First bi-deck snowskate session

[crownroyalrage]

Well I finally got to ride my new ralston deck and snowskate for the first time.  Pretty cool stuff.  Found that at the beginning it was not such a good idea to take it slow down the hill.  I decided after a while to go a little faster before carving and then found it easier.  Any hints or tips for a beginner on carving?  i did find myself naturally going heelside alot more than toe side. 

[0910]

try to put more weight on your front leg and lean your body forward (get a more agressive body position when going down...almost as if you wanted to grap the nose of you deck)...this should help...
enjoy!

[Jesse]

sometimes if you carve a hard heel side turn you can use a little "hop" to get yourself over to toe edge. When first starting i found toe edge tough too. Alot of it is foot placement too.

[AlexanderTH3GR8]

Heel side was easy for me at the beginning too, toe side was a little tougher but If ur strapped in on a snowboard I find that it's much tougher cause u have to use more leg muscles than a snowskate.

Just try to keep ur body centered and bend ur knees at times before making those hard carve turns.

[barontieri]

When you're tired just switch stance and ride fakie it'll always be more difficult on toe edge but as they say, put your weight forward and bend your knees. I'll try to put a few more risers this year to get more clearance which should help on toe side.

[danlast]

dont turn your shoulders as much as you would on a snowboard. if you get on heel edge with your shoulders open across the run its really hard to get back over to your toes. try keeping your leading shoulder facing down the hill and turn more with your hips and legs.

[yan_montreal]

hey danlast, I understand what you say, But I've tried it and I feel alot more carvy and grip on the snow when you DO use your shoulders to direct your overall movement down the slope. It makes your body go the right way and you can really carve like a BOSS. Although its easier to just screw around with your lower body to scrape the snow until you reach the bottom of the slopes, I would say that the way snowboarders carve with their whole body is the best way, but the only difference is that on a snowskate you first have to press with your feets to catch an edge and then you move your shoulders.

that's my experience though love you all guys!

[crownroyalrage]

is it me or is it really hard to carve groomed ice?  I just finished learning on a couple of inches of fresh powder and it was a world of a differece.  I could actually carve.  when i say ice i mean groomed snow with a hard crust on the top.

[snosk8]

Relax.  it is hard to relax and flow on the ice.  So, I guess it is more than just you. If you are snowskating and step of get it together and step back on. That is my advise.

[Jesse]

in the land of ice i find it is scary but you just have to know when to commit and when to ditch, thatll come with time. like he said  just try to relax

[crownroyalrage]

sweet thanks guys.  Feeling better on the board every minute.  Anyone got any tips for riding the steep stuff?  I find myself not being able to slowdown while carving.  Not crazy about the excessive speed yet.  Few good bails at high speed.

[chiller]

control your speed by turning. steep stuff takes some getting used to. at first use very short toe side turns and get back to the heel side where you will have more control because your body is over the edge. Its easy to loose it on steep toe side turns if your skate starts to bounce.

[puindeep]

It is hard for me too.  Last few days at Whistler was solid ICE.  I found that the Backside carve on ice for little check turn is good but that it won't slow you down much...I just relax and eat the speed on the backside until I can get back to frontside.  I use the Frontside carve when I really need to slow it down.  Also, on ICE you gotta really focus on keeping the heel down on your back foot.  Especially if you ride skate shoes on the whole mountain and not snowboard boots.

[crownroyalrage]

neck sore all over and rotator cuff feels screwed but i guess its all worth it.   my general impression is that there is no real slow way to take the steep stuff on a snowskate.   does anyone carve wide and almost back up the hill?

[Jordan]

Play around with your stance and weight distribution, find out what makes the board react certain ways on more mellow slopes. It has a long learning curve but riding mountains without bindings is so rewarding.