# Noobie question - straight glides



## Ripside

I've been boarding 7 or 8 times. I did have a day lesson last spring when I started.

I'm progressing pretty well, starting to pick up the "dynamic" riding style, alternating from heelside to toeside every second or so pretty smoothly, and can make it down a blue without too many wipeouts, or without any at all in some cases. 

The one thing I really struggle with, and is causing me the most fear after a really nasty fall last week, is a simple straight-forward glide. 

Almost every single time I pick up any speed, I catch an edge (almost always heel side) and fall flat on my back. Hard and sudden. Like I've hit a rock or something. 

Last time this happened I slammed into packed snow/ice and nearly got a concussion. Luckily I wear a helmet, but I hit hard enough to slam my helmet forward, into my sunglasses, which split open the bridge of my nose. Not pretty. I was standing in line at Starbucks afterwards, with a bloody face and didn't even know it 

I'm wary enough of this that I rarely keep up enough speed on catwalks to make it between trails, or at the bottom of runs, and end up having to walk or skate the rest of the way. Or, I keep a slight angle of attack to the right, with a little pressure on my toe side - which also keeps my speed limited.

Could this be an issue with the board or bindings setup? It's just a cheap Morrow board, Burton bindings. Maybe I just need more practice. My balance is decent, I'm aware of the edges, I can do connected turns with relative ease on a gentle slope. But just one tiny bit of weight shifted to my heelside on a relatively flat, straight run, or riding up to the lift line, and I'm on my butt. 

Added note that might mean something - when I'm gliding with my back foot free and on the stomp pack (as in getting of a lift), the board will almost always try to turn heelside, without a lot of pressure on my front toes, with the tail of the board trying to come around.

Open to any advice/suggestions or similar experience.


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## MistahTaki

Ripside said:


> I've been boarding 7 or 8 times. I did have a day lesson last spring when I started.
> 
> I'm progressing pretty well, starting to pick up the "dynamic" riding style, alternating from heelside to toeside every second or so pretty smoothly, and can make it down a blue without too many wipeouts, or without any at all in some cases.
> 
> The one thing I really struggle with, and is causing me the most fear after a really nasty fall last week, is a simple straight-forward glide.
> 
> Almost every single time I pick up any speed, I catch an edge (almost always heel side) and fall flat on my back. Hard and sudden. Like I've hit a rock or something.
> 
> Last time this happened I slammed into packed snow/ice and nearly got a concussion. Luckily I wear a helmet, but I hit hard enough to slam my helmet forward, into my sunglasses, which split open the bridge of my nose. Not pretty. I was standing in line at Starbucks afterwards, with a bloody face and didn't even know it
> 
> I'm wary enough of this that I rarely keep up enough speed on catwalks to make it between trails, or at the bottom of runs, and end up having to walk or skate the rest of the way. Or, I keep a slight angle of attack to the right, with a little pressure on my toe side - which also keeps my speed limited.
> 
> Could this be an issue with the board or bindings setup? It's just a cheap Morrow board, Burton bindings. Maybe I just need more practice. My balance is decent, I'm aware of the edges, I can do connected turns with relative ease on a gentle slope. But just one tiny bit of weight shifted to my heelside on a relatively flat, straight run, or riding up to the lift line, and I'm on my butt.
> 
> Open to any advice/suggestions or similar experience.


When you straight line, ride with a very very slight edge. Not too much to the point you're turning and you'll be sure not to catch a edge. Is your board a traditional camber board? It's usually easier to do with a rocker board.


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## Ripside

Camber, yeah, not a rocker.

I have found a slight amount of toe pressure helps.


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## MistahTaki

Just work at it. I'm sure you'll find a technique yourself that will help you stay stable. Next time you go, try doing a squat on the board with your hands behind your back with your body hanging slightly over the front of your board, and ride straight. I know it looks dumb, but it works.


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## Ripside

Some searching here and on google for "catching an edge" reinforce what you're saying. I found a couple pretty big threads here on the topic, so I guess I'm not alone.

