A couple of questions...

[ax1um]

My first question (and first post) is this: When you're going down a run, why carve? I'm guessing to maintain a controllable speed, but is there any more benefits?

Question 2: As stated in the faq, many people go to a mountain to fit in with what's cool, such as snowboards and all that. If that's true, then promoting skiboards very well may water down the sport. Is that what we want?

[Manlenium]

Th only reason I carve is because sometimes to mountain requires it. I got told off by ski patrol the other day because I was just bombing down the mountain.

I had to start carving after that. The main reason for carving is to slow you down, or maintain a slower speed. The benefits are just exercising your ass and legs mostly. Some people just enjoy the feeling of being able to carve more sharply then any equipment on the hill.

Promoting skiboards could never water down the sport, because unlike others that ski & snowboard only because it is socially acceptable. It has a following that allows you to go out and do your thing........and enjoy it. Skiboarding to me has never been about fitting into a subculture. It has been about the freedom of movement on the hill and the smile it puts on my face when you get to the bottom. Also has a great site and leaders here, who will give advice and tips whether you are new/intermediate/advanced. There is never any looking down upon others who are less skilled then you are. That is why others are finding this sport rewarding and fun, as well as easy to start.

The cost of starting up is also lower. You can get a top of the line setup for what it costs you for a decent board/skis or bindings.

[SkaFreak]

I disagree with Manlenium personally. I find carving to be a much smoother fluid motion than just bombing down a hill. It can also help your speed if you can read the hill right. It is true that on a normal run carving will check your speed a little, but I consider it to be worth the smoother feel.

[Greco]

there is a difference between carving and staying on edge. skiboards do better when they are kept on edge. do to their short length if you keep them flat on their bases they tend to "swim" so it's much more stable to almost always be on edge which usually means if you're not laying out big carves just do little ones to keep an edge as you head down the mountain. i hope this makes sense. it's 2:30am and it's been a long day...grr...i hate u.s. customs.

g

[kirk]

I love carving for the same reason I love skiboarding... simply because it is a ton of fun. I love seeing how far I can lay over a carve basically to the point where I'm laying on the snow. Its a ton of fun, but something I don't get to do that much. To carve like that, you need lots of speed, soft snow, and empty slopes. These are rare things here in PA.

[Manlenium]

Originally posted by Greco
there is a difference between carving and staying on edge. skiboards do better when they are kept on edge. do to their short length if you keep them flat on their bases they tend to "swim" so it's much more stable to almost always be on edge which usually means if you're not laying out big carves just do little ones to keep an edge as you head down the mountain. i hope this makes sense. it's 2:30am and it's been a long day...grr...i hate u.s. customs.

g

I realized this more on the shorter boards. I was never truly riding on the bases.....I am on edge as you say. It so i can transfer weight quickly and turn when i need to.

Not that anyone can catch up anyways....:p

[taimos]

i adore bombing it down, as G said doing smaller turns, staying on edges.

i hate carving large arcs, really a killer on the legs.

but as long as you're in control, do whatever you prefer.

[jjue]

Originally posted by Greco
there is a difference between carving and staying on edge. skiboards do better when they are kept on edge. do to their short length if you keep them flat on their bases they tend to "swim" so it's much more stable to almost always be on edge which usually means if you're not laying out big carves just do little ones to keep an edge as you head down the mountain. i hope this makes sense. it's 2:30am and it's been a long day...grr...i hate u.s. customs.

g

By the way what G says is really important to explain to experienced skiers when introducing them to skiboards. Skiers are used to letting their skis run straight and when they get on a skiboard and let it run straight and flat , the skiboard will "wobble " or swim much more than their long skis and will immediately reinforce all their ingrained prejudices about the "instability " of short skis/skiboards ..... this idea of going from edge to edge all the time , is an important difference between skiboard technique and long ski technique . The other is standing more upright and not locking the "lean lock " in their ski boots ...

[BrklynCarver]

If you stay on edge and carve correctly, not only would you enter the carve without losing speed, the apex of the carve will actually push you forward with more speed. That's when the skiboard flexes and springs back after the carve.

But yes, bombing it straight down is the fastest way to get down, and the easiest way to get noticed by ski patrol.

[ax1um]

thanks guys. I've noticed the wobbly effect before, but I've never thought to keep them on the edge. I'll remember that next time!

[CrazyBoy-1]

Originally posted by BrklynCarver
But yes, bombing it straight down is the fastest way to get down, and the easiest way to get noticed by ski patrol.

It is also the key to some of the most spectacular wipeouts due to the speed, but it sure can be fun. The nice thing about skiboards, is that the short length and edging nature actually make it fairly easy to stay in control or stop even when going basically straight down the mountain.

I have to agree with kirk on the feeling of carving though. If you can get some speed on a nice slope and start linking some big curves, the feeling is awesome.

[taimos]

one time, i bombed it down the last section of a run, and somehow, for some unknown reason, forgot to stop and went straight into a barrier, pulling all the ropes out.

dont think anyone noticed though :cool:

[anaesthetic]

When i first got my BWPs I bombed it down the snowdome slope and was having so much fun and going faster than usual so when I thought 'I really should stop now' at the bottom I hadn't left enough space and ended up doing a sliding hockey stop into the barrier :rolleyes:

[BrklynCarver]

That happened to someone I know on skis. We were at the top of Mont Blanc in Chamonix and she decided to go down one of the steeper trails, her first time in the Alps. She gained a great deal of speed, lost her edge, then fell, sliding down the trail which was fairly icey. She knocked over a snowboarder friend, then upended the snowboarder friend's younger brother also on a snowboard, kept going, and finally got stopped by a barrier that tangled her up. If it wasn't for the barrier, she would have gone down the side of the mountain.

This was about 5 years ago, so she's much better on the slopes these days.

[taimos]

falling off the side of the mountain is the only thing i really worry about now. At les tour, there is a red run (and a blue) down to the resturant, but you can carry on and go down the red run to get to the bottomof the moutain. Appaz, last year one guy was just going way too fast, went over the ridge onto the red, coudlnt turn/stop in time and just flew off the side of the mountain and got killed.

so the lesson really is bomb- when you know whats coming.