# what makes a board "forgiving"?



## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

A board that has a dashboard jesus glued on it.


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## legallyillegal (Oct 6, 2008)

simon chamberlain is loaded with jesus!


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## Triple8Sol (Nov 24, 2008)

Find one with a detachable confessional


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## SnowProRick (Jan 13, 2009)

yusoweird said:


> i first started out with a k2 fuse board. the board seems to be pretty flexi and light. so far from what i have read, softer boards are usually more forgiving? but by that definition, a board that is easier to turn and more sensitive on turns is more forgiving? from my experience, i have problems with my turns being too sensitive where every little movement i do can start a turn. it would throw me off sometimes, especially on flats. so wouldn't a stiffer board be less sensitive? and therefore more forgiving?
> 
> :dunno:


The reason soft is forgiving is that it takes more work from the rider to get the board to do something. So you can do some extra/bad movements and they won't effect what the board is doing as much. 

A stiffer (less forgiving) board is the opposite, every little movement your body makes gets transferred into the board, and things happen much faster and with more amplitude.

It is not so much how "easy" a board is to turn. I am not sure what kind of board the Fuse is, but pretty much all snowboarding is 90% rider. I would look at how you are starting/controlling your turns. Are you using your shoulders and upper body (not a very good way)? Are you using your feet, just too much? Check out our learn to snowboard videos. They will give you a good idea of what to do and how much to do it.

Hope this helps.

--rick


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## yusoweird (Apr 6, 2009)

SnowProRick said:


> The reason soft is forgiving is that it takes more work from the rider to get the board to do something. So you can do some extra/bad movements and they won't effect what the board is doing as much.
> 
> A stiffer (less forgiving) board is the opposite, every little movement your body makes gets transferred into the board, and things happen much faster and with more amplitude.
> 
> ...


I am not really worrying about how to snowboard, I know I just need more experience.  But so far what I have read about soft vs stiff board and the term "forgiving" kindda confuses me. I thought a softer board takes less work since it is more flexible, therefore easier to transfer movements? and vice versa... What you just described said it is the opposite... :dunno:


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## FLuiD (Jul 6, 2009)

A flexy board will take more force to twist. Simplify it and think about physics. Something with less torsional rigidity will take more movement or force to make it travel the same distance. It may just be a matter of force or initial input.


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## snowjeeper (Nov 11, 2008)

also the edge bevel makes a huge difference in how many times you catch an edge while starting out as a noob.


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## snowjeeper (Nov 11, 2008)

You're right in what you're saying mr wolf, but you have your metals reversed  Aluminum is much more ridid than steel, it's just that it's a softer metal, but not more flexible.


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## Guest (Oct 6, 2009)

snowjeeper said:


> You're right in what you're saying mr wolf, but you have your metals reversed  Aluminum is much more ridid than steel, it's just that it's a softer metal, but not more flexible.


Actually if your considering bars of the same size and shape the aluminum is more flexible (has a lower modulus).


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## AirConditioning (Oct 5, 2009)

I used to ride a Fuse. I don't think it's as forgiving as a board can be. For an all-mountain FS board it's on the stiff size for sure.


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## snowjeeper (Nov 11, 2008)

i know very little about metallurgy or anything like that, but if you take a 1/8" sheet of alluminum and try to bend it in half it'll probably crack, if you take a 1/8" sheet of steel, it'll bend in half easy. So maybe my vocab is off?


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## Prophecies (Oct 1, 2009)

Depends on the kind of steel you are using. Steel with a higher carbon concentration will be more likely to crack, but will be stronger. Steel with less carbon will bend more. As for Aluminum, I'm don't know enough about it's contents to dispute anything here, so I'll keep my comments to myself.


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## AirConditioning (Oct 5, 2009)

A metaphor's a metaphor.


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## Guest (Oct 6, 2009)

snowjeeper said:


> i know very little about metallurgy or anything like that, but if you take a 1/8" sheet of alluminum and try to bend it in half it'll probably crack, if you take a 1/8" sheet of steel, it'll bend in half easy. So maybe my vocab is off?


Yeah, your vocab was off. Like SnowWolf was saying it takes less force to twist the aluminum sheet. The formability depends on several things. Back to the topic.


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## yusoweird (Apr 6, 2009)

thanks everyone. i got it now. i totally forgot the last part of the mechanics of a snowboard. i thought the board being easier to twist directly transfer to how sensitive it is, which is wrong. i forgot last step where the energy has to transfer from your board to the snow, and not just thin air :laugh: :laugh:  stupid me 

thanks everyone!


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