All those riders flying by me on the flats, are keeping a slight edge, even though they look like their board is flat. Then it's a matter of keeping a straight line with shoulder position. I will keep working on it (Keystone or A-Basin this weekend), and try what you suggested. It'd be nice to not have to walk 50 feet to the lifts at the bottom of every run  Thanks much!


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## HoboMaster

If you let up completely on putting pressure on either side, you are liable to catch an edge because the board is wandering back and forth between each side. Once you have good edge control, you can feel edge catches coming on and can adjust your weight properly to prevent wipeouts. Until then however, you will need to always be putting pressure on one side or the other, albeit just a little bit. By keeping just a little bit of weight on one side, it will keep the board from wandering and jerking you in the other direction.

On traditional cambered boards this is essential because the board wants to ride on one side or the other, on reverse/hybrid cambered boards this isn't so much of a problem because the board has less contact points(?).


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## Ripside

I see some people mention detuning - my board is cheap, and has pretty sharp edges, I have no problems carving and digging in (when I WANT to), and it is new as of last year. Would a slight detune be worth trying?


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## MistahTaki

Well, On my board I just completely flat base it. haha. I added more rocker to my board and it's super stable when I'm riding flat. OR maybe I am just subconsciously on an edge. :dunno:


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## ev13wt

1. Don't wear sunglasses. Use a goggle. They are much softer.

2. Of course you can ride flat. Relax, stand in the middle of the board and go lower in the knees. Relax. Let the board to its thing. If you feel its turning away from the fall line, apply pressure on the hill side part of your bindings. Not too much, just enough so you don't catch the edge. Apply pressure with your back foot first, then the front. Bring the board back into the fall line with a smooth slow rotation initiated by the speed and force (slow and small) of the pressure you applied.


3. Relax. Be aware of the fall line always. This is the line your board would go if it had no rider and you pushed it down the mountain. Go that direction when you ride straight. You can't force it, the mountain will always own you.

Have fun duuude!


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## Ripside

What do you mean by adding more rocker?


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## MistahTaki

Ripside said:


> I see some people mention detuning - my board is cheap, and has pretty sharp edges, I have no problems carving and digging in (when I WANT to), and it is new as of last year. Would a slight detune be worth trying?


You can detune the nose and tail. I dont know about the edges though.


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## Ripside

I'm nearly blind without (prescription) sunglasses ;(


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## MistahTaki

Ripside said:


> What do you mean by adding more rocker?


I bent my board to add more of a curvature. Dont ask how :laugh:


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## MistahTaki

Ripside said:


> I'm nearly blind without (prescription) sunglasses ;(


contact lenses?
Goggles are not essential.


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## ev13wt

MistahTaki said:


> I bent my board to add more of a curvature. Dont ask how :laugh:


How.

10char


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## Ripside

Sadly, contacts aren't an option - I don't have very good vision. I might need to look into alternatives though if I'm going to get my face cut up from wiping out


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## MistahTaki

ev13wt said:


> How.
> 
> 10char


You have the board bent while applying heat. What i did was I put both ends of my board on a chair and put 130 pound weights in the middle and put a iron to it. Left it there for a awhile. Now my board has more curvature and I can press the board to the moon. 

Better way to do it is to make a clamp thing like this








and apply heat to it with a heat gun or hairdryer. Or make a portable mount and put in in the bath tub with boiling water.


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## Ripside

Doing (a lot) of research... looks like detuning is pretty popular, especially with cambered boards that aren't detuned at the factory at all, and especially on the kinds of conditions I'm usually in (packed and icy). It can't hurt to try, my board is virtually throw-away. If it saves me from catching an edge (which can really ruin your day). I'll start with a little rounding and progress if I don't see a difference.


