# Catching Edge on Toe side Turns



## bruised (Jan 29, 2017)

Hi, Just looking for advice on my toe side turns... thanks if you can help! 

So this doesn't happen all the time, I'm obviously letting my concentration slip or something.

Sometimes I catch an edge on toe side turns and end up on my behind. It would seem I'm not moving on to my toe side edge at the right time and I'm catching the heel side.. anything I should be focusing on to stop this happening..?

(I posted a couple of other posts, on other issues.. I hope this is the right thing because the subjects are not the same)


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## Snow Hound (Jul 21, 2012)

No instructor here but I helped my buddy with this the other week. Other than getting the timing right what helped him was really committing to the new edge and getting the board up at a decent angle. At first he was turning the board and keeping it mostly flat - this was resulting in him catching edges.


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## bruised (Jan 29, 2017)

Thanks, yes I think I lose concentration because I focus on another of my faults!


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

Yeah, one thing that's almost universal for new riders (or even intermediates) is that everyone thinks they're using a lot more board angle than they actually are. This becomes obvious if you use a video camera on a stick, or if you have a friend follow you and take video. You probably aren't lifting the downhill edge more than an inch or so, in reality. So, a little bit of cruft on the slope and you catch.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

find the creepy basement vid >


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## Sons of Thunder (Mar 24, 2015)

I've always been told on toeside to focus on pushing my shins into the tongue of the boot if that makes sense, as opposed to trying to lift your heelside off the ground. As long as I focus on this I've never caught an edge while on my toeside. Of course when you get tired you start to forget these things..


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## speedjason (May 2, 2013)

Stop over-rotating the board when you are doing skidded turns.
I notice most of the time when this happens is when the rider is in a toe side skidded turn and switching to a heel edge.
You shouldn't engage the heel edge at that moment but instead put more weight to the front foot bringing the board to the fall line as much as possible i.e. pointing down hill before switching to heel side.


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## Kaladryn (Mar 18, 2016)

Catching edge on toeside turns usually means you have too much weight on your back foot as you start the turn. You come out of your heelside turn driving the back leg, then you shift weight to the front leg to initiate your toeside turn, if too much weight is still on the back foot, you catch-a-the-edge.


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## chomps1211 (Mar 30, 2011)

speedjason said:


> Stop over-rotating the board when you are doing skidded turns.
> I notice most of the time when this happens is when the rider is in a toe side skidded turn and switching to a heel edge.
> You shouldn't engage the heel edge at that moment but instead put more weight to the front foot bringing the board to the fall line as much as possible i.e. pointing down hill before switching to heel side.


I was thinking something similar. Wondering how he was ending up on his ass or catching a heel edge for a _toeside_ turn? 

If you are doing skidded turns and trying to transition to your heel edge while your board is still oriented _across,_ (perpendicular) to the fall line? This may be the problem. 

If carving properly,... you would be moving across the slope with all your forward motion directed at an angle or perpendicular to the fall line. And all your forward motion would, (should) be locked into your toeside edge. This motion is essentially parallel to both your boards edges and would get transfered to, and locked into your heelside when you transition without catching. 

Once commited to your heel edge,.. you can use that edge & the boards sidecut, torsional flex, etc. to direct & turn the board on your heel edge. 

However,... If you're skidding those turns? You are more or less side still slipping downslope while moving across the fall line. Therefore, Some of your motion could still be directed down slope, (parallel) to the fall line and if you drop that heel edge _now_ in an attempt to turn,..? Or if you should encounter a chunk, bump, or "death cookie?" :blink: 

You're gonna have a bad day! :laugh:


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## speedjason (May 2, 2013)

chomps1211 said:


> I was thinking something similar. Wondering how he was ending up on his ass or catching a heel edge for a _toeside_ turn?
> 
> If you are doing skidded turns and trying to transition to your heel edge while your board is still oriented _across,_ (perpendicular) to the fall line? This may be the problem.
> 
> ...


This is why falling leaf should be a tool not a process. I never went though the falling leaf stage.


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## Snow Hound (Jul 21, 2012)

I'll do the falling leaf like a madman through steep icy mogul fields.

Edit: oh I see... it's a handy tool to be used in certain situations.


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