It's a shame because I'd easily be able to get a medical prescription for my knee too. 

High Dave = procrastinating and worrying Dave.
Drunk Dave = asinine but motivated Dave. Makes for better stories too


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## KIRKRIDER

dave785 said:


> Booze doesn't make me smart but it doesn't demotivate me later on in the week. Some people can function really well with weed... For me it makes me lazy and tired with a hint of paranoia. I wish that wasn't the case but I work really long hours during the week and really can't afford to be anything less than 110%. It's a shame because I'd easily be able to get a medical prescription for my knee too.
> 
> High Dave = procrastinating and worrying Dave.
> Drunk Dave = asinine but motivated Dave. Makes for better stories too



Ok...so Cannabis makes you lazy..(maybe) but not stupid. That line I didn't like  you sounded like my wife. 

It actually helps me instead. Opposite as you. I work 6 days a week 10 hours a day.


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## dave785

It makes me SOUND stupid haha.

Whereas with alcohol it actually makes me stupid.


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## JTCarver

Best option: try riding with a clear head. Rather than numb any fears, embrace them and conquer them. It's awareness of the subtle changes and the ability to correct and not over-correct that will take your riding to the next level. If you can't really feel what's going on, learning will be difficult.


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## deagol

I would get rid of the pads, too..


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## XxGoGirlxX

:rotfl: thanks for a fun read. "I'd never put anyone in danger..." yep I'm pretty sure the drunk driver tells himself this very same thing. I'm sure I'm in the minority but I don't ride buzzed and dont wanna be taken out by anyone else who rides that way either! I get a major Buzz from adrenaline thou.


JTCarver said:


> Best option: try riding with a clear head. Rather than numb any fears, embrace them and conquer them. It's awareness of the subtle changes and the ability to correct and not over-correct that will take your riding to the next level. If you can't really feel what's going on, learning will be difficult.


+1 absolutely!


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## snowklinger

erm...the mountains sell booze like the ball park.

I know bartenders at a nothing mountain make like $4-700/shift.

kind of a big bull to grab teh horns of.


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## dave785

this thread has turned into a really lame intervention.


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## XxGoGirlxX

dave785 said:


> this thread has turned into a really lame intervention.


Dude it started with a melodramatic journal entry don't blame me for where it ended up. "I got in a huge argument with my gf..." lmao!!!
Facing and conquering the fear is like lifechanging to me this season, that's more what I wanted to quote. :shrug:


snowklinger said:


> kind of a big bull to grab teh horns of.


Haha ya nvm


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## SnowDogWax

Anyone who *needs* a drink to do something has a problem:dizzy:


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## dave785

SnowDogWax said:


> Anyone who *needs* a drink to do something has a problem:dizzy:


agreed...

Anyway, I'm heading to the southeast next week for a vacation and I'm wondering if i should try to hit the mountains in North Carolina to practice before park city utah on feb 27th. It would definitely be a drive for me... in a rental car... but it could be fun.


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## fr0z1k

dave785 said:


> this thread has turned into a really lame intervention.


Lol i was thinking the exact same thing :grin:
But please by all means continue writing your journal, i'm really waiting to know what will be the end>


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## ridinbend

My little 23yr old brother rides a lot at SS and Bear, if you ever want a riding partner I'm sure he'd join ya. He's an intermediate rider, may be faster, but riding with others that are better always pushed me. Hit me up on a PM if you want his info


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## dave785

I did sugar mountain and beech mountain on monday/tues/weds this week in North Carolina (in the south on vacation). I used ski track and my top speed was 35mph (Hit it both days) with a consistent sustained speed of around 25MPH when i was trying. i feel like i could get it higher in west coast / mid west snow. 

I've gotten pretty advanced but my board keeps washing out at me if I turn on a steep incline. It's like i'll hit a slight bump and then when my board (or a part of it) lands, it does this skid bouncing thing and I end up falling/washing out. It happens much more often on very steep runs, and only when i'm trying to hold on edge... I don't even have to be going that fast for it to happen, if my weight ever straights going down the mountain then I know i'll fall. i feel like if i just went straight down the damn thing without ever putting too much pressure on an edge then i'd be ok haha.

My current goal is to keep my pressure even between both sides of an edge. In other words, I don't want to put too much pressure on the edge at once but gradually apply the pressure, and make sure that my left leg and right leg are putting equal pressure on the edges. I've gotten to the point where when I go over a bump my body kind of lowers itself so that my momentum stays where it is... knees are becoming shock absorbers. It's made me much more comfortable at speed... but it's so much harder to do on a steep incline. 

