# Always feel like I'm catching an edge.



## Plurr (Dec 4, 2012)

Soo this next season will only be my second full season of riding and last year when I would go out, on practically every run, I got this feeling that I was about to catch an edge and eat it. No matter the speed or what I changed I still got the feeling. Any ideas of what is causing this and how I can prevent it?


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## StreetDoc (Dec 24, 2011)

Plurr said:


> Soo this next season will only be my second full season of riding and last year when I would go out, on practically every run, I got this feeling that I was about to catch an edge and eat it. No matter the speed or what I changed I still got the feeling. Any ideas of what is causing this and how I can prevent it?


Are you always slightly staying on edge or are you flat on the board?


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## FacePlant4Free (Oct 19, 2011)

is it when ur just cruising straight ahead without riding any edges? If so then be careful. Flat base too much and ur bound to catch an edge eventually. 

Also, if you have a camber deck then you will probably have that issue more due to the contact points towards the tip and tail of your board.


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

Gotta always work on lifting an edge. As a noob you should pretty much never be flat on your board. Keep your edges up! That's rule #1 to snowboarding...


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## Plurr (Dec 4, 2012)

I think I ride with the board sort of flat.. How would I ride kind of straight while keeping my edges lifted??


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## chomps1211 (Mar 30, 2011)

FacePlant4Free said:


> is it when ur just cruising straight ahead without riding any edges? If so then be careful. Flat base too much and ur bound to catch an edge eventually.
> 
> Also, if you have a camber deck then you will probably have that issue more due to the contact points towards the tip and tail of your board.


Correct me if I'm wrong,.. when flat basing for say, "X" distance (longer than a few dozen yards?) on a packed or icy run, particularly /w a cambered board. ANY small lapse in technique, i.e. shoulder alignment, centered/forward weighted stance etc. is likely to give you that "Edgy" feeling? Is this correct?

I have noticed myself, when riding straight & flat (...trying to get comfortable with speed,) my cambered Arbor Roundhouse will get a little,.. "_fishtaily_" for lack of a better/proper term! The rear of the board will tend to slide/turn down/across slope one way or 'tuther!

I assumed it was due to getting sloppy with my shoulder alignment?


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

chomps1211 said:


> Correct me if I'm wrong,.. when flat basing for say, "X" distance (longer than a few dozen yards?) on a packed or icy run, particularly /w a cambered board. ANY small lapse in technique, i.e. shoulder alignment, centered/forward weighted stance etc. is likely to give you that "Edgy" feeling? Is this correct?


Yeah exactly... They just tend to hunt around when flat unless you're absolutely flying. I still try to stay on one edge or the other when on a cat track or at the bottom of a slope. If I wanted to go straight I would have bought skis!!! :cheeky4:

Goes away though once you're in a couple inches of fresh or more. Can flatbase all day in powder! Although that would get boring too...


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

Plurr said:


> I think I ride with the board sort of flat.. How would I ride kind of straight while keeping my edges lifted??


http://www.snowboardingforum.com/tips-tricks-snowboard-coaching/51175-long-flat-straight-aways.html

Only time you'll ever need to ride straight though is a cat track, runout... If you find yourself bored on the runs you're on and turning slows you down too much, head to a steeper run. I find most people when learning to board do better on runs with some decent slope to them (i.e. a mid-range blue square) to help them get more used to full on edge control and carving.

Start learning to do S and C carves on a blue and you'll find the edge control you were missing. It's all about carving. No offence to any of the noobs out there, but my guess is 95% of them that come on here and say they can "carve" aren't even close, they're doing intermediate/dynamic slider turns.

Have fun and don't worry about falling! I still fall every day on the slopes...


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## chomps1211 (Mar 30, 2011)

poutanen said:


> Yeah exactly... If I wanted to go straight I would have bought skis!!! :cheeky4:


^^^:laugh::laugh::laugh:^^^



poutanen said:


> Goes away though once you're in a couple inches of fresh or more. Can flatbase all day in powder! Although that would get boring too...


 The one & _only_ weekend last season that I got to ride "a couple inches of fresh", I noticed _EXACTLY_ that!! It was _GREAT_!! Thanks for the confirmation! Hope this helps the OP too!!! (_...sure looks like I'm gonna b "On Edge" for this season too!_)


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

chomps1211 said:


> The one & _only_ weekend last season that I got to ride "a couple inches of fresh", I noticed _EXACTLY_ that!! It was _GREAT_!! Thanks for the confirmation! Hope this helps the OP too!!! (_...sure looks like I'm gonna b "On Edge" for this season too!_)


Gotta plan a trip out West then!  I know CO isn't getting the snow right now, and I think Montana is pretty bare too, but we're having a record year AGAIN here in Alberta...


