# Green circle trails



## Sincraft (Sep 6, 2010)

when you all started snowboarding, did you find the little green circle trails that were narrow and full of granular/ice/lumpy powder mixed with chunks the hardest? I do! I've only been boarding about 8 times now, 6 of those times were at a local hill where it's nothing more than a wide bunny hill. Today I found myself venturing down diamond hills, coated in ice below the man made powder (I live in the east), I was making my heel to nose transitions very well for someone that just learned how to nose ride last week, but my transitions to heel again were fubard. Too stiff I think and getting too far back uphill, so I have to literally throw my weight and almost jump the board to make the turn. All in all, I did pretty well. Yea I would wreck once every other run but hey...I'm ok with that, I just want to keep progressing.

BUT. 

Then I go on those stupid little access trails or green circle trails, and man was I having a rough time. I found I did better kicking my back foot out and transitioning between edges, but some of these trails are pretty sloped and populated. Even if you could make transitions that fast, too many people zooming by in skis. new people, that cant steer and dont know how to yell or say anything before they smash into the back of you! :__ ( 

Any tips? I had my worst wreck at the bottom of a diamond hill where it meets a narrow green circle to the lift. I caught a back edge and flipped UP into the air and straight down onto my back. Im too tall and heavy to be taking these slow speed wrecks like this.


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## Technine Icon (Jan 15, 2009)

The problem with green circle trails is that they tend to be very flat and a lesser degree angle of slope means that your edge is not very far off of the snow, which leads to easier edge catches.


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## lisevolution (Sep 20, 2007)

I always found that to be an interesting situation on the mountain also... you expect the green trails to be the easiest and technically they are because they are always super flat. But because they're the easiest trails you almost always get the most people on them which makes learning more difficult because almost all of those people are also beginners who don't have the skills to avoid other people. Also because there are that many more people the snow gets skied off quicker causing it to be icy and somewhat bumpy by the end of the day. If I were you I'd stick some of the more difficult runs like the blues and the blacks if you can handle them because you'll get less people to distract you and make you uncomfortable.


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## HoboMaster (May 16, 2010)

There is a level of flatness that is pretty negative to the new snowboarder. Think of it like riding a bicycle, in order to balance you need to be moving. It's the same with making turns on a snowboard, if your going too slow making turns is going to be hard and the chance of catching an edge is much higher.

Edge control is a big part of not catching edges on flats, which comes with practice. One thing I would suggest is to try and get as much speed as possible when having to traverse on cat-traks, it will reduce the chances of catching an edge and you can zoom past all the kooks blocking the trail.


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## Sincraft (Sep 6, 2010)

HoboMaster said:


> There is a level of flatness that is pretty negative to the new snowboarder. Think of it like riding a bicycle, in order to balance you need to be moving. It's the same with making turns on a snowboard, if your going too slow making turns is going to be hard and the chance of catching an edge is much higher.
> 
> Edge control is a big part of not catching edges on flats, which comes with practice. One thing I would suggest is to try and get as much speed as possible when having to traverse on cat-traks, it will reduce the chances of catching an edge and you can zoom past all the kooks blocking the trail.



true. I have found that if I have enough speed I can usually manipulate my downward edge well enough to flow straight ahead by turning the back foot and just moving my shoulders from square to the direction I want to correct. For awhile at least. When I slow down then I start riding pure edges and just switching. When I go too fast or too slow for either of those ideas, I'm out of ideas and just panic for more ideas until I come up with something or go plop into the snow...then I'm going slow enough again to just ride a pure edge again.  

I'll get it I guess, but for me, those green circles and the last few feet to the lift are harder than anything else at the moment


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## Sincraft (Sep 6, 2010)

Snowolf said:


> Riding on the flats takes a different technique to maintain an edge without making full, complete circles. Instead of using torsional flex and making C shaped turns, you are going to use very gentle weight shifts from toe to heel using both feet simultaneously while keeping the board pointed down the run and tracking true without sideslip. It is very important to eliminate unwanted pivot by ensuring that you do not add shoulder or hip rotation and keep your hands down and quiet. I think this video I produced about riding cat tracks should help you far better than any written advice can do. Take a gander and give it a try. Feel free to ask any additional questions....:thumbsup:


good video. Thanks!

I try to do that, but often the speed is too slow to get that much turn out, or there are way too many people and too much garbage (ice crystals) all over to get a good back and forth turn. Keep in mind however that I just learned how to toeside ride/turn 1 outting ago :O yea I'm very new. 
I ride an edge the best I can, but often the side to side angle of the slope requires me to ride one edge, the longer I ride that edge, the more my board wants to turn from side to side. I have to work my shoulders constantly to stay true to my line of travel...straight! eventually, because the board is always going a bit off true to straight, I end up hitting a raised spot from the snow that sticks up, which kicks my board out from under me in teh opposite direction, thus causing me to catch and edge and fall if I can leap up quick enough and plant the board down straight and true. 

The other issue happens when I'm picking up speed. I was yelling things like oh S**T and things like that. I find myself crouching down farther to center my balance, I try to do that side to side quick turns but usually bite it due to panic or , because I jsut can't seem to get the toe to heel transition down for some reason. 

I'm working on it. I can tell you that almost everything I do out there was learned through these forums. Little things stick when you need them the most. I still stink really bad, probably 15 falls in my last outting, usually all slow speed or cat trail falls though.


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## lisevolution (Sep 20, 2007)

The only times I find myself falling these days at least when I'm not pushing myself and riding a bit over my head, is when I'm going too slow or get caught in a mass of people who can't ski or snowboard and get in the way. On a snowboard speed is actually friend in most cases. Just keep practicing and the comfort at speed will come which will make maneuvering your board in tight difficult situations significantly easier. I know you said you're from the east coast, I am as well...where are you riding?


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