On greens and easy blues I'm actually able to carve now. At least I think i'm carving because when i come out of the turn I'm going faster than I was going into it haha. I'm noticing that in order to do it i have to really lean back with my shoulders which has been an interesting thing to learn because it's exactly what I was doing _unintentionally_ to turn when I first started learning snowboarding... and i would then bite it at speed haha.

Currently ride a 160W Never Summer Snowtrooper. I'm 6'2" and weigh 185. ride goofy. 

Really looking hard at a "Yes Pick Your line" or a "K2 Joy Driver" for next season.

I have park city coming up in a week, and Mammoth CA in two weeks. Won't buy a new board for then but I'm excited to see how much better I can get.


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## dave785

oh and i didn't drink at all during that trip.

and it sucked (not drinking sucked, trip was great) drinking is fun. screw you guys and your interventions lol.

drinking to make a good time even better is a great idea. it's drinking to make a bad time good that'll get you in trouble. also, drinking by yourself (and i was by myself this trip)


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## poutanen

Good show on keeping track of your progress! Although it seems like you made a typical rookie mistake and went "down blacks" and double blacks before you're really ready. I know you said you're used to bombing the mountain on your skis, but there's a big difference between snowboarding, and snowboarding well.

Now that you've conquered the mountain, have you thought about trying more lessons to really work on getting the technique down pat?

Have fun!


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## chomps1211

dave785 said:


> ....drinking to make a good time even better is a great idea. it's drinking to make a bad time good that'll get you in trouble. also, drinking by yourself (and i was by myself this trip)


I had sum of the Best Times I'll Never Remember with Alcohol! :grin:>


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## PsycaTk

Awesome Journal! I am the one debating between the rome and the rossignol boards. Your entry about your Neversummer board is kinda swaying me to buy a better one. I am heading down to ski shop now to check it out in person.


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## poutanen

PsycaTk said:


> Awesome Journal! I am the one debating between the rome and the rossignol boards. Your entry about your Neversummer board is kinda swaying me to buy a better one. I am heading down to ski shop now to check it out in person.


Don't overthink board decisions for your first year. Honestly anything that's roughly the right size will be fine to learn on. The OP mentioning he was catching edges with camber is showing that at that time he needed more lessons and time working on technique.

Once you get over it, you should really never catch an edge again. If you do, you ride lazy.


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## XxGoGirlxX

I didnt say or think a thing till you brought it up again! Fogetaboutit and have fun yo, if iwas that uptight id be on skis flipping my hair around!


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## poutanen

dave785 said:


> On greens and easy blues I'm actually able to carve now. At least I think i'm carving because when i come out of the turn I'm going faster than I was going into it haha.


This is carving:






It's essentially tilting the board on angle and using the sidecut to turn instead of sliding through the turns. You'll know you're carving when you look back at your tracks and see nothing but a 4" wide little trench in the snow! >

It's a lot of fun to tear up the groomers with your body laid out like that!


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## wrathfuldeity

dave785 said:


> I've gotten pretty advanced but my board keeps washing out at me if I turn on a steep incline. It's like i'll hit a slight bump and then when my board (or a part of it) lands, it does this skid bouncing thing and I end up falling/washing out. It happens much more often on very steep runs, and only when i'm trying to hold on edge... I don't even have to be going that fast for it to happen, if my weight ever straights going down the mountain then I know i'll fall. *i feel like if i just went straight down the damn thing without ever putting too much pressure on an edge then i'd be ok haha.*
> 
> I've gotten to the point where when I go over a bump my body kind of lowers itself so that my momentum stays where it is... knees are becoming shock absorbers. It's made me much more comfortable at speed... but it's so much harder to do on a steep incline.
> .


Ya kind of answered your own thing that needs to happen...yup go straighter down the hill but engage the turning edge. You are getting too transverse of the fall line and your edge is giving out. The trick is to stay in control ... and hence the edge engagement. I'm not a skier...but skiers often get their skis tranverse/@90 degrees of the fall line (and a lot of boarders) but you want to flow the fall line...like keeping your ski tips (and nose of the board) pointed to within 45 degrees of the fall line. Yes sir you will be hauling ass...but you already know how to read and select lines using the terrain and patches of snow to turn. 

