# question about glades



## Guest (Feb 14, 2010)

Hey, i started snowboarding this season (having skiied once before) and i've been progressing fairly quickly, to the point where i mostly ride black diamonds. I'm not interested in freestyle or tricks, but yesterday i fell in love with glades and riding in the woods. I had a few good runs, but for the most part i couldn't turn as quickly as my skiing friends so i found myself eating snow (i even snapped my friends pole once). This got me thinking about switching to skiing since my interests of riding seem to all be things that skiis do better, but i would like to adapt my snowboarding to be able to keep up with my ski buddies to avoid the hassle of learning a whole new sport. I was also thinking a shorter snowboard may help (Im 5 11 150lbs and im riding a 155 burton cruzer with setback. Since it is leased for the season i can trade it in for another board at any time).
thanks


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## Guest (Feb 14, 2010)

Thanks for that reply Snowolf, ill keep at it. I'll try getting a shorter flexier board since i can for free. Does a shorter board not go as fast or is it simply less stable at higher speeds?


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## Guest (Feb 14, 2010)

I'm in vermont so we dont get that much powder. I like going fast but I'll try out the shorter flexier board to see how much it helps with the glades vs how much it slows me down on groomers.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

I'm the only rider with a weekly crew of 3-4 skiers...some that have been skiing over 40 years. But in general, skiing is most always faster, more agile and offers a more stable platform in most snow and terrain conditions...except in perhaps deep pow. In deep pow, a proper pow stick rules...but its as snowolf noted its different lines.


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## Guest (Feb 15, 2010)

eah i ride almost exclusively with skiiers, so it can get discouraging sometimes...granted this is my first season and they are all very experienced.


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## Mysticfalcon (Nov 27, 2007)

Dont give up on the snowboard. I live in the trees with mine. You just need to pick your lines different. One thing I tell people who are new to the trees is to try to traverse more. If you try to straight shot through the trees like a skier does it will not end well. Try to traverse a little bit so you get some more time to plan out your turns. Eventually the turns will start to tighten them selves without much effort from you. Just practice a lot and it will come. Where in VT do you live? If you are ever at Jay Peak I'll be glad to give you some pointers.


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## Guest (Feb 15, 2010)

I live in Burlington, I'm usually at Bolton because its cheaper and closer (I'm in highschool so I don't have much money...) If i ever go to Jay I'll shoot you a message though.
Yeah I chose snowboarding because i thought it would be easier for me too learn thanks to my longboarding backround, i didnt think about what would be better for speed, moguls or trees...but hearing other boarders who enjoy riding in trees is encouraging, I'll keep trying and try out a shorter board as well, would a 150 be good (im 5 11 150 pounds)?


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## Mysticfalcon (Nov 27, 2007)

Im 5'10 190lbs and I ride a 162 usually. I have a Nitro Sub Pop 155 thats fun if its fluffy because of the rocker but once it gets packed out more I like my stiffer longer board. When things get fast I like something that can really cut in for when you need to use the emergency brake  Really comes down to preference and riding style. different styles will work better with different boards.


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## Guest (Feb 15, 2010)

is the 150 far too short for me? right now i'm riding a 155 with some setback and it seemed a little slow in terms of maneuverability in woods and moguls. I haven't really had any trouble in terms of stability at speeds...


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## Guest (Feb 16, 2010)

sorry, i didnt really make myself clear. i have not yet ridden a 150, i am cureently riding a 155 and the turning seems a little slow, not the speed. for example i cannot always change directions as quickly as i need too when in the trees because of the board's length (and my incompetence as a snowboarder...)


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## Mysticfalcon (Nov 27, 2007)

Another thing that really helps in the woods here is taper. A tapered board will turn faster because once yo set the edge on the tip its already starting to initiate the turn. That is why you see so many boards like the fish and malolo at Jay peak even when it hasnt snowed in a while. Not sure I explained it right but Snowolf probably can.


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## Guest (Feb 16, 2010)

ok cool ill try out a 147-150ish board. By tapered do you mean sidecut? If you mean narrow, my boots are a size ten... i dont know if thats to big for a narrow board...also should i go for a flexy board or would stiffer be better?


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## Mysticfalcon (Nov 27, 2007)

By taper I mean wider at the tip than the tail. It helps it float in the powder and it makes it turn a little quicker. It can take a run or 2 to get used to it but there is a reason why there are so many of them around Vermont. Burton fish and malolo have it as well as the supermodel but that just has a little. The Smokin Pinner, the Rome Notch, Forum Roost, and Venture Euphoria have it too. Most companies will make a board like that but those are the only ones that come to mind. 
Not a good board for switch and not the greatest for super high speed cruiser runs but just a really fun fast turning type ride.


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## Guest (Feb 16, 2010)

alright thanks for all the advice, now i just have to get back to the mountain


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## ShredLife (Feb 6, 2010)

a stiffer board will help.

a board with more aggressive sidecut will help.

if your boots are old, new boots will help.

riding with more forward lean on your bindings, if you can do it without hurting your feet/calves too much, will help.

a more centered stance could help.

wear a helmet, especially when riding in the trees. they will not move for you at all. it can kill you.


