# direction board, riding switch?



## Sincraft (Sep 6, 2010)

Im attempting to ride switch, but finding it alarmingly difficult vs what I can do regs. My board is a directional with a default setback of about 2". It says 20mm but that's only 2 cm, and from what I've measured, if I center my bindings using the same screw holes inside out, it's 2"

With that said, I'm finding it super hard to ride switch. I'm wondering if it has to do with switching up to goofy basically or, because I have so little up front and so much in the back?

Also, the front of my board is stiffer than the back..

All mountain 'freestyle' radial sidecut camber. I know what some of that means, the other I do not.


----------



## snowklinger (Aug 30, 2011)

The only things that will help you are

1. the ability already to ride switch

2. duck stance

Yes that board is going to fight you a little on switch and ride awkwardly, it was designed for one direction, not 2. Is it doable? Yes. Will it always fight you? Compared to regs, yes. 

I suck at switch but am a committed twin rider because I believe in it. 

Not saying I wont go for a big mountain directional sometime, but you wont see me riding it switch either.


----------



## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Riding switch on a directional board will tend to want to keep you in the turn longer...i.e., it won't release the tail (nose) as soon...which is just the opposite of what you usually ride. That is, usually you have a longer turn initiation and a pop out of the end of the turn riding a directional nose first...so its a bit of the opposite riding switch...quicker turn initiation but slower release.


----------



## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

If you wanna learn switch then swap your innings around and ride switch all day... That will help getyour body mechanics down....


----------



## chomps1211 (Mar 30, 2011)

Sincraft, I presume as a "senior member" here, that you are likely an experienced boarder?

I'm a 51 yo NooB. Stepped on a snowboard for the first time a little over a year ago. So I've only had maybe 4-1/2 or 5 months where I could ride. (split up by a Loooong wait thru spring, summer, & fall)  No prior skiing experience either. I've got 25+ days riding this season! (If you can call this a "Season") :dunno: :laugh:

I ride Regular on an Arbor Roundhouse 163W directional twin board. Up until about two weeks ago, I couldn't make a toe side turn while switch. _Every_ time I tried, _I crashed!_ Every Time!! I could "get" switch, but I could only ride straight and heel side turn my way back to riding regular. I was _sure_ this was due to the nature of the directional board being shorter & stiffer in the tail. I figured the difference in geometry when reversed was too different & throwing me off.

About two weeks ago, I paid for a private lesson for riding switch and I can tell you now,.. _ "It Wasn't the Board"!!!_   Or at least, the board wasn't the _main_ problem! I got some _Good_ instruction, some relevant tips and direction on correcting problems with my form which weren't much trouble for me when I was regular, but were definitely tripping me up whenever I went switch.

Now, In the 5 or 6 days of actual riding I've done since that lesson, I've gone from crashing every time to making top to bottom trips down blue runs riding switch the whole way!!  It still feels a bit awkward, and I'm no where near as good or fast as when I'm riding regular. But I am getting more and more comfortable with it.

I mention _all_ this because, If you _are_ an experienced rider. Maybe you might worry that taking a lesson is "Lame"? Un-cool? I'm a Noob, so I'm already "Lame" & Un-cool!  But for me, the lesson made _ALL_ the difference in the world.


----------



## Toecutter (Oct 11, 2009)

chomps1211 said:


> Sincraft, I presume as a "senior member" here, that you are likely an experienced boarder?
> 
> I'm a 51 yo NooB. Stepped on a snowboard for the first time a little over a year ago. So I've only had maybe 4-1/2 or 5 months where I could ride. (split up by a Loooong wait thru spring, summer, & fall)  No prior skiing experience either. I've got 25+ days riding this season! (If you can call this a "Season") :dunno: :laugh:
> 
> ...


Okay, that's cool that you actually did what people advise all the time and took a lesson. I struggled on my own to learn switch for years whereas you're starting off with that skill. Well done.


----------



## supafobb (Jan 27, 2012)

I'm glad to see some more older folks shredding and trying new things; gives me some inspiration and as a 37 yo beginner-intermediate, also in my first season, it's reassuring that there's still tons of potential to learn some cool shit.

I've JUST started picking up confidence and speed on blacks, and playing around with buttering, but it wasn't until I realized last week that my board is a directional twin (Weekend Snowboard Heikki Sorsa 155cm)! While adjusting my bindings to a duck stance, I measured about 2cm of extra length on the tail end and been riding this way for 17 days! 

Anyway, I'm also planning to take a lesson this weekend to learn switch riding while I'm still a noob. And in turn, I'm hoping it'll help in learning to freestyle. There's no shame in lessons; EVERYONE's got something to learn, no?


----------



## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

^^^ You should never have more tail length than tip! Either symetrical for a true twin, or some amount of setback for a directional. The reference stance on most boards is a great starting point.

I ride a very directional, very stiff freeride board, and it certainly is more challenging to ride switch on it. But I find it fun to try. I usually ride switch whenever I'm riding with my girlfriend, because it brings my pace down to less than warp speed.  It does feel very alien compared to riding normal (goofy for me), and the first few times it felt like I was a brand new snowboarder again. I actually find it easier to carve riding switch than to do intermediate slider turns.

One day just for fun I'm going to ride the entire day switch. Should help the skill I think. Also I ride duck, -9/+9 or so. Couldn't imagine riding switch with a regular 0/+18 kinda stance, or a forward stance!


----------



## supafobb (Jan 27, 2012)

Oh, I corrected it as soon as I figured that out. In fact, I did use the recommended reference points...except it was the wrong direction. 

But I'm wondering though, what exactly happens when a beginner learns on a board with too long of a tail, even if it's just 2cm? I'm curious about the mechanics of it.


----------



## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

supafobb said:


> But I'm wondering though, what exactly happens when a beginner learns on a board with too long of a tail, even if it's just 2cm? I'm curious about the mechanics of it.


Honestly? Not that much. Try tons of different stances/setbacks and feel the difference. Having a longer tail would have put more pressure on the back leg to keep your weight neutral on the board but it's not like you'd have to learn to board all over again when switching the stance. Just as a lot of setback will help you float on powder, the opposite of that would have made it harder to float.

My girlfriend started out with a modified duck stance (-3 / +15), and she was hesitant to go full duck thinking it would wig her right out... She just switched and loves it.

When I bought my new board, my stance width increased about an inch or inch and a half. I noticed it for the first half a run and then got used to it.


----------

