Improving Performance

Author: Paul Morgan - Snowboard Instructor (CASI 3)

The essence of improved performance is achieving the greatest output from the smallest input. Good technique is desirable not because it looks a certain way, but because it allows us to ride longer and harder with less effort. The sliding turn is the basic means of getting around the mountain; however, it is not particularly versatile. To be able to ride on a variety terrain and snow conditions, we must likewise be able to vary the shape and size of our turns. We can achieve this through a combination of steering, edging, and pressure control - but first let’s look at the role size, shape, and timing play in our turns.

By changing the shape and size of the turns, we are able to control speed, acceleration, deceleration, or maintain a constant speed as desired. The execution phase of a turn is when the board points downhill and gains speed; the longer the board points down the fall line, the faster it goes. Accordingly, short-radius turns, which turn the board out of the fall line quickly, are slower than long-radius turns, which point the board down the fall line for a longer period.

The depth of a turn also affects how fast a rider will travel; turns which are fully completed (deep) will bring the board perpendicular to the fall line, allowing for a period of deceleration at the end of the turn, which will assist speed control. However, if the next turn is begun without turning the board completely across the fall line, there will be no deceleration period, the overall path down the hill will be straighter, and the overall speed will be higher.

In a basic turn, the preparation phase is distinct, and tends to slow down and separate each turn by incorporating a sideslip or traverse to help control speed and allow some time to get ready for the next turn. As a rider’s confidence and ability improves, the preparation phase becomes shorter and shorter. Eventually, the preparation phase can be dispensed with entirely; in other words, the rider finishes one turn, prepared for the next. By removing the traverse from between each turn, the rider will maintain more consistent speeds. Timing and coordinating the movements for each turn are critical, for the rider no longer has a break between each turn. However, eliminating the preparation phase allows the rider to find a more natural, smooth rhythm.

As speed and comfort levels increase further, the phases of the turn become increasingly fluid and blurry. Slowly, the completion phase of one turn and the initiation phase of the next turn blend together. Rather than finish each turn by pointing the board across the fall line, the rider switches edge right before the board turns out completely out of the fall line. The completion phase becomes a very short, quick movement that leads directly into the initiation phase of the following turn. At higher speeds and abilities, this movement can be executed entirely in the air in one clean motion. By combining these two phases into one, the rider reduces the amount of time spent between edges, and is able to keep the board pointing more or less down the hill without periods of excessive acceleration.

If you have any questions, ask one of our qualified snowboard instructors on the Boardworld Forums.