# Carving on tracked trails



## Guest (Jan 29, 2008)

This is my first season snowboarding. I'm carving fine when I'm going fast, but I can't seem to carve well at a moderate pace. When I'm at the height of my turn (board pointed the furthest away from straight downhill), the little bumps always make me lose my balance. Like when I'm turning heelside, it seems a slight bump will make my board skid out from underneath me and I end up falling on my ass. This doesn't happen on powder or freshly groomed trails, only near the end of the day when the runs are tracked up. At first I thought my board was just too short (I'm 5'8, 180lbs, on a 154), but I can deal with the jitters when going straight downhill. It's just when I'm carving at more moderate speeds that I'm running into this problem. Am I simply leaning too far backward when I'm hellside (and vice versa toeside). Should I stand up more straight? Any tips? Should I try a longer board?


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## PaoloSmythe (Aug 19, 2007)

your board might be a little too short but not much

you need (IMO) to bend your legs more to absorb these little bumps

and i do not think you are truly 'carving' (few people actually do)


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## sedition (Feb 8, 2007)

PaoloSmythe said:


> you need (IMO) to bend your legs more to absorb these little bumps


Bingo.

If you watch someone who is good, they look very, very fluid. Their movements look effortless. Their knees are bent, and their hips, shoulders, and head almost never fluxuate in their height above the ground. Compare this with a newer rider. Their legs are straight. The look choppy when then turn or move. It looks like turning takes a good amount of effort, and they are also bobbing their entire body up and down. 

Your knees act as shock exhorbers. If they are bent, you can absorb the bumps, without effecting the rest of your body (hence, your hips, head, shoulders, etc. stay level). If your legs are straight, you will feel that bump all the way up to your head, and your center of gravity can become unstable. When you see a bump coming, unweight your legs a bit. This can help the board just "float" over the bumps, with out as much of the vibration running through your entire body.


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