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## Mysticfalcon (Nov 27, 2007)

+1 on the helmets. Id really hate for my head to look as badly beat up as my helmet does.


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## Guest (Feb 16, 2010)

ShredLife said:


> a stiffer board will help.
> 
> a board with more aggressive sidecut will help.
> 
> ...


How would a stiffer board help? Wouldn't a flexier board be easier to maneuver, especially since im not traveling at very high speeds in the woods...


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## Mr. Polonia (Apr 5, 2009)

Falcor said:


> sorry, i didnt really make myself clear. i have not yet ridden a 150, i am cureently riding a 155 and the turning seems a little slow, not the speed. for example i cannot always change directions as quickly as i need too when in the trees because of the board's length (and my incompetence as a snowboarder...)



Im no expert in glade runs but i do them whenever they have a lot of snow, but the one thing that I do is hop turn. Im still kinda fearful in picking a straight line and zipping in between trees.

But i also do what Falcon said, which is traverse. if i find myself in a tight situation where i cant see myself going fast and turning at the same time, i slow my speed and hop to the direction where i want to go....u can give this a try until u feel more confident:thumbsup:


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## lisevolution (Sep 20, 2007)

I ride almost exclusively with Skiers at this point and as others have said they are almost always going to be faster and more maneuverable that on a snowboard. That said riding trees and moguls is super fun on a snowboard once you get used to it. You definitely have to pick a different line from a skier for the exact reason you're experiencing. Turning on a board is just different from turning on skis. It takes longer and is just generally less responsive. That said once you get the hang of it and can see the line you want it all evens out.


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## ShredLife (Feb 6, 2010)

Falcor said:


> How would a stiffer board help? Wouldn't a flexier board be easier to maneuver, especially since im not traveling at very high speeds in the woods...


as a board flexes it is absorbing power... the more a board flexes in a turn the more power/energy/momentum it is absorbing... a stiff, snappy board will sap momentum less and as you exit the turn it will "return" the energy better..

for me a snappier board is also easier to pump thru the whoops in an efficient manner.


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## stillz (Jan 5, 2010)

I don't want to jack this thread, but don't be so quick to dismiss freestyle riding, OP. I didn't think I was interested in it at first either. Now that I've got a reliable grab dialed in and can catch some nice air, I'm liking it a lot more. Feels good, man. I don't have any advice for trees though. I'm just starting into the glades myself, and loving it.


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## Mysticfalcon (Nov 27, 2007)

Ive got a pretty good amount of experience in VT trees and I only like my stiff board when its really tracked out. Then things get fast and the extra stopping power is nice. When things are a little softer the smaller and softer is nice and even if it is deep my Rockered noodle works good but the Rocker is the key. Trees here are Tight tight tight. Its pretty rare that even the good fast boarders can really open things up in the trees. I remember at the east coast meet last year hearing Mooz say that he loved his skate banana in the trees. Kind of suppressed me till I took something similar in myself.


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## baldylox (Dec 27, 2007)

When the steep trees start to get rutted out you will find yourself at a serious disadvantage with a softer board. I would stick with it a bit more on the 155. It just takes some practice to get used to it. I'm 180lbs currently and I have no problems taking a 163 in the trees.


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## thugit (Sep 29, 2009)

play some cube runner on an iphone/ipod touch.
that should help with picking lines for tree runs.


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## Guest (Feb 17, 2010)

I'm pretty much a beast at cube runner


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## Guest (Feb 18, 2010)

*Safety in the trees*

Coming from an experienced tree runner who is not too arrogant to say he has done some dangerous and stupid stuff in the trees, I like the helmet idea. 

I can't tell you how many times I have nearly seriously injured/ killed myself when I didn't see the rock, got bounced weird on a turn, or hit a downed tree or stump covered by snow. 

I'd knock on wood right now if it didn't seem so oddly inappropriate for this discussion.


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## The_Guchi (Nov 1, 2009)

most of my skier friends cant keep up in the pow/trees but they are faster than me on the groomed


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## Tarzanman (Dec 20, 2008)

I did my first REAL tree runs on my trip 2 weeks ago at Vail. I'd been in some short stuff before, but I came down the entire side of a slope going through some fairly wide, fairly woodsy territory. I quickly lost my entire group (slowpokes!)... and it was slow going at some spots. At one point, Smokey the Bear came out of his log cabin and asked me if I was lost (j/k)

You can usually see the spots where skiers and boarders have chosen their turns/lines. Hop-turns are helpful (and will help you have better board control in general), but if you get too good at being smooth around the tree trunks then you will soon run into another problem.... how to deal with your new-found speed!

I think this is what other posters are talking about when they say that you have to pick different lines than skiers. They have two edges to engage for controlling velocity...you'll have to find a good middle ground between staying mobile and not going so fast that you can't make your required turns. I am still not good at riding through the forest, but that is because I haven't found that happy medium yet.


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## Slinky (Nov 11, 2009)

george george, george of the jungle...watch out for that treeee!!! 


haha...love the glades...i usually pick a line, carve it a bit, stop, pick another line...i never try to bomb a whole tree run.


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