# Trying to make my board feel more stable at speed



## Prime320 (Jan 26, 2011)

I have an atomic Hatchet 163. I free ride. I had flow NXT-FS bindings, but have flow NXT-FSE bindings in the mail right now. I have damn near the softest least supportive no bootie rossignol boots known to man. They suck, but are so small and light for thier size that I never upgraded. I am ordering boots when I wake up tomorrow. Something really firm. Do you think the firmer boots will help a lot with staying stable at speed? 

When I am heel side and there is chop my board bops around a hell of a lot more than my lighter friends. It causes me to crash and get hurt and I am sick and tired of it. I had a reputable shop tune my board. I told them the issue and they said they will make it hold a line as best as possible. 

Will mounting my bindings back help with high speed at all, or should I just keep them in the center?

I ride about 16/16 duck because it is comfy and I do mess with switch. Does this also mess with the stability?


Im getting old, and the older I get the fatter I get. I'm no freestyle pro by any means, but I do whip around switch and try to float some 180's from time to time. I mostly freeride. My feet are naturally a little duckish. More than most anyways, but not to the point of looking really goofy. a little over 6' and 265ish (give or take ten depending on how active I have been) Theres the details

I am going to buy a ride highlife to help with all this during the end of the season deals. Until then (and before the hatchet becomes a dedicated park board) I want to get the most out of my board. What should I do?

Thanks


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

The hatchet is a fs board, so it will chatter and feel a bit unstable at higher speeds. I'd say to max it out, shift your weight/hips slightly on the nose to deal with some of the chatter and squirrly...but you need a stiffer board and perhaps longer for your size and stiff boots help when digging trenches at high speed.


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## Prime320 (Jan 26, 2011)

Stiff boots will be taken care of today. This board will be dedicated to its intended purpose next season. Until then I'm making my lemons lemonade. Do you think moving my bindings back will help at all?

I'll probably grab a 167 highlife for my next ride.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

idk about moving bindings back...but perhaps widening your stance...imo stability at speed (assuming groomers) is finding the sweet spot of being forward/aft but that is dynamic depending on snow condition and where you are at during the carve or riding almost flat. But its really about you feeling more stable or confident about your skills at speed instead of the board feeling stable at speed.

idk are you talking about...you are comfortable at speed, i.e., 50+ mph bomb and you are maxing out the potential of the board. Or are you talking about developing skills to max the potential of the board.


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## ev13wt (Nov 22, 2010)

70% of your weight on the front foot. Relax while going fast.

Sounds to me as is YOU are too stiff. That plus too much weight on the back foot will make you jump, jump, and then the board will fly out from underneath you.

Do you ever have this problem during hard braking?


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## baldylox (Dec 27, 2007)

Setting the bindings back further will make the problem worse, that only helps in powder. New board is about all you can do. Soft boards will chatter at speed. Ride slower....


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## AcroPhile (Dec 3, 2010)

Could this be a size thing? I have a larger friend who weighs quite a bit over 200 lbs and is about 6'2". He absolutely hates choppy snow and has a lot of the same problems that you are describing.


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## Prime320 (Jan 26, 2011)

wrathfuldeity said:


> idk about moving bindings back...but perhaps widening your stance...imo stability at speed (assuming groomers) is finding the sweet spot of being forward/aft but that is dynamic depending on snow condition and where you are at during the carve or riding almost flat. But its really about you feeling more stable or confident about your skills at speed instead of the board feeling stable at speed.
> 
> idk are you talking about...you are comfortable at speed, i.e., 50+ mph bomb and you are maxing out the potential of the board. Or are you talking about developing skills to max the potential of the board.


I am NOT comfortable at speed. Not at all. Definitely not maxing out the board. Anything 25+ gets hairy I'd say. I'll have to try that phone ap to really see what speed it is. I think what I need is something to help out my confidence.


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## Prime320 (Jan 26, 2011)

ev13wt said:


> 70% of your weight on the front foot. Relax while going fast.
> 
> Sounds to me as is YOU are too stiff. That plus too much weight on the back foot will make you jump, jump, and then the board will fly out from underneath you.
> 
> Do you ever have this problem during hard braking?


Perhaps this is one of my problems. As soon as I see less than smooth stuff at speed I tense up because of past crashes? I never have problems during braking, but I am rather confident with my braking. Maybe nervousness is making me tense up and putting too much weight out back. That combined with a short for me freestyle board sure could cause some problems right?


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## Prime320 (Jan 26, 2011)

AcroPhile said:


> Could this be a size thing? I have a larger friend who weighs quite a bit over 200 lbs and is about 6'2". He absolutely hates choppy snow and has a lot of the same problems that you are describing.


Possibly. I hate chop much more than all my friends and I am always the biggest dude out. It always makes me curious.



