Novice Snowboarding Racer.?

Question

So as you may have noticed I am a novice snowboarding racer. I'm going to be doing slolomn. Does any one have any advise for me/any tips?

Answer 1

Learn how to carve - this is turning without skidding the board which will get you down the hill faster. I won a race the year that I learned to carve for fastest instructor!

This is an internet article that describes it:

http://www.alpinecarving.com/beginners.h...

This is how I teach carving:

Carving does not involve any skidding or the board edge sliding down the hill. Carving requires you to put more pressure on the edge which arcs the board so the entire edge is in contact with the snow. This causes the board to track along its natural turn radius and the board will leave a narrow line in the snow - the entire edge will track through this same line without skidding sideways.

The first lesson is to touch your boot in the middle of every turn. Next lesson is to do some very large turns with as much pressure on the edge as you can do until the board turns all the way back up the hill - you should almost be able to drag your hand on the inside of the turn. Then start linking these carved turns by bending your knees in the middle of the turn - only extend when you are switching edges.

As you are traveling on this one edge, the board will make a large radius turn and once you are about 45 degrees across the hill you can transition to the other edge (before the board is pointed down the hill!). Don't try this if you are skidding your turns as your downhill edge will dig in and you will tumble. This works in a carved turn because you are not skidding and you are traveling fast enough that when you transition to the other edge your weight puts enough pressure on the other edge to force it into the snow and arc it in the other direction - which starts your next turn.

The interesting thing about carving is that the turns don't slow you down - each turn carries the speed from the previous turn and without skidding there is very little to slow you down.

Good Luck

Answer 2

Learning to carve turn is very useful in general, but as a novice racer it is very unlikely that you will carving through your course.  This is the final goal and you should try to practice this out on the open trails.  However, as a novice I feel that you should concentrate more on your line through the course than on executing carved turns.  

Your line should take you as close to the gates as possible.  When you are passing the gate you should be at the very outside of your turn.  Your board will be typically traveling straight down the fall line as you pass the gate.  You should be anticipating the next turn by getting onto your new edge fairly soon after the gate.

It is very hard to teach snowboarding using text or even video for that matter.  Learning is best done on hill with a certified instructor.  I hope this helps! Good luck in your race.