Last Updated7 June 2022

Exploring Carving activities and concepts aimed at introducing edged turns and carving. These are aimed at intermediate riders wanting to build confidence with edging and riding at higher speeds. When put together, these tasks make up a detailed progression for introducing and developing carving as a riding option. They can also be used individually to build particular skills in a student’s riding.

The concept of carving is to tilt the board enough so the edge grips and cuts through the snow with less skid, utilising the board’s side-cut more to shape the turn. Students will require a variety of turn sizes and shapes before learning to carve.

Intro to Carving with Angulation

What, Why, How

An introduction to carving and how to balance on an edge as speed is increased.

To increase edge awareness and edging movements, and to develop the feeling of having the snowboard hold an edge throughout the turn.

Review large closed turns with an early edge change on a wide green or easy blue run.

Stationary, with one foot out standing to one side of the board, slowly flex through the lower body (angulating through the ankles and knees on the toeside and the knees and hips on the heelside) to tilt the board on a high edge angle. Walk the board forwards leaving a narrow, slightly curved track in the snow. This is the side-cut working to create a carve.

Hot Tip

Try the stationary exercise on a slight incline at the side of a run. On the toe side edge, standing on the uphill side of the board, step further uphill with the back leg, so the board is on a high edge angle and the upper body and leg strapped in are straight with no flex. Ask students if it looks like you are vulnerable and could fall. Then keeping the same edge angle, step back, flexing the ankle and knee of the leg strapped in to show a balanced (angulated) position and ask if you look balanced now.

Next, try a series of edged traverses, beginning on the side of the trail in a centred active stance. Start with a skidded traverse and as momentum is gained increase the edge angle by flexing through the ankles and knees on toeside (feeling the shins press against the boots) and knees and hips on heelside (feeling the calves press against the boots). Allow the side-cut to engage to gently turn the snowboard back up the hill to a stop. Repeat several times on each edge until comfortable maintaining an edged traverse all the way across the slope.

Now start to make a gradual transition from a traverse across the hill, to a series of deeper edged arcs, which progressively increase in momentum. In each arc, slowly flex down and lean inwards as speed increases, being progressive with edging through to the completion of the arc. When comfortable, add more speed to the edged arcs by spending a little more time in the fall line.

Include a small but progressive whole body turning movement in the direction of travel to adapt the arc into more of a carved J shape, pointing the nose slightly back up the hill. This will encourage steering through the completion of the turn.

Bring it all together with a series of large closed turns with an early edge change, focus on trying to progressively tilt and edge the board towards a carve from the edge change through to the completion of the turn.

VIDEO: Carving with Rich Waldie

Example

A useful analogy here is to compare how we use a knife in our everyday eating: “How would you spread a lump of soft butter onto a fresh piece of bread without tearing a hole in the bread? What about cutting a thin slice of cheese to put on top of the bread? That’s the difference between a skidded and carved turn.”

Movements & Board Performance

Lateral & Vertical with Edging an Pressuring

The COM should be balanced over the effective edge throughout these activities. Vertical and lateral movements need to be well-blended to achieve a carved turn. Flexion through the ankles, knees and hips should be used to create angulation in the body, help increase edge angle, manage pressure and maintain stability. Heelside angulation should be through the knees and hips mostly; however, it is also useful to encourage dorsiflexion in the ankles, gently pulling the toes up inside the boots. Toeside angulation should be focused in the ankles and knees by progressively lowering the knees over the toe edge and closing the ankle joint. Maintaining dorsiflexion in the ankles is crucial here. A small amount of flex will also be required in the hips to ensure an active stance is maintained.

Rotational with Steering

Looking in the direction of travel with small progressive steering movements through the whole body should be encouraged in the latter parts of this progression.

Longitudinal

In this stage of carving, students should remain centred over the side-cut.

Terrain & Group Management

Use a flat or gently sloping area at the side of the run for the stationary step. Look for terrain that the student feels comfortable to make large closed turns on, without skidding the snowboard too much to slow down. Ensure that the slope is groomed, wide enough to comfortably make large turns and has a low traffic flow. Remember that snow quality will also play a large part in the success of these activities.

Safety is very important in all tasks that cross the width of a slope. Be aware of other slope users and encourage this within your students, making sure they are aware of their blind spots on the heelside. Remember to look uphill for traffic and give yourself more room as you will be travelling further with more speed. Address regular and goofy by showing both heelside and toeside tasks. Once they have attempted a task once, let them practise in their own time by setting a stopping point further down the run. It may take a few runs to work through all the tasks in this progression.

Hot Tip

Having students work together in pairs to analyse each other's tracks and make adjustments is a great way to create ownership of the learning. Creating a challenge to see who can make the smoothest, thinnest line in the snow is also a great way to develop edging skills.

Corrective Teaching

Student has difficulty maintaining a higher edge angle:

Check equipment for a snug boot and binding fit.

Check the lateral alignment of their mounted binding position. If the bindings sit closer to the heel edge, the student’s COM is already favouring the heels and will make it harder to create tilt over the toe edge.

Ensure they have sufficient highback forward lean.

Encourage them to move COM inside the turn as their speed increases.

On the heelside, ensure the student is not over-flexed at the hips. Encourage them to keep their upper body stacked upright over the hips and perpendicular to the board.

On the toeside encourage the feeling of continually increasing pressure in both shins and focus on keeping the hips stacked over the toe edge.

Student loses balance inside the turn:

Review an efficient stance over both heel and toe edge, highlighting the feelings specific to each edge.

On the toeside, ensure use of flexion movements through the ankles and knees with a more upright upper body to promote more stability over the board.

On the heelside, ensure the student does not over-flex through their knees and hips too early in the turn. This will ensure they still have some vertical range left to use as the forces increase later in the turn.

Encourage closing both heel and toe turns to control speed.

Self Reflection

“Do my students understand the use of side-cut?”

“Can they maintain an edge on both the toeside and heelside?”

“Are they blending their vertical and lateral movements efficiently?”

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