And it sounds like you are using your quads as shock absorbers and sucking up the little bumps. You are doing fine. Instead of using your hands and keeping them out front and punching your turns like in skiing...you are using your leading shoulder in coordination with your leading hip to pre-rotate (punch) the turns....hope that makes sense. A drill is to go on a challenging but doable blue run...focus on keeping your leading shoulder pointed right down the fall line and then getting the board to move under you but keeping the nose of the board within 45 degrees of the fall line....very similar to skiing...keeping your self facing down the fall line and moving your lower body under a quiet upper body.


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## dave785

poutanen said:


> This is carving:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's essentially tilting the board on angle and using the sidecut to turn instead of sliding through the turns. You'll know you're carving when you look back at your tracks and see nothing but a 4" wide little trench in the snow! >
> 
> It's a lot of fun to tear up the groomers with your body laid out like that!


yeah that's kinda what it looks like. i don't go nearly that deep though but i can get to that point where i kinda "lock in" to the carve by having my body weight and my lean at a certain angle. I just never get that deep with my lean because i think i'd wash out...

but i try to go deeper and deeper each time haha. hard to do that on a really steep run though. i try to always have my shoulders parallel to the ground.

i've noticed that i need a lot of room for carving though. My two biggest wipeouts on tuesday were when I accidentally did a heel side carve right into a father-son duo and a skier lol. technically they were behind me so it's their fault... but i was probably moving faster and they didn't have a lot of room to dodge me since i was making such wide turns. 

Current goal when carving is to not "skid" at all. I'd try to get lower but I feel like the lower I get the harder it would be for me to come out of the turn. and that makes me nervous when there are other people around.. especially if i'm doing a heel side carve towards my blind side.


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## poutanen

dave785 said:


> Current goal when carving is to not "skid" at all. I'd try to get lower but I feel like the lower I get the harder it would be for me to come out of the turn. and that makes me nervous when there are other people around.. especially if i'm doing a heel side carve towards my blind side.


Sounds like you're on the right track. The key to learning to carve is to master is on moderate terrain before getting into the steeper stuff.

Also, if you work on getting the board on an edge without your body angulating too much, you'll be doing shorter, slower carves without washing out. Again, good to work on this technique. The video above is pretty much "extreme" carving. Watch the video below to see what mellow carving is. Watch when he's on his toe edge, he points his knees to the ground, but his back is still quite upright. Best to practice carving on a wide open blue run with good grooming and no-one around. Or wait for a gap in the people to try some turns.

Carving begins at 1:05





As you gain confidence, ride under a lift and carve, then when you're going back up you can check your tracks. It's awesome to see a little trench and then a quick flip, then another little trench, etc. >


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## dave785

I'm thinking about selling my board and buying a new one.

Torn between Jones Flagship, Yes PYL, and Jones Mountain Twin.

I really like the jones flagship and the way it looks... But I'm worried that it might not hold an edge as well as the Yes PYL on groomers or in ice/crud. At the same time, I've read that the flagship is easy to turn at low speeds while the yes PYL can be very catchy at low speeds.

I want a board that can kill it on groomers, but that can do well in Pow too... I'm gradually starting to realize though that I'll need to have two boards though lol.


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## wrathfuldeity

dave785 said:


> I want a board that can kill it on groomers, but that can do well in Pow too... I'm gradually starting to realize though that I'll need to have two boards though lol.


the quiver awakens...its the only way to scratch both itches....and there will be moar itches to scratch.


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## JTCarver

poutanen said:


> The key to learning to carve is to master is on moderate terrain before getting into the steeper stuff.


This! 

Nothing will slow your progression like riding terrain that's above your skill level. I see the same people all day side skidding/tomahawking down the blacks without even being able to link turns. At the end of the day, they've done less runs and learned little but the need for Gore-tex due to the amount of time spent laying in the snow and not riding.


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## dave785

yeah that seems about right, I can do really easy blacks, but there are a few blacks that'll have really short but really steep spots that I just wash out on every time. I'm sure that if I was better at controlling my balance and my application of downward force I'd be OK... but I need to practice more. 

The blues are fun though and I can really practice real carving on them. I can't carve on the blacks though... not really. I tend to wash out on a heel side turn on the blacks... I'm trying to practice keeping the downward force on my heel edge to a minimum by leaning forwards more and having more of the force go sideways.. but i think i'm trying to turn TOO quickly and that's what's causing too much force on my heel edge and then the skid bounce to wash out. I've gotten good at keeping the downward force balanced between my two feet though.


