Off-piste riding.?

Question

Hi, last time i went snowboarding off-piste i found that i was really leaning back ( Front binding out of the snow) and that turns were extremely fast.

Am i doing something wrong or was it just really deep snow( it was at least 70cm of powder, mabye more)?

i watch pros and they dont seem to lean back nearly as much..

any help will be greatly thank youed

Answer 1

Hey, when you are backcountry or off-piste riding you do typically have more weight on your back foot, but it depends on the size of your board. f you have a very thin (freestyle) board then you have to work it harder (more backfoot weight) than you would with a wider (freeride) board.  But typically in 70 cm or 2-3 feet of powder, I am usually riding with about even weight on my front and back foot. But if you are riding slow, to get a little bit more lift and speed, I may put more weight on my back foot.  If you are on steep terrain with 70 cm or more powder, you probably are  riding with even weight distributed on both feet.

BTW I don't like step in bindings, but that is just because I am old school and I think strap in bindings offer more control, although I am biased as I have not tried the new step in technologies that are being offered.

Good luck and safe riding

(I wear a helmet, but thats just my two cents).

Answer 2

For powder riding, you need to lean back a certain bit so that you don't faceplant into the snow. Leaning too far back will cause your body to swing wildly causing you to turn really quick but out of control. Not sure how you have your bindings set but you may want to try setting the stance on them back on your board. Most cases this will make powder riding a little easier. Also if you have a twin, directional twin or tapered board helps to a certain degree as well. I have a true twin and it functions fine in powder so long as I drop the bindings back a bit. Give that a try (if they're not already setup that way)

As for step in bindings....to me it's like getting a Lamborghini....in an automatic. You just don't do certain things.

Some people will SWEAR by step in bindings and tout them as the best binding system. I, however, severely disagree. Even older strap in bindings are far superior to step in bindings. And with some of the top of the line strap bindings from Burton, they just can't compare in feel to step in bindings.

Also, step in bindings aren't mass manufactured today by many companies. I think maybe a handful of them still make some but not many. A lot of the step in bindings you find are older ones and lots of the older ones were poorly manufactured. Most people usually complained that either they were too hard to get out of or that they popped off too easily. With the strap in bindings you never have to worry about this as you control the pressure, fit etc, of them.

Answer 3

If its powdery you want to be leaning back, so your nose doesn't dig in.  If its not powdery, you don't want to lean back, even if you are off the runs.  The more centered your stance is, and the shorter your board, the more you will have to work at it in powder.

Step-in bindings suck.  I don't even know who makes them anymore.

Answer 4

Keeping the nose up allows you to "float" better.  You may not have to be that extreme to the point where you're leaning that much, or maybe your board is too soft.  Pow boards tend to be longer and stiffer.

Your turns probably felt sharper because you were sunk in more and you weren't really doing the regular sliding turns.

What about step-ins?  I'm pretty sure they were mostly a phase.  What do you need to know?