Two Problems

[dingbat]

I got out for the first time tonight on my own carving gear. I'm having some problems and can't figure out if they're from my set-up or technique or both.

1) To initiate toe side turns I have to rotate my rear knee inward and across the board, twisting my foot in the boot, and hold it there through the turn to keep an edge. When I'm trying to go straigt on a catwalk or the like, the board wants to rotate and turn to heel side. Transitions to heel side and heel side turns feel pretty good and I can just kinda stand in a nuetral stance and they just happen.

2) I've been bending over at the waist in order to shift my weight forward to keep the tail from sliding. Would just moving the bindings toward the nose help me not have to do this or could it be something I'm doing wrong with my lower body?

I'm riding a Volkl RT GS168 07/08 with Catek OS1 short plates w/intecs at 60 o rear, 66 o front, and Head Stratos Pro boots w/ soft tounges. The bindings are mounted centered on the inserts which are 50 cm wide on center and set back 30 cm. The width happens to work out well for me by the knee to the floor thing and the shoulder width measurement is close. I could go wider if it would help anything.

I started with toe lift up front and heel lift in the rear. I then canted the front and rear bindings outward a little bit at a time. This improved the knee/leg rotating/board wanting to turn left (heel side) thing with each adjustment but it was still pretty severe. Next I started canting the cuffs of my boots outward. Maxed them out. It helped, but not enough.

It just doesn't seem right to me needing to max all the adjustments out like this.



Good news is, by the end of the night I felt like I was actualy carving,:D And every comment I got from other people at the hill was positive. Best was from one of the guys I work with: "Sick board! Are those hard boots?"

"So, what size are they?"</P>
Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
-Mark

[mr_roboteye]

There's a couple of secrets to getting a snowboard to do what you want it to, when you want it to do it.

#1
Have the right amount of weight at the right place, at the right time.

#2
maintain a body position that furnishes you adequate stability and gives your legs the best possible chance to absorb bumps in the snow regardless of whether you are in mid carve or straightlining.



You are fortunate that you have bindings that you can adjust cant and lift relatively quick n' easy. When I read that you have been canting your bindings and boots outwards, I was trying to imagine why you would do something like that. I assume that it is to try to keep your knees apart.

The symptom of problem #1 is telling you that you don't have enough weight at the front of the board. It's the same thing as a tractor trailer jacknifing. Since there is more weight in the back than the front the back wants to pass the front.

Your stance is 19 1/2" which is maybe a hair wide for a 168, but would not account for the problems you're having. If you're 6' or over you may need a stance as wide as yours because of your height.

Here is the part where I tell you what works for me. I have never had a problem getting any board (I've had many from 155 to 190cm) to do what I wanted, when I wanted the board to do it. I ride with a dead flat front foot and a burton 6 degree cant in the rear. Any kind of snow equipment (ski, monoski, snowboard) is steered from the front, not the middle, not the back, the front. If you use toe lift, you are moving your weight away from the front of the board to the middle.

If I was you, I would: flatten your front foot, cant front boot cuff to neutral. Put your front boot forward lean as far back as possible, or just one click forward, whichever is comfy. Move your rear binding forward about half an inch. Put rear boot cuff cant to neutral. Dial up some heel lift and a bit of inward cant. Rear boot forward lean should be more agressive than front foot, you'll have to play with it a little. I agree that you don't want to have your knees too close together. This is one opinion of many that you will receive, you can take with a grain of salt.

BTW what's wrong with bending at the waist? Olympic racers do it, why cant I?------------>clickyhttp://www.alexaloo.com/

later,

Dave R.




..

[oldvolvosrule]

I'm riding a Volkl RT GS168 07/08 with Catek OS1 short plates w/intecs at 60 o rear, 66 o front, and Head Stratos Pro boots w/ soft tounges. The bindings

This was your first time out on hardboots?? What angles were you running on your previous set up?? 66/60 degree angles seem a bit steep if you are just learning how to carve. Do you have large feet/boots to justify running that steep of angles?? I have a RT178 and I run 58/54 on that board, I do have size 27.5 boots.

At this point in your beginning carving experience I would say to back the angles down. I wouldn't think at this point that you are getting the board up on edge enough to concern yourself with boot out.