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## MistahTaki

Ripside said:


> Doing (a lot) of research... looks like detuning is pretty popular, especially with cambered boards that aren't detuned at the factory at all, and especially on the kinds of conditions I'm usually in (packed and icy). It can't hurt to try, my board is virtually throw-away. If it saves me from catching an edge (which can really ruin your day). I'll start with a little rounding and progress if I don't see a difference.


ight, go for it.


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## wrathfuldeity

Imho, the problem is that you are not weighting your nose enough...you are probably in the back seat and thus the tail of your board wants to swing around heelside or toeside (remember the weighted end wants to go first). So when you trying to go straight in the flats and in the back seat...then when you change edges they catch...BOOM. To correct this, merely shift your hips forward/sideways toward the nose...just a bit to slightly have more weight on the nose...an inch or so. Then you can rock your heels and toes back and forth to change edges and maintain a straight glide. And as long as your nose has some weight the various minor ruts and bumps on the flats won't throw you if you are relaxed and loose enough...with good form...,i.e., knees bent, closed shoulders, straight back riding in a neutral position with a slight weight on the nose. Weighting the nose also helps when you are hauling ass and the board seems squirrely...which merely means your weight is too much on the tail.


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## mallrat

MistahTaki said:


> You have the board bent while applying heat. What i did was I put both ends of my board on a chair and put 130 pound weights in the middle and put a iron to it. Left it there for a awhile. Now my board has more curvature and I can press the board to the moon.
> 
> Better way to do it is to make a clamp thing like this
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and apply heat to it with a heat gun or hairdryer. Or make a portable mount and put in in the bath tub with boiling water.


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## mallrat

If you are going to detune your board be VERY, VERY careful and only go a litel and I mean little bit at a time. Once you lose that edge odds are you aren't getting it back


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## Cavman

Get some OTG goggles so you can wear your specs inside your goggles. I have Von Zipper Feenoms and they cover my presciption sunglasses. Also Smith Optics have OTG goggles.


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## Ripside

That's what I wear. Didn't keep my helmet from smashing the bridge of my glasses into my nose 

If I was a candidate (I am not) snowboarding would be the #1 reason for me to look into lasik surgery.


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## Ripside

mallrat said:


> If you are going to detune your board be VERY, VERY careful and only go a litel and I mean little bit at a time. Once you lose that edge odds are you aren't getting it back


Thanks for the advice. If this wasn't a throw-away board I figured I'd use to learn on, I'd take it into a local shop and have done. This is a $90 craig's list board, even though it was brand new. Still, as a Morrow, I don't think it's worth very much and I'd probably benefit from something better. Thinking about treating myself to a Christmas present, and hitting some demo days coming up.


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## HoboMaster

If your still learning that board will suit you fine, don't worry about it too much. Fancy snowboards really only benefit the people who can manipulate their strengths. Detuning def might help you out, I know when I was learning on a reg camber board it was pretty unforgiving, detuning might help make it not so life or death.


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## Qball

Check to make sure your boots are centered on the board, as this can cause the board to go either direction while riding straight off the lift like you mentioned.


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## Ripside

Yeah - my board always tended to spin left/counterclockwise getting off the lifts, and I also had a horrible habit of just falling backwards for no reason, even when standing still, so I moved the bindings to the toeside one set of holes off center. The bindings "look" like they're too far forward, but the boots are actually pretty centered, about the same amount hanging over both heel and toe edges. I rode in Vail for 4 days last week and didn't notice any catching, and it felt more balanced since the adjustment.

I wear a size 11, and asked a local shop if I should get a wider board, they said they don't mess with wide boards until size 13 or more.


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## wrathfuldeity

rip,
About everything u said in your original post notes you are in the back seat...its not your board or edges...its u. Yes, there is toe and heel side pressure...but there is also nose and tail weight distribution....get in the front seat and drive. And mistah's rocker shit is dumbass. If u want a rocker get a rocker...but rocker will tend to be abit more squirrly on the flat glides if u don't have your flat glide skillz down. Imho, its crazy to detune unless ur in the park cause when ur learning all over the hill...there will come a time u want some bite.