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## Plurr (Dec 4, 2012)

Welll, I had my friend sorta teach me, but he had only been riding a year and told me to do exactly what you just said not to do. To carve I maybe only use my foward foot by literally like lifting my heel up, which causes cramps so I know I'm doing it wrong. The majority of my carving is my back foot by sorta kicking it out using my calf and heel a bit. I try to keep my knees bent but when I start carving I naturally wanna straighten my back. I lean somewhat sideways, none backward or forward, and dont lift my edge up too much because I feel like I'll fall, which I probably won't. I do ask some of the other riders for advice buuuut they're all dicks and just tell me to quit, say I'm trash, ect haha


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## david_z (Dec 14, 2009)

Plurr said:


> Welll, I had my friend sorta teach me, but he had only been riding a year and told me to do exactly what you just said not to do. ...


Stop right there and take a lesson. One, maybe two is probably all you will need to feel 100% more comfortable and confident on the slopes, correct some bad habits, and start to develop good habits & correct technique & muscle memory.



Plurr said:


> I do ask some of the other riders for advice buuuut they're all dicks and just tell me to quit, say I'm trash, ect haha


Haters gonna hate. In all honesty though, most of them - although competent snowboarders - probably couldn't come close to *communicating* what you need to do the way Snowolf or another instructor could.


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## chomps1211 (Mar 30, 2011)

david_z said:


> Stop right there and take a lesson. One, maybe two is probably all you will need to feel 100% more comfortable and confident on the slopes, correct some bad habits, and start to develop good habits & correct technique & muscle memory.
> 
> 
> Haters gonna hate. In all honesty though, most of them - although competent snowboarders - probably couldn't come close to *communicating* what you need to do the way Snowolf or another instructor could.


^^^ What He said!! ^^^

I'm not sure, but wasn't there a thread here somewhere that had a lot of Snowolf's YouTube snowboard instructional links??? I remember watching a bunch of them, but I can't recall if they were all posted in one thread or not! If not, maybe go over 2 YT & search Snowolf? LOTs of good tips & technique!!


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## chomps1211 (Mar 30, 2011)

_That's_ the thread I was talkin' bout!!! Lots of good info. Still, as SW & others have already said,.. Nothing is as good as face to face time with a good instructor! 

My first few months, I had lots of little "issues" with my riding that I couldn't have even identified let alone corrected all on my own. You really need someone competent who can give you instant feedback on the "bad habits" that could b tripping you up!

The biggest benefit being, with an instructor once you experience in real time, the difference between how it feels to ride with proper form & with your bad habits corrected, that feedback is _doubly_ reinforced and it will start to become "good habit"!

Thanks SW for posting that thread link!


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## john doe (Nov 6, 2009)

I'm also a fan of Free Learn to Snowboard Videos | SnowProfessor Those video along with Snowolf's video made a drastic improvement in my riding.


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## Plurr (Dec 4, 2012)

Alright so I watched all the videos and I can't wait to try these tips out when my local resort opens. They helped on how I should be leaning and bending my knees but I'm having a hard time understanding lifting my toes or heel, pressing down, ect with which foot to initiate certain turns. Also, I somewhat understand differences between turns but when to use which I dunno.


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

Plurr said:


> Alright so I watched all the videos and I can't wait to try these tips out when my local resort opens. They helped on how I should be leaning and bending my knees but I'm having a hard time understanding lifting my toes or heel, pressing down, ect with which foot to initiate certain turns. Also, I somewhat understand differences between turns but when to use which I dunno.


Don't sweat it, it'll all come. If there's one piece of advice above all else, one thing that beginners do wrong more than anything else, it's going back-seat -- putting your weight on your back leg. This one mistake is good for probably more than 90% of beginner problems. Make a point of checking your weight distribution OFTEN. Don't let yourself get into the bad habit.


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## Plurr (Dec 4, 2012)

Gotchaaaa, this honestly helps so much!! Another thing is my body is to stay perpendicular to my board at all time, correct? and my knees are to always be bent slightly but when I'm carving do I bend more?..


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## Ritsuke (Jan 15, 2011)

Donutz said:


> Don't sweat it, it'll all come. If there's one piece of advice above all else, one thing that beginners do wrong more than anything else, it's going back-seat -- putting your weight on your back leg. This one mistake is good for probably more than 90% of beginner problems. Make a point of checking your weight distribution OFTEN. Don't let yourself get into the bad habit.


That was one my worst habbits. I always went to the backseat and started to swirl my backfoot to initiate my turns. I can't keep on saying how important lessons are. 

I always go 2 weeks to the resort divided in 1 week lessons, 1 week practise. Great combination and fun!


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