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## poutanen

wrathfuldeity said:


> the quiver awakens...its the only way to scratch both itches....and there will be moar itches to scratch.


Unless you ride a Virus Avalanche FLP AFT!!! >

Oh man I must sound like a broken record. Had the Virus and the Prior Khyber out in Fernie this weekend, and I think the Virus actually floats better than the Prior too... Damn it's tough to admit but I've tried a lot or boards and that bloody Virus is the beans!


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## dave785

I just bought a dupraz D1+.... Whoops.

I think I have a problem. I've been boarding for only two months and already have three boards lol.


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## SnowDogWax

Had a problem with buying snowboards. Then I bought the Dupraz... Now my quiver has Whoops gotten way smaller.. Again you will love the Dupraz the D1 5'5"+ is a perfect fit.


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## dave785

SnowDogWax said:


> Had a problem with buying snowboards. Then I bought the Dupraz... Now my quiver has Whoops gotten way smaller.. Again you will love the Dupraz the D1 5'5"+ is a perfect fit.


Nice, thank you.

Quick question - if I had to have only one other snowboard to go with the dupraz, what should I get? I was thinking about getting an all mountain twin that performs well on ice and in the park... Basically fill the gaps in the dupraz. I was eyeing the jones ultra mountain twin... But the more I look at it the more it starts to look like the same board lol. Maybe an arbor element? I dunno.


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## ridinbend

dave785 said:


> Nice, thank you.
> 
> Quick question - if I had to have only one other snowboard to go with the dupraz, what should I get? I was thinking about getting an all mountain twin that performs well on ice and in the park... Basically fill the gaps in the dupraz. I was eyeing the jones ultra mountain twin... But the more I look at it the more it starts to look like the same board lol. Maybe an arbor element? I dunno.


Just to be clear, the bulk of your riding is done in big bear right? Assuming that's the case, why not get a board to accommodate and match snow conditions at bear and summit?


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## SGboarder

dave785 said:


> Nice, thank you.
> 
> Quick question - if I had to have only one other snowboard to go with the dupraz, what should I get? I was thinking about getting an all mountain twin that performs well on ice and in the park... Basically fill the gaps in the dupraz. I was eyeing the jones ultra mountain twin... But the more I look at it the more it starts to look like the same board lol. Maybe an arbor element? I dunno.


Jones Ultra Mountain Twin is neither a twin nor (arguably) all-mountain.


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## dave785

ridinbend said:


> Just to be clear, the bulk of your riding is done in big bear right? Assuming that's the case, why not get a board to accommodate and match snow conditions at bear and summit?


Big bear is definitely the closest. But I hit mammoth and Tahoe pretty regularly too, and each year I try to get in a big ski trip to Colorado and Utah at least once.

What would be an example of a board that's great for big bear?


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## dave785

SGboarder said:


> Jones Ultra Mountain Twin is neither a twin nor (arguably) all-mountain.


Yeah that's a good point. It's what's stopped me from pulling the trigger on it.

How do you feel about never summer ripsaw?


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## SnowDogWax

The Dupraz is an All Mountain freeride/powder slayer. 

No Park go All Mountain Mid Flex Rossi One Mag, Never Summer West, GNU Riders Choice


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## dave785

SnowDogWax said:


> The Dupraz is an All Mountain freeride/powder slayer.
> 
> No Park go All Mountain Mid Flex Rossi One Mag, Never Summer West, GNU Riders Choice


how at a never summer type two? 

I need to sell my current boards before buying it (burton custom and NS snowtrooper) but hopefully the T2 inventory will be back up by the time I'm ready. 

honestly this is all mental masturbation at this point lol. 

I'm REALLY hoping my dupraz arrives before I fly out to Utah on Thursday...


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## ridinbend

dave785 said:


> how at a never summer type two?
> 
> I need to sell my current boards before buying it (burton custom and NS snowtrooper) but hopefully the T2 inventory will be back up by the time I'm ready.
> 
> honestly this is all mental masturbation at this point lol.
> 
> I'm REALLY hoping my dupraz arrives before I fly out to Utah on Thursday...


I think you'd have a lot of fun on the gnu riders choice. Twin, all mountain c2 rocker and the asym sidecut won't hurt your riding. You want a playful board to at minimum start to play in their park. Lots of fun features at bear.


