# Toe Edge Slip



## legallyillegal (Oct 6, 2008)

Practice, practice, practice. When you are done practicing, practice some more.

If you want to go where EVERYONE goes, go to Whistler. If you want to go where EVERYONE ELSE goes, go to Sun Peaks (recommended for you), or Big White, or Silverstar (big mountain, small quiet village).


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## Guest (Oct 7, 2008)

legallyillegal said:


> Practice, practice, practice. When you are done practicing, practice some more.
> 
> If you want to go where EVERYONE goes, go to Whistler. If you want to go where EVERYONE ELSE goes, go to Sun Peaks (recommended for you), or Big White, or Silverstar (big mountain, small quiet village).




So its not likely a problem with my technique that's causing the slippage? How does one reduce slippage on icy conditions? I take it, its unlikly a failing with my new board or the way its tuned?

Thanks for the heads up on Sun Peaks I'll see what I can see, how does one get from the major international airport at BC to sunpeaks? How long is the train?


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## Snowjoe (Jul 3, 2007)

What could be happening is that you may be bending over at the waist on your toe edge. This is super common, almost everyone who is new to the sport does it. 

Yes you can practise a load but thats not always helpful when your not necessarily practising the right technique, your only going to be drilling that more into your head.

What this means is that your center of mass is no longer above your toe edge, its above the snow above your toe edge. This then means that instead of your weight consistently pushing the edge into the snow smoothly, its pushing from further up the hill and it may feel like the board is shuddering and trying to come out from underneath you. On ice it's even more important to keep your weight above the edge, as it amplifies the effect even more.

If this is the case then there are a couple of things you can do to help yourself. The way I find working most often with my students is to find a quiet area where you won't have people behind you, and whilst your on your toe edge pick a spot near the top of the hill and keep your head up and look at it. DONT look down at the floor as this will bend your back over as well.

If your out riding doing turns another thing you can do to help is to take your back hand, which is your right one in this case, and use it to really push into the concave of your back. Really exaggerate the concave, you will really feel it in your back being as straight as you can possibly be. The idea is to over-exaggerate the feeling so when you revert back to slightly more relaxed technique (everyone does it) it wasn't as bad as it as before.

When your out there then you can hit up one of the snow schools and have someone take a look at you ride. Even if it's just a morning lesson someone can give you pointers on things to practise and you can at least take it away with you and keep practising it. Proper technique feels so much better its amazing!

A thing to think about on your toe edge is that you should be creating most of the edge angle with your lower joints, mostly ankles and knees. The waist is better kept straight.


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## Guest (Oct 7, 2008)

SnowJoe, thanks very much, as soon as I read it, I knew you were correct in your direction. I recall an instructor reminding me to always have my arm holding my jacket. Pity the season is over for this year, but I might be able to get to Canada. I think the resorts recommended look interesting, but perhaps quite a bit smaller than Whistler with less stuff happening if you are off the snow. I'll keep reading up. I do want a place that has reasonable shopping and food is of high importance.


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## X1n54n3x (Sep 28, 2007)

networkn said:


> I am natural (lead with my left foot)


who says regular stance is natural, im naturally goofy


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## Guest (Oct 7, 2008)

X1n54n3x said:


> who says regular stance is natural, im naturally goofy


Natural is what you guys call regular. In NZ the common terms are natural and goofy. I guess I would be regular in your terminology.


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## Guest (Oct 7, 2008)

Snowolf said:


> What you are experiencing is a very common problem with new riders. The toe side tends to create the most problems for most people. Without watching you ride, I will have to make some general statements based on what I see day in and day out as an instructor teaching new people how to ride for the first time.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## legallyillegal (Oct 6, 2008)

networkn said:


> Thanks for all your help, out of curiosity, the reason you guys recommend other mountains than whistler, is it because its busy and crowded or is it that the snow is better?


Whistler is the main resort anywhere (and for good reason). Hence why everyone goes there. Since the 2010 Olympics are being held at Whistler, it will continue to get busier. What a lot of people don't realize is that there are plenty of other places to go that offer tons of terrain, fast lift lines, and good amenities. Also, the snow at the big 3 Okanagan Resorts (Sun Peaks, Silverstar, Big White) is top-notch.

I recommended Sun Peaks because there is tons of terrain suited for all skill levels. It's the main resort in BC not named Whistler. It's a little more skier oriented so you won't get as many [disrespectful] kid snowboarders (who think Etiquette is a brand of toilet paper) cutting you off all the time.

For riding at Sun Peaks, there are 3 main express lifts (Sunburst, Sundance, Morrisey) and 1 old slow quad (Burfield; goes to the peak, takes forever). The Austrain National Ski Team trains at Sun Peaks. Nancy Greene (Canadian Ski Legend) skis there.

Aversion to lift lines? Sunburst and Sundance get fairly lengthy lines (not Whistler-like long though). So head over to the Morrisey Express (a little out of the way, but it has it's own little village). Minimal lines means minimal people, which means you get an entire mountain to yourself. I also find that the people riding Morrisey are a little nicer.

Most of the lodges are located within the main village, which is truely ski-out. Nothing really scattered around. Lots of shops and restaurants. I believe there are cabins for rent in the East Village at the base of Morrisey.

It's also easier to get to than Whistler. The Sea-to-Sky highway going to Whistler is extremely dicey, even in summer. It's supposedly being improved for the Olympics, but it's still  at night in the snow. The road to Sun Peaks, on the other hand, is 4 lanes all the way from Vancouver to Kamloops (and recently made toll-free). The road has no winding, no sudden corners, basically a Sunday drive all the way.


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