beginner questions?!

[two_ravens]

Hi all! New to carving and hoping someone can help with a few questions. I used to ride alot (softboots) in the 90's, but it has been a few years since I was on a board at all. I've been out on HB's 6 days now. Plan to attend SES and get some instruction there - just trying not to learn tons of bad habits between now and then! :D

Here are the relevant specs: 125 lb, 5'7", female, mondo 24 feet on a Nidecker Escape, 159cm, 20.5 waist, SCR 7.9 with TD2 bindings, cant 0 front, 3 back. Started with an 18" stance and angles 50/45. Then tried 50/40 for a couple of days, but didn't like that much. Couldn't sleep so I just got up and changed to a 17" stance and 45/40, will get to try that out this afternoon.

So here are a few questions: When I'm riding, I really feel the burn in my front (riding goofy, so right) quad, particularly when doing anything heelside (long traverses are the worst.) :( Back leg hardly feels used. Toeside feels reasonably comfortable. Is there something terribly wrong with my stance or technique? Or is this just payback for recreating sitting down all summer? (Kayaking, that is! :p )

Next question: I've felt a bit of carve on toeside :1luvu: , but heelside is eluding me entirely. It might help me to know where you are supposed to feel the pressure in you boots on heelside? Where are you focusing your weight/force/attention? (Having torched quads may be a limiting factor here, but we'll just assume better technique will help!)

Boot questions: I have a pair of Raichle 225's that need a bit of work to fit well (rode them the first day only) and a pair of Raichle 124's that fit well enough as is. The 124's are a little lower & much softer - is this OK/better for starting out, or should I try to get the 225's fitted soon and use them? I'm riding the 124's with the front boot in powder mode (that is - unrestricted forward flex, locks at 3 going toward the rear) and the rear boot locked forward at 2. Does that seem on track, or no?

I have read most all of the articles on BOL, tried the NORM, have the SES 2007 DVD for visuals & stoke, have been focusing on trying to keep an upright body (not bending forward at the waist) and weight more over my front foot.... Any comments, suggestions? Am I on the right track here?

Thanks so much for any thoughts, comments, advice!!! :biggthump

[Chris Houghton]

A bit of toe lift on the front foot may also help the quad burn problem.

[pebu]

I'm riding 124s and I like them alot. I started on ski boots (before really knowing what I was doing) and they were so stiff that I ended up augering and it tossed me like a rag doll. The 124s are a good boot to start on and they seem to be a decent boot all the way around as long as you're not racing or anything.

[caspercarver]

i am @ the village almost everyday. let me know next time you are in town and maybe i can help. i have been hardbooting since 1990. just got my new 168 swoard and can"t wait for the first sunny hardpack day! the village groomers are way to soft now. expecting a 10 to 20 inches tonight. cheers!:)

[two_ravens]

Hey everbody, thanks for comments so far!


i am @ the village almost everyday. let me know next time you are in town and maybe i can help. i have been hardbooting since 1990. just got my new 168 swoard and can"t wait for the first sunny hardpack day! the village groomers are way to soft now. expecting a 10 to 20 inches tonight. cheers!:)

caspercarver - I am headed to Jackson today, will be there thru Wed. Don't ski/ride the village much - kind of a $ thing, but I could cough up the dough once in awhile. Might be worth the price of admission just to check out your new Swoard! Hey, can you village people send a few flakes from this storm toward Snow King? That's where I have a pass and it's been desperate snow conditions so far! :eek:

[fin]

two_ravens,

Welcome!

As someone who has sold carving gear for over 15 years we do see this a lot. Let me put it this way, god himself could come down, operate my mills and run a boot mold, and create you the perfect set-up. And you would still have these issues. I suspect you are at that frustrating (but exciting) point in carving where you are ready to go but your technique is still developing.

Coming to the SES is the best thing you can do for your riding right now. Carving is very technique oriented and if you are not doing it correctly, you end up struggling and making it worse. Remember when you first started Kayaking and the bad form you had at first making it tough and tiring? Same thing. But at the SES you'll have 200+ carvers to work with, Clinics, and the best part, a pile of women who carve and are very good at it. They are easy to spot, they are the ones not talking to me.

Now that said, I do believe in a set-up that is optimized to help you learn. From what you describe your set-up sounds just fine. Maybe a few tweaks here and there but nothing super bad from what I can see. Do try riding with the boots in powder mode as the extra flex can be a benefit during the learning stages.

Other then that, we'll see you in about 5 weeks and get you going then!

[two_ravens]

Coming to the SES is the best thing you can do for your riding right now. Carving is very technique oriented and if you are not doing it correctly, you end up struggling and making it worse. Remember when you first started Kayaking and the bad form you had at first making it tough and tiring? Same thing. But at the SES you'll have 200+ carvers to work with, Clinics, and the best part, a pile of women who carve and are very good at it. They are easy to spot, they are the ones not talking to me.


Hey Fin,
Thanks for your thoughts! Really looking forward to SES - today I'm requesting time off for the whole week, wish me luck! And yes, I remember well my neophyte guppy kayaking days, though t'was 20 years ago...
So are the amazing women of BOL/SES really that mean to you?!? :ices_ange Guess I'll learn when I get there!

[D.T.]

TD2 bindings, cant 0 front, 3 back.

So here are a few questions: When I'm riding, I really feel the burn in my front (riding goofy, so right) quad, particularly when doing anything heelside (long traverses are the worst.) :( Back leg hardly feels used.

you might consider switching you cants and running the 3 deg. in the front (with toe lift, not heel) and the 0 deg on the back. It should help your weight be more balanced between legs.