# Tips/recommendations to improve my riding ? [videos]



## ksup3erb (Jan 25, 2013)

What do you think needs improvement?

I think it looks pretty good. Few things I noticed, in no particular order.

1. Hunched over and static upper body. Makes it hard to really get into those toe side edges especially. On toe side drive the hips.
2. You are unweighting by standing up/cross over turns. Try unweighting by dropping the knees/crossing under.
3. Heel side on steeper terrain in video 1 -- you are opening up and looking down the fall line instead of looking across and keep your body in line with board. You wash out a few times doing this.
4. Doesn't seem like you are getting the board on edge and carving. Get lower on heel side, and drive the hips on toe side. Let the sidecut turn for you. You'll feel the difference in board feedback almost immediately on a well weighted carve -- it's like the board just wants to shoot in an arc.


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## F1EA (Oct 25, 2013)

ksup3erb said:


> What do you think needs improvement?
> 
> I think it looks pretty good. Few things I noticed, in no particular order.
> 
> ...


Thanks!

Actually, two of the things you said i had already noticed right after seeing the video:

4) I thought i was actually engaging the edges, but looking at the vid i need to drive it more. Some turns are ok, much better carved, but others i can tell i'm not fully engaging that sidecut.

3) Always had this problem, my stance is 18/-9 but i feel like my body is sometimes fighting the front foot to open up some more. Not sure how to fix this: a) drop the angle on the front foot to 15? b) more forward stance (ie less rear angle or even positive angle)? Or c) just forcing myself to remain aligned...

The first couple of days riding i had +15 and the front foot and knee hurt a lot, so i found +18 was much more comfortable... but maybe is making me square my body too much. Not sure...

as for 1) well, i guess it has to do with trying to keep the camera steady and me sort of low enough so i can show ground and my upper body in the same shot... gotta try and ignore the camera and see if i still do that though...

2) hmmm gotta figure this one out, i know dropping the knees would help me dig the edges in better, so that could probably help a lot...

Thanks!!


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## ksup3erb (Jan 25, 2013)

F1EA said:


> Thanks!
> 
> Actually, two of the things you said i had already noticed right after seeing the video:
> 4) I thought i was actually engaging the edges, but looking at the vid i need to drive it more. Some turns are ok, much better carved, but other i can tell i'm not fully engaging the sidecut.
> ...


On maintaining your heelside edge on steeper terrain, look across the traverse and stay aligned. Fight the temptation to look down hill. And get lower and flexy knees. That should help. I don't think it's your binding angles; ride what's comfortable for you.

Yeah you might be hunching because of the camera. Have a buddy record you and see if you still do it.

Crossunder is a more powerful and efficient turn initiation move because you start the turn low and in more power and control, and rise through the turn, thereby pressing the edge throughout the turn. Crossover you start tall at the top of the turn and have to drop down to pressure the edge. It's an extra move.


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## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

That blue run should be straight up on edge, no skidded turns unless you need one just for burning speed. Engage the edge and stop the excess turns, especially when no one is around like in your video. 

On the steeper run, your having a similar problem when your washing out.... Engage that edge and don't unweight it so much/so long to prevent washing out. 

I also agree with watching your line, not the bottom of the run or the rest of the mountain....

I'm no pro but it is a rare thing for me to be on my ass or knees. I keep the edge engaged until right when I want to turn..... When you get into gnarly steep terrain it is supper dangerous to wash out since self arrest can be difficult in some situations.


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## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

Here's a blue run, lodge pole in vail. 

Vail lodge pole gap groomer bombing with Matthew W - YouTube

Here is a black run that's starting to get on the gnarly side of resort blacks with consequence in Jackson, paintbrush run that empties into toilet bowl...

Jackson Hole run 1 - YouTube


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## F1EA (Oct 25, 2013)

ksup3erb said:


> On maintaining your heelside edge on steeper terrain, look across the traverse and stay aligned. Fight the temptation to look down hill. And get lower and flexy knees. That should help. I don't think it's your binding angles; ride what's comfortable for you.
> 
> Yeah you might be hunching because of the camera. Have a buddy record you and see if you still do it.
> 
> Crossunder is a more powerful and efficient turn initiation move because you start the turn low and in more power and control, and rise through the turn, thereby pressing the edge throughout the turn. Crossover you start tall at the top of the turn and have to drop down to pressure the edge. It's an extra move.


Yea, I constantly remind myself to not fight the turn with the upper body (corkscrew on toeside and just facing downhill on heelside)... sometimes I get it, sometimes i just give in and square myself too much. Normally when I fall its only that: washing out, and hardly ever toeside. And yea, the binding angles are really comfortable... I don't really want to change them.

I have done that run several more times without falling at all, but when I square up and fall in the video is how I would normally fall. 




Argo said:


> That blue run should be straight up on edge, no skidded turns unless you need one just for burning speed. Engage the edge and stop the excess turns, especially when no one is around like in your video.
> 
> On the steeper run, your having a similar problem when your washing out.... Engage that edge and don't unweight it so much/so long to prevent washing out.
> 
> ...


So the goal should more or less be no skidded turns at all? :icon_scratch: yikes that'll be fast. I ussually bleed some speed off... but on a day like that one, I know I should have let it rip because the snow was very consistent and not too much people.

Going to look into some tips about cross-under and how to DIG that edge in some more... 

I do cross-under sometimes, specially when dodging people; but my turning ussually goes back to cross-over. It just feels nicer, surfy... also, cross-under KILLS my thighs. 

Thanks!


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## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

On that run, lowera slope angle, smooth surface, no-one around..... Yes. Fast, yeah but it's relative to what you think fast is.... That will change over time.


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## behi (Feb 27, 2013)

On the steeper stuff, you are not turning properly and don't set an edge in the early part of the turn. All your momentum is straight downhill and then you basically try to do a hockey stop to 'brake'.

If you set an edge early in the turn, you can 'brake' pretty much the entire turn, your momentum will change direction / you will have a lot less downhill momentum in the later part of the turn.


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## F1EA (Oct 25, 2013)

behi said:


> On the steeper stuff, you are not turning properly and don't set an edge in the early part of the turn. All your momentum is straight downhill and then you basically try to do a hockey stop to 'brake'.
> 
> If you set an edge early in the turn, you can 'brake' pretty much the entire turn, your momentum will change direction / you will have a lot less downhill momentum in the later part of the turn.


You mean the turn initiation? or the edging in general?
so for example if i work on the cross-under technique, the edges will start out a bit more engaged and will stay more balanced during the turn because the weight will be closer to the board... so i will have more solid bite on the whole turn, right?

I think the reason i have to do checks often is because i don't trust not the edges enough during turns... and don't trust em, because they aren't totally engaged. 

This mostly happens when i don't trust the surface enough (or it's inconsistent), for example i could point it down that steep section when the surface is not as rough... but that's exactly what I want to work on: not having to slam the brakes if conditions are less than ideal (ie trusting my edges by engaging them properly to begin with). 

On nice snow the cross over works ok because there's not much stuff throwing me off balance, but as soon as it gets rough and steep i need much more weight right above the board to keep control... 

I think i get it. Let's see if i can do it now 
(BTW i'm not really a fan of cross-under turns, i'd do them when needed... but cross-over down a fresh pow slope = heaven)

Thanks a lot guys! Cyber-beers are on me.


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