Back the angles off and just get used to the different body position and then increase bindings angles a bit at a time.
Hope this helps

[carvedog]

When I'm trying to go straigt on a catwalk or the like, the board wants to rotate and turn to heel side.Board has no desire, but is pure instrument ready to serve. Shoulders over feet should equal straight line on cat road. If you pull your shoulder back behind the heelside board has no option but to follow.


2) I've been bending over at the waist in order to shift my weight forward to keep the tail from sliding. Bending at the waist puts weight back over toe side to even out turning input from twist of shoulder and hips.


I started with toe lift up front and heel lift in the rear. I then canted the front and rear bindings outward a little bit at a time. This improved the knee/leg rotating/board wanting to turn left (heel side) thing with each adjustment but it was still pretty severe. Next I started canting the cuffs of my boots outward. Maxed them out. It helped, but not enough.
Not sure about all these adjustments. I ride with no cants, flat to the board and have never felt like I needed to do anything else. Been working ggod for me for 17 years. I know there are lots who seem to like canting, but I don't. You should be able to stand tall upright and gently push both knees to rock the board to toeside. rock to heelside by hips going slightly back. If you rotate board will go with it.


It just doesn't seem right to me needing to max all the adjustments out like this. Its not. Sounds to me like your front hip is behind the board most of the time. It needs to be over your front foot.

Of course this is all rampant speculation based on your descriptions but I have 14 yrs teaching and have seen this same body position/problem hundreds of times. Keep working on neutral stance and stacking the joints. And that doesn't buying an ounce of weed rolling it up. Knees over ankles, hips over knees, shoulders over hips. Neutral, natural, aligned. That is my mantra for all of snowboarding.

Good luck.

[dingbat]

Thanks for all the advice guys.

Seems to make sense that I must have started off with my C of G biased toward heelside. I guess I was trying to treat the symptoms by getting the nose of the board to twist to toe side rather than positioning my weight where it belonged. I'm going back to square one with my front foot flat and working on getting my weight centered before anything else.

As far as the angles go, they're the lowest I could get without having overhang on the rear toe and the front is rotated just enough to keep my knees from feeling like they're twisting. I have a 27.0 Stratos Pro, but with intecs on a short plate Catek, so the boots are shifted forward on the binding. Eventualy I hope to pick up some long plates or have plates machined up so I can center the boots on the bindings. The high angles dont bother me, but I will take your advice and back them off a bit and see if it helps.

Dave, While Alexa looks fantastic in that photo, and I wouldn't be opposed to any and all super hot chicks adopting that body position for snowboarding as well as many other fun activities, I am not her, nor am I an Olympic caliber athlete. What I failed to tell you is that I am an average to homley 35 year old male who has fractured thier L5 vertabrae, has two lateraly ruptured discs (one to each side impinging on the nerve, how nice!), and a couple of spondilolythesis (where the little wings snap off your vertabrae. My appologies for the horendous spelling). So bending over forward at the waist is Bad for me. Any advice from anyone on how to eliminate this and still learn to carve well, I will gladly listen to.

Thanks again for the advice everyone, hopefully I'll get a chance to try it out tonight.

-Mark

[mr_roboteye]

Dave, While Alexa looks fantastic in that photo, and I wouldn't be opposed to any and all super hot chicks adopting that body position for snowboarding as well as many other fun activities, I am not her, nor am I an Olympic caliber athlete. What I failed to tell you is that I am an average to homley 35 year old male who has fractured thier L5 vertabrae, has two lateraly ruptured discs (one to each side impinging on the nerve, how nice!), and a couple of spondilolythesis (where the little wings snap off your vertabrae. My appologies for the horendous spelling). So bending over forward at the waist is Bad for me. Any advice from anyone on how to eliminate this and still learn to carve well, I will gladly listen to.


That changes things a little. I guess comfort and safety are your foremost concerns if your back is in that kind of shape. Good luck.

Dave R.

[dingbat]

Everything worked great. Thanks again.:biggthump


-Mark

[carvedog]

Does that mean that you were able to try some different things? And some good things happened I hope.

I tore muscles around my L5 when I was a kid and have to be very careful about how I treat my lower back.

Very cool if things are better for you.

:biggthump

[dingbat]

Yup, Good things.:D