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## dave785

ridinbend said:


> I think you'd have a lot of fun on the gnu riders choice. Twin, all mountain c2 rocker and the asym sidecut won't hurt your riding. You want a playful board to at minimum start to play in their park. Lots of fun features at bear.


I have these mental blocks in my head about buying what I consider to be "childrens' snowboards." I put gnu, libtech, dinosaurs will die, Ride, half of rome, and half of burton in that category lol. I will not buy a snowboard if it looks like it was designed by a graffiti artist... snobby I know. It must be the skier in me!

Brands I'm fond of: Jones, Never Summer, Arbor, Yes, the other half of burton, and anything European.


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## poutanen

dave785 said:


> Brands I'm fond of: Jones, Never Summer, Arbor, Yes, the other half of burton, and anything European.


Check out Prior Snowboards (from Whistler, BC)


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## ridinbend

dave785 said:


> I have these mental blocks in my head about buying what I consider to be "childrens' snowboards." I put gnu, libtech, dinosaurs will die, Ride, half of rome, and half of burton in that category lol. I will not buy a snowboard if it looks like it was designed by a graffiti artist... snobby I know. It must be the skier in me!
> 
> Brands I'm fond of: Jones, Never Summer, Arbor, Yes, the other half of burton, and anything European.


Sounds practical


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## SGboarder

dave785 said:


> I have these mental blocks in my head about buying what I consider to be "childrens' snowboards." I put gnu, libtech, dinosaurs will die, Ride, half of rome, and half of burton in that category lol. I will not buy a snowboard if it looks like it was designed by a graffiti artist... snobby I know. It must be the skier in me!
> 
> Brands I'm fond of: Jones, Never Summer, Arbor, Yes, the other half of burton, and anything European.


Sorry, but that is just lame.


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## dave785

SGboarder said:


> Sorry, but that is just lame.


Yeah I know. But at the end of the day, I'm just a lame guy :nerd:


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## dave785

Just finished park city!

Had a friend record me for a run. Wasn't great because I had people on my blind side twice and had to do a heel side brake to ruin my attempt at a high speed carve...

But I'd love your critique! The one that has me in front, approaching... Should probably watch twice so that you can figure out which one is me the second time lol

https://youtu.be/cBwscbbiXtQ

https://youtu.be/aEhFGKFXsog


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## wrathfuldeity

you need to widen your stance...it will help you to work your knees more


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## dave785

wrathfuldeity said:


> you need to widen your stance...it will help you to work your knees more


Thanks that's exactly what I needed to hear. I had a wider stance yesterday but narrowed it because of a comment a friend made. Glad to hear my instincts were right. Thanks man.


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## SGboarder

dave785 said:


> Just finished park city!
> 
> Had a friend record me for a run. Wasn't great because I had people on my blind side twice and had to do a heel side brake to ruin my attempt at a high speed carve...
> 
> But I'd love your critique! The one that has me in front, approaching... Should probably watch twice so that you can figure out which one is me the second time lol
> 
> https://youtu.be/cBwscbbiXtQ
> 
> https://youtu.be/aEhFGKFXsog


That was a bit painful to watch.

You’re very stiff - gotta get those legs pumping, get low over the board and balance. Also you're bending over at waist.

Skidded turns are ok as a beginner, but try not to swivel the board. 

May be leave the Dupraz alone and get/borrow more of a mainstream board while you're learning the basics. That should help you improve faster.


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## dave785

Thanks I needed that.

I'm usually not so stiff but this was end of day two and muscles were tired. But even when I'm 100% im not that far off from what you saw.

Trying to keep everything upright is my current goal. I've stopped washing out heel side but I'm leaning forwards more than I used to. It's a strange trade off


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## virtu

dave785 said:


> Thanks that's exactly what I needed to hear. I had a wider stance yesterday but narrowed it because of a comment a friend made. Glad to hear my instincts were right. Thanks man.


Hey, nice "blog" Dave 

So, what stance width you were using (narrow) and what width are you will use (wider)?

I am also 6'2 and I was using 22' and after reading your story I just increase my stance to 25'.

I am a beginner (1st season) and I am the stage to try different stance angles (probably +15/-6 will be my best setting to learn, I already tried +18/-12 but didn't work nice as +15/-6) and now I am increasing my width from 22' to 25' with central balance.