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## Ripside

wrathfuldeity said:


> rip,
> About everything u said in your original post notes you are in the back seat...its not your board or edges...its u. Yes, there is toe and heel side pressure...but there is also nose and tail weight distribution....get in the front seat and drive. And mistah's rocker shit is dumbass. If u want a rocker get a rocker...but rocker will tend to be abit more squirrly on the flat glides if u don't have your flat glide skillz down. Imho, its crazy to detune unless ur in the park cause when ur learning all over the hill...there will come a time u want some bite.


You very well could be right


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## wrathfuldeity

rip, really figure this out



wrathfuldeity said:


> Imho, the problem is that you are not weighting your nose enough...you are probably in the back seat and thus the tail of your board wants to swing around heelside or toeside (remember the weighted end wants to go first). So when you trying to go straight in the flats and in the back seat...then when you change edges they catch...BOOM. To correct this, merely shift your hips forward/sideways toward the nose...just a bit to slightly have more weight on the nose...an inch or so. Then you can rock your heels and toes back and forth to change edges and maintain a straight glide. And as long as your nose has some weight the various minor ruts and bumps on the flats won't throw you if you are relaxed and loose enough...with good form...,i.e., knees bent, closed shoulders, straight back riding in a neutral position with a slight weight on the nose. Weighting the nose also helps when you are hauling ass and the board seems squirrely...which merely means your weight is too much on the tail.


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## MistahTaki

wrathfuldeity said:


> rip,
> About everything u said in your original post notes you are in the back seat...its not your board or edges...its u. Yes, there is toe and heel side pressure...but there is also nose and tail weight distribution....get in the front seat and drive. And mistah's rocker shit is dumbass. If u want a rocker get a rocker...but rocker will tend to be abit more squirrly on the flat glides if u don't have your flat glide skillz down. Imho, its crazy to detune unless ur in the park cause when ur learning all over the hill...there will come a time u want some bite.


How is it dumbass? My board is already a rocker board. I just added more so it's more playful.


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## MistahTaki

wrathfuldeity said:


> rip, really figure this out


fyi i wasnt suggesting that he adds rocker to his board. someone asked how i did it. so i showed them. that's it.


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## zeeden

someone here needs a hug.... ^^^


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## MistahTaki

zeeden said:


> someone here needs a hug.... ^^^


dont need one from your gay ass


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## NYCboarder

Had same problem when i started.... What I found to work: (same as already stated but oh well ill say it again)
1) detune
2) Keep slight edge.. (I found toe to be easiest)
a)at first I didn't keep it light. I pressed hard but it gained my confidence with each successful passing.
b) slowly lighten your pressure

Other things i felt to work/help
-Try keep toe edge in front and heel in back
-Try to do mini carves (rapidly go from heel to toe)
I know these aren't propper but it worked and over time I developed good technique as I gained confidence

Just always remember keeping your weight forward (because your control your turns with your front foot) you should just naturally hold an edge by shifting weight forward


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## Ripside

I think the weight issue fore/aft has a lot to do with this, I was naturally leaning back towards the tail a bit, thinking that would keep the contact points from digging in and flipping me like a rag doll.

As for detuning, the board has always tended to hook a bit in other situations (linked turns, etc), as I explained above I don't really care about this board, so I've already done a slight detuning, going to try it out this weekend.


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## KIRKRIDER

Ripside said:


