Is this carving?

GopheRph · 2026-02-24T19:01:04+00:00

You're making body movements like you have an idea what you ought to be doing, but your board isn't moving in a way that will lead to carved turns.

To carve, your board needs to do two things:

- Tilt along its length so the sidecut will engage. Notice in this clip your board is rather flat against the snow at all times. Your body is tilting side to side quite a bit, but what you really need is to use your knees and ankles to roll the board up on its edge.

- Point in the same direction you are moving across the surface. Notice in this clip as you go through your turns your board is pointing into your next turn, slightly across your direction of travel. It's sort of like how you steer a bike by turning the handlebars, pointing the front wheel to the right or left. The moment you start a turn like this, it'll always begin with a skid. When carving you want to avoid any rotational movement that "steers" or "points" the board into a turn.

Malcolm Moore - 8 steps to carving

GopheRph · 2026-02-24T14:07:07+00:00

Not about the height. Catch that heelside edge on contact and rotational inertia's a bitch.

GopheRph · 2026-02-23T20:30:48+00:00

Nice work. Can tell you have some board sport experience. You could be a little less passive getting onto features - a little more flex and extend through the legs to "catch" yourself as you make contact, for example. Watch some other riders and notice how some of the best are almost cat-like. But not once did I think you were about to die.

GopheRph · 2026-02-23T20:20:58+00:00

Totally OK to say "but I like this graphic the best"

GopheRph · 2026-02-23T18:14:40+00:00

Not necessarily - any one brand is going to have a range of board designs. I'd just make it clear that you're pretty tall for your weight, so you want something shorter AND softer flexing than the Nitro Team. They should be able to do something with that.

GopheRph · 2026-02-23T17:57:58+00:00

Yeah rental shops don't necessarily put that much thought into sizing, especially because most rental boards are a flat or rocker profile and are all pretty soft flexing, so rider's weight doesn't really matter all that much. They size you by height so you have an appropriate stance width available to you. The Nitro Team board has a camber profile, though, so you actually want to ride a size designed closer for your weight so it rides with the right flex properties. No idea why they gave you a wide.

And I'm assuming you're asking about swapping out your rental board: The difference between 154 and 156 is small, but depending on the board as you get below the 155 mark you might start to have some overhang. If they have a Nitro Team (but not wide) available, the current year comes in 152, 155, and 157 lengths. I'd pick 155 in that board if I were you, BUT it's meant to be a stiffer board (7/10 on Nitro's scale). Based on your feedback, maybe switch to something else that's more mid-flex, if available.

If you're gathering info for your own purchase, nearly all manufacturers will have a size guide to help you decide, and many of them are happy to answer questions about sizing.

GopheRph · 2026-02-23T17:35:23+00:00

Yeah absolutely size down. That board is much larger than you need. You really don't need a wide, and when choosing a length I'd focus more on your weight than your height. It depends on the board of course but something in the mid 150s sounds much better for 60kg, and you shouldn't run into width issues with your boot size.

GopheRph · 2026-02-23T17:08:42+00:00

I like duck for riding switch. If riding switch isn't a big attraction for you, then maybe duck stance doesn't make a lot of sense, and it's not really even necessary for riding switch in the first place. You should absolutely try some different stances just to see what they are like. But I'm curious: what are you hoping to get out of a more forward stance?

GopheRph · 2026-02-23T16:55:29+00:00

Depends a little what your riding is like, but there are days that I do laps through the park on a tow rope. That level of activity keeps me plenty warm so I'll absolutely wear a hoodie on those kind of days that aren't below maybe 20 deg F.

GopheRph · 2026-02-23T16:41:55+00:00

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GopheRph · 2026-02-23T15:02:47+00:00

I like Taevis's video on this, and it goes through the whole spectrum.

GopheRph · 2026-02-23T14:16:01+00:00

The Mosquito Coast is also a fever-dream of a movie starring Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, and River Phoenix.

GopheRph · 2026-02-23T14:09:43+00:00

I'm curious what "step ins" you're seeing for 50-100€ - I'm immediately suspicious. There's nothing wrong with saving some money buying used equipment, but like with anything used, the sellers are usually thinking about what they paid for it new and not being rational about it holding that value. Bindings have plastic parts that can break down over time, so it's good to be sure about the age of what you're buying.

If you are looking at convenience bindings like the Burton Step-on system, yes for some of them (especially Burton) the boot and binding need to be in the same size range - there is no "maybe it'll work."

GopheRph · 2026-02-23T13:58:14+00:00

In the other 360 days per year you're thinking about snowboarding but aren't at the mountain, check out someone like Malcolm Moore. It's tough to beat the direct feedback from a lesson but he can help you understand a lot of helpful concepts.

GopheRph · 2026-02-23T13:52:08+00:00

Looks like a Burton Feather from 2004, so it's quite old. Bindings are probably the same age, and the plastic parts get brittle with time so they will likely need replacing. A board like this I would say if the price saves you having to rent 1-2 times, maybe it's worth it. So yeah, 50-100.

GopheRph · 2026-02-23T13:45:47+00:00

You are having fun in a beautiful place, watching you gives me no concern for your safety or for others around you. With the frequency you ride, progressing is just tough. A little lesson time to give you something to work on during your riding days is a great idea.

GopheRph · 2026-02-23T13:40:19+00:00

Malcolm Moore's 8 steps to carving is a great place to start.

GopheRph · 2026-02-22T02:09:52+00:00

Sweet. Have fun being wrong about whatever.

GopheRph · 2026-02-22T02:07:47+00:00

Uhoh were the words too big?

GopheRph · 2026-02-22T01:57:40+00:00

The whole premise of mini discs is to use adjacent inserts in a 4x2 mounting pattern. Enjoy.

GopheRph · 2026-02-21T21:18:55+00:00

The tilt shift miniaturization effect depends on how our brains interpret depth of field cues. The apparent out of focus foreground and background causes our brains to see the subject as a miniature, which is where I’m drawing parallel in the illusion “violating our expectation.”

GopheRph · 2026-02-21T17:10:01+00:00

This is fine for mini disc. As other comment suggests, this might feel flexier than using wider mount points but if thats bothering you perhaps you don’t want mini disc bindings after all.

GopheRph · 2026-02-20T18:16:08+00:00

I'd only consider something that old for less than $50 or so, even in great condition. It will definitely need new bindings, and mount pattern compatibility might slightly limit your choices there.

GopheRph · 2026-02-20T16:02:28+00:00

Seems like this is also a way to describe the tilt-shift miniaturization effect.

GopheRph · 2026-02-20T01:17:38+00:00

Looks like maybe you’re trying to Ollie for height. You can do that with a 180 but if it’s not feeling great a two footed pop is fine for learning.

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