Unfortunately the snow season is ending, probably I will have 1 or 2 weeks on my local hill


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## dave785

virtu said:


> Hey, nice "blog" Dave
> 
> So, what stance width you were using (narrow) and what width are you will use (wider)?
> 
> I am also 6'2 and I was using 22' and after reading your story I just increase my stance to 25'.
> 
> I am a beginner (1st season) and I am the stage to try different stance angles (probably +15/-6 will be my best setting to learn, I already tried +18/-12 but didn't work nice as +15/-6) and now I am increasing my width from 22' to 25' with central balance.
> 
> Unfortunately the snow season is ending, probably I will have 1 or 2 weeks on my local hill


I'll measure width when I get home. All of it was on the fly.

My angles are usually +18 and 0, but I over stressed my toe joint back when I was doing a +36 + 9 stance (dumb idea... Not every board is an alpine board lol) To take pressure off my toe, I went to +6 and 0. I don't like it but I would've had to cut the trip short if I didn't make the adjustment. It's hard to do a closed stance that's also wide. 

And before anyone says anything, it isn't my boots fault. This has been a recurring thing (overstressed metatarsal) for about a decade. 

Video was taken at 6pm today and it was a slushy day and injured almost everywhere... But I'm still usually that bad when I'm healthy haha

But in my defense I just had my two month anniversary with my very first time on a snowboard!


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## jae

damn... going from a custom>snowtrooper>dupraz in 2 months? haha crazy. Glad your girl is getting over her fear. The runs are a little bit longer at bear, you might want to try hitting that up. 

A wider stance will help you with everything, you want to stay loose, it looks like you're still skiing :grin:


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## virtu

dave785 said:


> I'll measure width when I get home. All of it was on the fly.
> 
> My angles are usually +18 and 0, but I over stressed my toe joint back when I was doing a +36 + 9 stance... To take pressure off my toe, I went to +6 and 0. I don't like it but I would've had to cut the trip short if I didn't make the adjustment. It's hard to do a closed stance that's also wide.
> 
> And before anyone says anything, it isn't my boots fault. This has been a recurring thing (overstressed metatarsal) for about a decade.
> 
> Video was taken at 6pm today and it was a slushy day and injured almost everywhere... But I'm still usually that bad when I'm healthy haha
> 
> But in my defense I just had my two month anniversary with my very first time on a snowboard!


Thanks Dave 

Since I started I already injured a few times. Almost torn my triceps and now my right knee is not ok anymore, probably due the stress of -12 stance angle on right foot.

Doing some research over here I noted that most taller boarders use a stance width bigger than 22', so I was riding narrow :/ to learn.

Also, I lean forward by highback on the left foot (front one) in 3 stages and 1 stage on the right feet (back one).

BTW I have a simple K2 Fuze 159w beginner board with Burton Freestyle bindings on a Burton Moto boots. Simple stuff, not the best ones, but that was the best hat my Credit Card approved


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## dave785

jae said:


> damn... going from a custom>snowtrooper>dupraz in 2 months? haha crazy. Glad your girl is getting over her fear. The runs are a little bit longer at bear, you might want to try hitting that up.
> 
> A wider stance will help you with everything, you want to stay loose, it looks like you're still skiing :grin:


Dude now that you mention it, it DOES look like skiing! My knees are in skiing positions for parallel turns lol. 

Good eye! Thank you.

I'm hitting mammoth in two weeks I should be good to go for then. Right knee is doing better and my shoulder is mostly healed now.


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## jae

dave785 said:


> Dude now that you mention it, it DOES look like skiing! My knees are in skiing positions for parallel turns lol.
> 
> Good eye! Thank you.
> 
> I'm hitting mammoth in two weeks I should be good to go for then. Right knee is doing better and my shoulder is mostly healed now.


haha not only that, you've got your arms in the pole positions. Once you widen your stance, try to keep your upper body loose. Do some shoulder stretches before you ride.


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## poutanen

dave785 said:


> https://youtu.be/cBwscbbiXtQ
> 
> https://youtu.be/aEhFGKFXsog


First off... forward this to whoever is recording you:






Second, don't be so hard on yourself. You look like you're doing well for a first year snowboarder. Agree with another poster though, get off the Dupraz until you can really make some good use of it.

If you want critique, bend your knees more on your toe edge, and straighten your back up.