> I've been boarding 7 or 8 times. I did have a day lesson last spring when I started.
> 
> I'm progressing pretty well, starting to pick up the "dynamic" riding style, alternating from heelside to toeside every second or so pretty smoothly, and can make it down a blue without too many wipeouts, or without any at all in some cases.
> 
> The one thing I really struggle with, and is causing me the most fear after a really nasty fall last week, is a simple straight-forward glide.
> 
> Almost every single time I pick up any speed, I catch an edge (almost always heel side) and fall flat on my back. Hard and sudden. Like I've hit a rock or something.
> 
> Last time this happened I slammed into packed snow/ice and nearly got a concussion. Luckily I wear a helmet, but I hit hard enough to slam my helmet forward, into my sunglasses, which split open the bridge of my nose. Not pretty. I was standing in line at Starbucks afterwards, with a bloody face and didn't even know it
> 
> I'm wary enough of this that I rarely keep up enough speed on catwalks to make it between trails, or at the bottom of runs, and end up having to walk or skate the rest of the way. Or, I keep a slight angle of attack to the right, with a little pressure on my toe side - which also keeps my speed limited.
> 
> Could this be an issue with the board or bindings setup? It's just a cheap Morrow board, Burton bindings. Maybe I just need more practice. My balance is decent, I'm aware of the edges, I can do connected turns with relative ease on a gentle slope. But just one tiny bit of weight shifted to my heelside on a relatively flat, straight run, or riding up to the lift line, and I'm on my butt.
> 
> Added note that might mean something - when I'm gliding with my back foot free and on the stomp pack (as in getting of a lift), the board will almost always try to turn heelside, without a lot of pressure on my front toes, with the tail of the board trying to come around.
> 
> Open to any advice/suggestions or similar experience.


Avoid sunglasses if you can, beacuse..they break on your face. Use padded shorts and save your butt to ride another day. One trick you can try riding on flats (low speed) is to press a little on your back and lift the nose of the board, with less surface the board will be more pressed against the snow by the weight and less prone to edging, even without detuning. Not catching an edge stops happening when you finally can feel and read the board, riding it instead of reacting to it...

As for the board leaning as you push... what angles are you riding with?


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## baldylox

Ripside said:


> Added note that might mean something - when I'm gliding with my back foot free and on the stomp pack (as in getting of a lift), the board will almost always try to turn heelside, without a lot of pressure on my front toes, with the tail of the board trying to come around.
> 
> Open to any advice/suggestions or similar experience.



You're opening up your shoulders. Keep them in line with the board and relax and it will go straight.


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## Breckenridge

He's right. and detune.


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## Donutz

I remember my first season on Seymour, when I was travelling the last mild stretch of the Mystery run at the bottom I was always having my board go a little squirrelly on me. Couple of times I cratered because of it. That stopped as soon as I started shifting more weight to my forward foot. Snowolf and others have already pointed out that it's almost certainly a stance problem. I'm tossing in my "me too" with the observation that I'm maybe a year ahead of you, so I still clearly remember the learning problems and solutions.


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## ev13wt

MistahTaki said:


> You have the board bent while applying heat. What i did was I put both ends of my board on a chair and put 130 pound weights in the middle and put a iron to it. Left it there for a awhile. Now my board has more curvature and I can press the board to the moon.
> 
> Better way to do it is to make a clamp thing like this
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and apply heat to it with a heat gun or hairdryer. Or make a portable mount and put in in the bath tub with boiling water.


Thanks for that info! 

:thumbsup:


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## Ripside

And the results are in...

I detuned the board. Maybe a bit more than I should have. I took ALL the advice posted about riding flats and applied it the best I could. It's always easy to KNOW what you should do, harder to apply.

It worked. I honestly didn't change my style that much, but I could tell a difference right off. I made 8 or 9 runs on blues and greens, with several big areas that were fairly flat. I was able to connect turns on steeper slopes, where before I would catch edges all the time during the transitions. I was able to glide on the long flats without fear and keep my speed up enough to get past them. I was doing dynamic style with relative ease.

I only caught an edge one time, and I knew it was going to happen when it did, it was at the end of the day my legs were jell-o.

The difference I noticed mostly - I could feel when the board was starting to catch an edge, but could react to it and make corrections before I was slammed into the ground. 

And for the first time ever, I was able to glide all the way to the lift lines, rather than walking the last 50 feet.

So yeah - detuning worked for me, big time. All the other advice about how to handle riding the flats also helped. 

Thanks guys! Going back up today - either Keystone or Breckenridge.


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