Issues with length

[Allee]

OK, no snide comments please - yes, length does matter!

I wasn't going to post this until I had another day on the hill, but seeing as Yard Sale bought up the topic on how easy it was to ride a longer board, I thought I might ask for input.

When I ride my 156 slalom board or my 159 Rossi I'm quite happy on them. It feels as if I'm balanced in the centre of the board, weight over the front foot and the nose swings really easily. Transitions are simple and I have no problem finishing off the carve, and using the turn back uphill to keep the speed under control.

When I get on to the 162 GS board I feel like I'm a long way from the nose, and while the carves are good and strong I find myself "in the back seat" where the board gets away from me and I end up rocketing down the hill and having to scrub the speed off. And on the Donek which is a 167, it's even worse. I'm running stance at 16 1/2 to 17 inches depending on where the holes end up on the board, which seems to leave me with a lot of nose and tail that I have trouble flexing in the "C". I tried widening the stance and found I had real issues initiating turns, and it just wasn't comfortable.

Is there something I'm missing here? I love the longer boards, and the carving is awesome, but I'm finding this just a little frustrating...

[Mike Tokar]

Are you trying to ride the longer board in the same style as the SL board?

My experience with longer boards has been to let them run, and make fewer turns, just as a GS or SG course would have the gates spaced further apart than a slalom course.

If you feel like you're 'in the back seat', adjust your bindings accordingly to get your weight centered. There are drills you can do to see where your body should be in relation to the nose and tail.

If the 'back seat' thing is more self-imposed as a reaction to increased speed, try changing your perspective on things by looking further down the trail than you normally do. It slows things down a lot visually that way.

Hope this helps.

MT

[rekre8r]

Allie, one thing I have found is that most Alpine boards are set up for men who carry most of their weight in their chest. Women tend to carry more body weight in the rear. I simply mounted my wifes bindings about 1 inch a-head of center and that solved her problem with her GS boards (did not need to do so on her slalom set up).

[snowboardfast]

If the Donek 167 is stiffer than your other 2 boards you are going to have to be more agressive with the Donek to turn it. Maybe the Donek is too stiff for you? If you are lightweight a stiffer board will be harder to ride . You will need a softer board for it to work for you . in other words the longer board could be harder to ride because it is both longer and stiffer.

[NateW]

Compare the center of the stance to the center of the board, on each setup. If they vary, try setting up the longer boards more like the shorter boards. Moving the stance a couple centimeters in either direction can make a noticeable difference.

[Silver Bullet]

Try holding the carve a little longer. arcing up hill a tad will help you bleed speed.

[philfell]

Unless you are under 5 foot tall you should really reconsider a wider stance. Also a 156 and 159 SL boards are usually designed for guys, so you have probably adapted your riding style to simply ride the sidecut of a stiff sl board and truely don't know how to pressure the entry of your turn in order to get the board to work for you.

My suggestion is to put the old sticks away for now, widen your stance, and learn to pressure your longer boards.

[philfell]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the next Nor-Am events are in your back yard. If you have time you should check them out, I'm sure you'd learn a lot from watching 2/3 at the COP 4/5 at Norquay.

[mtlyon]

If I have a board that doesn't want to complete its turns and wants to straightline, I move my bindings forward to try to find the sweet spot. On a surfboard, I move the fin forward...

[shrederjen]

I know you can ride that board!
Dont give up. Try small binding adjustments.
(the advise she gives as she is waiting impatiently
for HER Axxess to be built...)

I have seen you do it!!

[Allee]

Unless you are under 5 foot tall you should really reconsider a wider stance. Also a 156 and 159 SL boards are usually designed for guys, so you have probably adapted your riding style to simply ride the sidecut of a stiff sl board and truely don't know how to pressure the entry of your turn in order to get the board to work for you.

Very very likely. Any suggestions on things you'd have me try? I have the "norm" stuff down OK, having drilled on that, it's just when I get linking turns and get "behind" the board. Anything you'd recommend concentrating on? The things I have on my list to look at are : recheck the bindings to the centre of the board, relax and let the board do the work - I know I put a heap of energy into bending the hell out of my smaller boards, like Mike says -and keep reminding myself that a bigger board with a bigger sidecut IS going to take up a lot more hill when carving, and not to freak out about it!

Tips, coach?

[philfell]

To me is sounds like you just need to get used to the bigger turn size and boards.

Next time you are on your longer boards and things start to feel uncomfortable, focus on your breathing, nice smooth breathing in rythem with your turns. And also look further down the hill than normal, this will make you feel like you are going slower than you actually are.