Otherwise, just get out and ride ride ride! Fluidity, comfort, all the things that make a good rider look good, just come with time. You snowboard how I ski... >


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## dave785

poutanen said:


> First off... forward this to whoever is recording you:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Second, don't be so hard on yourself. You look like you're doing well for a first year snowboarder. Agree with another poster though, get off the Dupraz until you can really make some good use of it.
> 
> If you want critique, bend your knees more on your toe edge, and straighten your back up.
> 
> Otherwise, just get out and ride ride ride! Fluidity, comfort, all the things that make a good rider look good, just come with time. You snowboard how I ski... >


Thank you for the feedback I really appreciate it 

Out of curiosity, why are people telling me to get off the dupraz? It's much easier to control than the Burton custom and it's got a better edge than the never summer snowtrooper. Is it because it turns differently and because it's easier to cheat and turn with the rear foot?

That video was at 6:00PM on a day in Utah that reached 52degrees f, so it was pretty slushy and sticky. Usually it looks better. I'm a bit hesitant to leave the dupraz at home for now.


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## jae

Pure conjecture but I take it as learning to drive stick on a lambo. You'll learn bad habits? idk.. maybe steady progression is key?


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## dave785

So I wanted to throw in an almost-end-of-season update

I went up to snow summit with the GF on Saturday and while the conditions were terrible, I didn't fall a single time the entire day until I started trying to ride switch on the dupraz.

Reading that "How not to jackhammer" thread on the tips & tricks forum was very helpful since almost all of my falls up to this point were because of jack hammering. Once I fixed that (by not putting my weight up the mountain but by keeping it over the board) I was able to bomb black diamonds at a pretty fast speed with total confidence and without even a hint of washing out, even though the conditions were very very terrible. 

So then I started trying to learn switch. I actually was able to learn some of the basics pretty quickly now that I had fixed my balance issue (re: jackhammering). I had to concentrate a ton in order to do it... it definitely isn't muscle memory right now... but I was slowly skid turning my way down some steep blues and easy blacks by the end of the day. This was on a dupraz (directional) which actually wasn't too bad switch. My binding angles (18, -6) were more of a hindrance than the board flex was

Jumps are next on the list once I can ride switch more naturally.

I scratched up the dupraz riding switch on a pinecone... darn pinecones... and I was still so soft on switch that I couldn't turn in time lol. My new Rossignol jibsaw came in the mail today and I'm going to throw my now pilots on it. I'm going to save the dupraz for Japan and focus on technique, switch, and jumps for a while.


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## SnowDogWax

jibsaw will be your ticket to learning to ride switch...


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## snowangel99

I think you look great for a beginner! Good job keeping at it and progressing!!!! I am impressed with your tenacity. Keep it up!


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## dave785

So I recorded my last run of the season. I was pretty tired (2nd day in a row) and it was super bumpy and terrible camera handling lol. 

but kinda cool.. mammoth was beautiful that day. 

The jibsaw really does help a lot with learning. The carves are really easy to lock into and you can see in the video that when I'm turning I almost never lose speed unless i'm trying to speed check myself before a bump (or in the very beginning when I'm getting down off the moguled out and steep cornice). I'm on edge almost the whole time and never flatbasing. Love that board.

Fun fact: my gf at the end of the video had a broken arm/elbow at the time of the filming but we didn't know it because it didn't begin to start hurting her until about 20 minutes later. She's a real trooper.


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## deagol

Mammoth looks pretty interesting..


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## jae

lmao white helmet already.


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## dave785

deagol said:


> Mammoth looks pretty interesting..


Yeah dude mammoth is great. Snow quality isn't like Colorado or Utah but the terrain and layout is top notch imo. 3/4ths of the mountain was closed that day. From what I understand (and I could be wrong about this) it's the biggest resort mountain in the US unless you count some of those resorts that are actually two mountains merged together like park city and canyons. But mammoth still isn't close to whistler lol.

Only problem with mammoth is that it isn't near a major airport. Or anywhere close to one lol.


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## deagol

dave785 said:


> ...
> 
> Only problem with mammoth is that it isn't near a major airport. Or anywhere close to one lol.



That might be a good thing: keeps the crowds down. 

My brother-in law goes to Mammoth a bunch and loves it. Would be fun to visit sometime..

Edit: the gap that the gondola crosses up near the top is awesome..


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## dave785

deagol said:


> That might be a good thing: keeps the crowds down.
> 
> My brother-in law goes to Mammoth a bunch and loves it. Would be fun to visit sometime..
> 
> Edit: the gap that the gondola crosses up near the top is awesome..


Well fly into LAX or Burbank and we can make the drive up together:grin: it's only 4.5 hours


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