# Stepping up my gear+style to eurocarving



## dyn (Mar 9, 2015)

Hi all,

I'm 41, pretty good physical condition, and been riding for 19 years now (~20-25 days a year). I spent the first few years on noname freestyle gear, since then I slowly settled on Burton Custom X boards using Diode bindings and Burton Driver X boots. We can define my style as a wannabe-softboot-carver - I can do a front 180 and hit a few kickers in the kids' park but that's how far my freestyle goes. Settled in Central Europe, I also very rarely get a chance to ride in pow. I feel very envious though to all the eurocarving folks and wish to proceed my style in that direction.

My gear is getting old now again, boots need to get replaced for sure and my trusty Custom X feels also softened up after 4 years of hitting. I was thinking if I should stay on the same path or there should be other directions in picking gear which would help me advance my riding towards laying down curves. My boot size is US 8.5 and sometimes I also boot out carves on the toe side (my stance is like +6, -10)

Here are two recent images of my typical front and back edge (sorry, my post count is too low to attach):
- photos.app.goo.gl/16cySFLmf8zNUNn47
- photos.app.goo.gl/UWSWE3VgmU1ZQdcM7
and here's also a short video showing my current style, and also a boot out situation: photos.app.goo.gl/ciVVquZ3xu3sMy557

What I'm looking for are two things: to find out if I'm better off with different boards (eg. I eyed Korua Caferacers for example), and to receive hints from more experienced riders on what can be improved in my movement to get closer to lay-down curves. 

Thanks much in advance, all comments are appreciated!


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## Rip154 (Sep 23, 2017)

Move your stance up to dual positives, with 21-27 on the front and 3-9 on the back. Try to ease more into it, no sudden movement, but a gradual lean and tighter turn. Practice staying balanced in long turns first, where you don't touch the snow. When you got it down properly, you can look at wider boards with longer sidecuts, and hug some snow, if you want to. Don't need a stiffer board, that just means you have to be more accurate, but you could benefit from firmer conditions (than the slush in your vid).


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## dyn (Mar 9, 2015)

Rip154 said:


> Try to ease more into it, no sudden movement, but a gradual lean


here is a longer video of my moves with slow-motion: photos.app.goo.gl/QUjnAW3WMZtyhZbJ8 (watch eg. from 0:30-0:40) - do you think I need to be even more carefully gradual then this? 

I agree completely about the suboptimal conditions, that one was also taken in early April in Austria, we were even happy to find any snow there


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

dyn said:


> Settled in Central Europe, I also very rarely get a chance to ride in pow.


I don't see the correlation :chin:

Anyways. 
CX is a great board for what you want to ride; What's youre weight and board size? If rather short, then an increase of size probably is enough to get a step-up feel when you replace it. 

Agree with Rip about changing your angles, especially that your front angle could be bigger, maybe even hind swapped to fwd.


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## dyn (Mar 9, 2015)

neni said:


> I don't see the correlation :chin:


lol, you must be right  Anyway, we hardly meet a single day of pow each season, so while I do love those days, it's not really worth planning my gear for this reason.



neni said:


> What's youre weight and board size? If rather short, then an increase of size probably is enough to get a step-up feel when you replace it.


I'm around 73kg / 160 lbs for my 172cm height and my last Custom X is 156. I had a Custom 154 previously but it felt a tad short.. Do you think I should size up for 158, or even 162?



neni said:


> Agree with Rip about changing your angles, especially that your front angle could be bigger, maybe even hind swapped to fwd.


Noted with thanks to you both, this will be the first to try this season!


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

dyn said:


> I'm around 73kg / 160 lbs for my 172cm height and my last Custom X is 156. I had a Custom 154 previously but it felt a tad short.. Do you think I should size up for 158, or even 162?


156 sounds rather short (that's my preferred size of stiffish camber boards to charge for my 58kg...; hubby is 85kg and goes for 164 on such boards); I'd say 160 would be a good size for you on such boards.
Dunno about the current CX, tho. It's years since we had the last model. Don't know how the flex meanwhile is, if 158 or 162 would be better for you. Weight range at burton says 158, which is astonishing... but alas, it mirrors the current fashoin for shorter boards :dunno: 
Can you rent before you buy? (Look up snowboardbox in Saas Fee if you feel like demo loads of boards; it's in October, biggest demo station in Switzerland)


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## BoardieK (Dec 21, 2015)

Hey thanks for the tip about Snowboardbox Neni, I can't believe I haven't spotted that before. We will be driving our motorhome down to Italy at the end of October so might well call in, do you know if you have to register far in advance and receive anything in the post? Also on the "Overview" page it shows private dates, are those seperate to the open testing sessions?
The only downside is that I don't think my Magicpass will be valid in October so I'll have to book the liftpass as well.

Sorry for the thread hijack #dyn


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

BoardieK said:


> Hey thanks for the tip about Snowboardbox Neni, I can't believe I haven't spotted that before. We will be driving our motorhome down to Italy at the end of October so might well call in, do you know if you have to register far in advance and receive anything in the post? Also on the "Overview" page it shows private dates, are those seperate to the open testing sessions?
> The only downside is that I don't think my Magicpass will be valid in October so I'll have to book the liftpass as well.
> 
> Sorry for the thread hijack #dyn


Hmmm... page says it's open to everybody... dunno. I went there as guest with my local shop, so they did the registration and I got the tickets by them. Can't say if you'll receive tix by post or by email if you book directly. Write them to ask.
(Be aware that you probably only be able to ride the top section of the glacier depending on when snow falls this year... Just to keep your expectations reasonably ). A hint: if you want to demo non standard sizes/models, write the brands in advance so the distributors may check if/that they carry that board.


