First run ever; awesome!

[Liamthedevastator]

I took out my board for the first time, and it was a blast! The board, boots, and bindings were great, though i popped out of my bindings once, but that was just a mistake on my part. It took me 1.5 hours to get down a green run, but that's just learning. It was an awfully narrow track, so I think ill try hitting some wider runs tomorrow. I was keeping my legs as straight as possible; is that right? Falling down and trying to get up was a tiring experience. Any tips for a first time carver?

I can see why people never want to go back to soft boots, this is so addicting.

Thanks, cheers, and Happy New Years!

Liam

[Riceball]

Yea! Another Canadian carver. Careful now, the more you do it the more you become an addict...

[inkaholic]

I was keeping my legs as straight as possible; is that right?

Bend the knees. Bending your knees will help with balance, bump absorbtion and power.

Ink

[Liamthedevastator]

Bend the knees. Bending your knees will help with balance, bump absorbtion and power.

Ink

really? If I bend my legs then i back slips out and i fall over/I have far better control standing up straight. Shock absorbtion would be nice though...

@Riceball - huzzah! Yeah, i've been on 1 run and i already want to be out there again.

[Loc]

really? If I bend my legs then i back slips out and i fall over/I have far better control standing up straight. Shock absorbtion would be nice though...

@Riceball - huzzah! Yeah, i've been on 1 run and i already want to be out there again.

You don't want to be up and stiff all the time. Keep an athletic stance that allows you to react to changing conditions in the snow. Think of a basketball player defending his hoop - he's not standing tall but he's not squatting either. He's ready to react in a split second.:biggthump

[inkaholic]

really? If I bend my legs then i back slips out and i fall over/I have far better control standing up straight. Shock absorbtion would be nice though...


Look around this site at all the pictures posted. You will see very few pics (if any) where the riders leg is straight. When I said bend I didn't mean 90*. Sorry if that is what you read. I mean that there should always be a slight bend. You will probably ride in the 5-75* range.

+1 to what Loc described.

Ink

Also, your best bet is to ride with locals who have experience and can SEE what you are doing and make recommendations from what they SEE.

[queequeg]

Awesome! Get together with some other carvers as soon as possible: In my early carving days I learned mostly by looking at the very few carving shots I could find in snowboard mags and such ... which worked fine, but the learning curve increases dramatically when you can actually see somebody who knows what they are doing carve in real time.

Get together with some of your local carvers and have them help you out ... and have fun!