Snowolf said:


> Its the board...I have the Hatchet as well and it does not handle speed as well as my Atomic Radon which is a longer, stiffer and damper board. There is a reason than boards come in lots of varieties for different uses. If speed and chatter elimination is the goal, go with a longer, stiffer damper board and ride the Hatchet at slower speed.
> 
> The Hatchet is a great board for freestyle and it also is a fun board for all mountain; you just have to ride it accordingly. I have used mine for back country in the summer, climbing and riding off of the summit of Mt. Adams and Mt. Hood; you just have to work within its limits...:dunno:



I can't wait until this board is just sitting there for jibbing and jumping. Really nice board, just not for what I am triyng to do with it. I wish my ride timeless never got stolen.


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## Willy36 (Dec 29, 2008)

If you're standing up pretty straight when going fast, try to get lower. That way your knees can act more like suspension and absorb the bumps a bit.

Also, make sure you're not sliding the board if you're going fast. Just weight shift and carve, don't skid.


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## mojo maestro (Jan 6, 2009)

Prime320 said:


> I am NOT comfortable at speed. Not at all. Definitely not maxing out the board. Anything 25+ gets hairy I'd say. I'll have to try that phone ap to really see what speed it is. I think what I need is something to help out my confidence.


Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer.....if one doesn't work, stop, sit and take a break. Drink another beer during the break. Quickly get back to the top and give'r. If that doesn't work, I don't know what will.


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

Just make sure the board is never flat. You should be always maintaining at least some edge. Otherwise it begins to go squirrelly. You can also maintain some edge by torquing the board (lift toes on one boot, push down toes on other), although that tends to make the board want to turn. Good for recovering from a lean or drift, though.

The big problem with going fast, though, is the feeling of instability. As you go faster, the bumps hit you harder and more quickly, and you have to react more quickly to keep from doing a Steve Austin. One good training technique for improving your board handling is to go off the groomed snow as much as possible. Initially, just a foot or two off the groom into the sides of the run, then gradually farther and farther as you find yourself more comfortable with the roughs. This will greatly improve your ability to keep the board under control in less ideal conditions, which also helps when you're bootin' it.


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## Magnum626 (Dec 31, 2009)

FWIW, when I had a stiff board I bounced off the chop and fell a lot instead of plowing through it. My friends were able to ride through, but I was a good 40lbs heavier than my skinny friends. :laugh: But then again my ride timeless from years ago didn't have much dampening compared to my current NS premier. Strange enough though when I rode my burton custom in the choppy stuff I was able to handle it a bit better than on my stiffer board. Maybe I was turning more through the chop instead of trying to bomb down across it.

But keep legs and hips flexed to absorb the bumps, it'll definitely help. Maybe try turning more through the chop instead of trying to bomb over them?


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Prime320 said:


> I am NOT comfortable at speed. Not at all. Definitely not maxing out the board. Anything 25+ gets hairy I'd say. I'll have to try that phone ap to really see what speed it is. I think what I need is something to help out my confidence.


confidence...choose wisely...like fresh groomed, or 4-6" of fresh pow, or spring corn is nice to build confidence...also nice wide open runs or doing short blasts and ride with others or skiers who are faster and try to keep up....the mental part. The technique part is make small light adjustments...like a gazelle...when you are pointing...over the small bumps and imperfections you just want to try to float over them...let your legs absorb (no stiff leg/knees...you'll get tossed) AND have confidence that your board will handle it...it wants to go straight down the hill. And lastly just be aware that slowing down takes a bit longer...so kind of think about...its not an immediate stop but down shifting.


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## AcroPhile (Dec 3, 2010)

mojo maestro said:


> Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer.....if one doesn't work, stop, sit and take a break. Drink another beer during the break. Quickly get back to the top and give'r. If that doesn't work, I don't know what will.


:thumbsup:


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## HoboMaster (May 16, 2010)

A big part of riding chop is about keeping your legs, and generally your whole body low and loose. By keeping your body tight all the time, your going to hit shit and the impact is going to be like hitting a wall. When you allow your muscles to stay loose, they drop and flex when you hit the impact, and distribute the stress better.

The Atomic Hatchet will do anything you want it to, but it's definitely not made for breaking through chunks. Especially at your weight/size, it's going to act more like a park board. I have a 2006 156cm Hatchet, and for me that thing is decently stiff due to the fact I'm 5'7 145lbs. It's not terribly stiff tho, it's just a big difference from what I'm riding right now, a 151 NS Evo.

I've never actually ridden a super-stiff board, so I'm pretty used to getting tossed around by chunkage. Sounds like a nice stiffy deck will ultimately make your riding more stable.


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

Donutz said:


> ...of the run, then gradually farther and farther as you find yourself more comfortable with the roughs. This will greatly improve your ability to keep the board under control in less ideal conditions, which also helps when you're bootin' it.


Reading back over that, I realize it looks like I went off on a tangent when you're talking about speeding straight down a hill. My point though was that improving your stability and confidence on your board will improve your ability to bomb a hill in control. One exercise that I've found to help my stability and board control was to go off-piste and hit bumpy stuff, under slow controlled circumstances so I could fall without killing myself. As I got better, I hit it faster and went deeper. Now I can go straight down a steep that would have given me a coronary last year.


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