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## BoardieK (Dec 21, 2015)

Thanks for the reply, I've written for clarification. Any 154-158 board will do and I'd just like to compare some of the popular boards that are well regarded on here for on piste carving.


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## lbs123 (Jan 24, 2017)

I think you are doing pretty good when it comes to those carves. But sometimes you lean forward to touch the snow (1:14 in the longer video). Don't focus on touching snow or grabbing board but rather let it happen as a result of getting low by bending your knees. I would even practice without it and just let it happen "accidentally". Instead of grabbing board on the heal side turns you can touch the snow with inner hand like here https://youtu.be/O43Yuc544MA?t=115 (also notice the outer hand pointing forward on the heel side turn).


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## WigMar (Mar 17, 2019)

You're really close to a laid out carve! Boot out or washout... I think the shape of your turns is too J and not enough C. Try a harder turn initiation sooner, and get low before you're headed fully downslope. Think about traversing the run more instead of S turning straight down the fall line. 


Everyone has their preferences for board feel when carving. I don't ride switch much, and am willing to sacrifice that for the better carving performance found with positive stance angles and directional boards. Knapton is amazing with all that switch carving, but I'm not trying to ride like that. Here's some things I like to look for in a carving board:

Effective Edge- the longer this is, generally the more edge hold the board will hold. I like directional shapes for maximizing effective edge for the size. 

Camber- perhaps some rocker in the tips or flat to rocker, but I personally prefer the feel of camber springing me out of high g force turns. 

Flex- softer is easier to get started on, but too soft and it'll get overpowered. Stiffer requires more precision, and perhaps greater speed and power/commitment. Torsional flex lets you center flex the board to change the sidecut radius and therefore your turn radius easily. 

Taper- could be personal preference, but I love the feel of some taper. Same goes for setback. My powder decks are some of my favorite carvers for this reason. 

All of that being said, I want to try a Japanese style carver. The next board in my quiver will probably be a K2 Overboard. Kevin/Nivek has an inspiring review of it on Angrysnowboarder, and he's a great carver. Currently, my favorite carver in my quiver is a Signal Tailgunner. It's highly directional, extra wide, tapered, setback, cambered, stiff but torsionally flexible, with effective edge for days. That's what I'm talking about!


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## Aracan (Nov 24, 2017)

I see more leaning-over and less rotation than is good for laydowns. Try +/+ angles and practice (exaggerated) rotation drills.


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## dyn (Mar 9, 2015)

I'm not sure where my email notifications has gone, but I just remembered this thread and checked back.. hey, thanks a lot guys!! I really do appreciate the time you took to review my moves and share your experiences.. I can't wait now till October to keep on experimenting. 

I think I might keep my Custom X for now (unless I grab a nice deal randomly somewhere) and try to start with the recommendations above instead. I somehow recalled my guitar teacher's advice from 20 years ago, saying it's more about my style and not about my instrument at the end... Will get back and share my experiences once I leveled up - thanks!


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

dyn said:


> here is a longer video of my moves with slow-motion: photos.app.goo.gl/QUjnAW3WMZtyhZbJ8 (watch eg. from 0:30-0:40) - do you think I need to be even more carefully gradual then this?
> 
> I agree completely about the suboptimal conditions, that one was also taken in early April in Austria, we were even happy to find any snow there


Finally watched that vid. To me, it looks like you are a tiny tad too heavy on back leg at times, and you are sort of behind the motion. Instead of actively aggressively "dive" into the carve and "own" the carve, you follow it with your body when it already happens. I did that "mistake" for many years and didn't understand what myerror was, until I hade a highspeed picture sequence of hubby (who's really good at carving) and me and compared the weight distribution and posture in every tiny part of the initiation. 
Turned out I always was _behind_, low in knees too late in the turn, following the force instead of enforcing. It's super hard to explain... it's a timing thing of few cm/seconds. Maybe you have someone really good you can film in slow motion, too, and with this find the part where you are "behind".


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

neni said:


> Finally watched that vid. To me, it looks like you are a tiny tad too heavy on back leg at times, and you are sort of behind the motion. Instead of actively aggressively "dive" into the carve and "own" the carve, you follow it with your body when it already happens. I did that "mistake" for many years and didn't understand what myerror was, until I hade a highspeed picture sequence of hubby (who's really good at carving) and me and compared the weight distribution and posture in every tiny part of the initiation.
> Turned out I always was _behind_, low in knees too late in the turn, following the force instead of enforcing. It's super hard to explain... it's a timing thing of few cm/seconds. Maybe you have someone really good you can film in slow motion, too, and with this find the part where you are "behind".


Agree with @neni, you are too much in the back seat, timing is too late and and you are following the carve instead of driving or making the carve happen. 

Watching the longer slow mo vid...a couple of thoughts:

On heelside, BEND and SQUAT in the knees and rotate your leading shoulder and hips more into the turn...squat so much that you can drag your trailing hand on the snow.

On toeside, for the time being...for get about putting your trailing hand down...because it is messing up your upper-body rotation,...when you put your trailing hand down, you open your shoulders waaay to early and waaay too much.

Thus you are getting more of J shaped carves instead of the locked-in power G-force C's. In the 1st short vid, if you had been locked-in on the ending toeside carve, you would have NOT gotten bucked out.


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