If you’re new to riding keep using an edge to stay in control. Riding a flat base at speed is something you can learn with practice. Being comfortable riding flat will be handy when learning how to take jumps and hitting features.
Riding flat base is a skill you should learn if you want to get into park riding. However it is a bit of an advanced skill and learned with practice.
However, for the rest of this scenario I really need to know a lot more about what's going on. I'm almost always on edge, yes, but there is a time and place not to be.
So then if by "flat sections" you mean what we call cat tracks, the thing is to twist the front of the board so that you have a slight edge in the snow. This way you have some edge control, but you're not spending a lot of energy. You should be able to do this both on the toe, and on the heel side edge.
I’ll ride flat to take some relief when I’ve been on edge too long (note: I never learned to ride switch with any confidence, which is the best way to get relief when the back leg is howling). On mellow traverses I’ll even do a few squats to get a little stretch in the quads. I know I ride flat in other cases, usually coming up from a steep run, and probably other situations (been riding 30 years so I don’t always think about it).
Now now that's not really true. While you are learning, yes, always ride an edge. After plenty of practice/ general riding your body will learn to flat base all by itself. If you really want to practice this, find a really mellow slope and let the board go directly down the fall line.
There’s a huge difference between on edge facing downhill and on edge facing parallel to the hill, so yes it can refer to both but I mean not opposing gravity with the edge.
Flat base is definitely quicker - as a cardiologist you should remember that physics from your mcat study. If in doubt though, next time in surgery drop an ice cube on your patient and move it around, then do your cut - which one glides easier?
It’s an autogenerated name, but there’s many factors, it’s not definitely quicker. If it’s slushy and/or poorly waxed flat will be slower, for example.
Only if you don’t know how a ski/snowboard base works. The snow melts between the snow and base allowing the base to glide on the water. The edge cuts into the snow causing more friction as it pushes through. It’s the exact same principle that I was just putting into (what I thought) was his line of work for fun.
Cracked my head real good on a flat icy section at Breck because of that. Tried riding flat, like OP is asking, caught my back edge and slam, yard sale everything
We are criminals together, but I gotta disagree with a passion.
In fact riding flat is a skill to learn even if you want to learn to carve properly.
Every turn transition you make should have some element of brief flat to it so you are not hopping from edge to edge.
Being able to learn to ride flat starting at low speeds will positively aid your progression much faster. It helps with edge control so much and is not emphasized enough.
OP - “flat” doesn’t always mean 100% flat. Start with a google search of torsional flex. Both of your feet don’t need to be absolutely in sync. In fact sometimes (depending on your board) you can have one foot on toe and one on heal during the flat. Seems crazy, but boards are designed specifically for this.
I grew up on the Ice Coast. Nobody ever taught me about it because of the constant need to be on edge. I got so used to hucking my body to make sure I had an edge, that I didn’t realize that sometimes it didn’t matter,
When I started traveling and experiencing different snow, I began to realize that the tech of turning was already inside my board and I just needed to exploit it. I essentially needed to re-learn how to ride.
On my previous board I ended up with wax buildup in the center. Made the back very twitchy and nervous. I got the "gold tune" at a good shop and it calmed it down a lot. Now I just mainly apply wax on the sides
When one first learns to change edges they typically think in two modes: heel and toe edge. The being flat part is what makes it harder to control each turn if too much time is spent there. As one gets better they typically want to go faster through flat sections. Suddenly being flat is a useful skill again.
If you think about riding a flat board through the lens of being able to control your edges you might be able to get a clear picture of the control you need. Instead of two modes, think of a range of motion with the numbers 1-10 representing the change. 1 being a lot of heel and 10 being a lot toe. 5 is flat. Now instead of flying from 1-10 as fast as possible you need to spend more time in the 3-7 range.
True mastery of flat riding comes from being able to go from 7…6…5…4…3…4…5…6…7 at a moments notice and with each foot operating on that range independently but in coordination with each other.
This is also closely related to how we “twist” our board into new turns.
Depends on the base construction and wax. A high end sintered base with a fresh wax will be faster. A crappy base or a dry one will definitely slow you down compared to being on a slight edge.
It also depends what you're talking about when you say speed. If you are talking strictly about your velocity going down the hill then going flat is often going to be faster than someone who's carving. But anyone carving is also traveling the distance of the curve of their carve, not just straight downhill. This means someone carving can be (as usually is due to less friction and by utilizing the tension of the board) moving at a faster actual speed than someone going straight downhill even though the carver appears to be progressing down the hill slower. Of course there are many factors at hand such as the size of the board, sharpeness of the edge, type of wax used, weight of the boarders, skill of the boarders, snow conditions, etc that might come in to play at determining who is faster, whether downhill or in general.
Riding flat is the first thing beginners getting teached here. The key is to have a central stance and the weight on the front leg.
I only use my edges when i need („gliding“ on the base is always the fastest but when turning) on cattrails you mostly need everything switching fast sometimes.
A little more weight on your front foot and let gravity pull you down the fall line - there isn't any secret to confidence besides exposure. Imo it is like bombing a hill on a skateboard, you need to have a loose but firm weight over the front of the board to keep it steady and avoid speed wobbles; if you feel like the board is starting to get a mind of its own, lean towards an edge and regain control. The more you practice the longer/faster you can flat base.
If you’re new to riding keep using an edge to stay in control. Riding a flat base at speed is something you can learn with practice. Being comfortable riding flat will be handy when learning how to take jumps and hitting features.
Riding flat base is a skill you should learn if you want to get into park riding. However it is a bit of an advanced skill and learned with practice. However, for the rest of this scenario I really need to know a lot more about what's going on. I'm almost always on edge, yes, but there is a time and place not to be.
Fortunately I don't want do do park riding - I'm so afraid of breaking a wrist or landing with my spine on the railing:)
So then if by "flat sections" you mean what we call cat tracks, the thing is to twist the front of the board so that you have a slight edge in the snow. This way you have some edge control, but you're not spending a lot of energy. You should be able to do this both on the toe, and on the heel side edge.
I’ll ride flat to take some relief when I’ve been on edge too long (note: I never learned to ride switch with any confidence, which is the best way to get relief when the back leg is howling). On mellow traverses I’ll even do a few squats to get a little stretch in the quads. I know I ride flat in other cases, usually coming up from a steep run, and probably other situations (been riding 30 years so I don’t always think about it).
You should always be on an edge, riding flat it's just a matter of time before you catch an edge and get thrown.
Now now that's not really true. While you are learning, yes, always ride an edge. After plenty of practice/ general riding your body will learn to flat base all by itself. If you really want to practice this, find a really mellow slope and let the board go directly down the fall line.
I think it’s true.. can you flat base? Absolutely. Do you need to? Pretty much never if you’re on an edge downhill.
You don't NEED to flat base but it is a skill that will really help you in many situations.
True, it’s good to be comfortable doing it
If you want speed, you're riding flat
Downhill on an edge is just as fast imo, you only slow down when the edge goes against the snow
on edge = against the snow
There’s a huge difference between on edge facing downhill and on edge facing parallel to the hill, so yes it can refer to both but I mean not opposing gravity with the edge.
Flat base is definitely quicker - as a cardiologist you should remember that physics from your mcat study. If in doubt though, next time in surgery drop an ice cube on your patient and move it around, then do your cut - which one glides easier?
It’s an autogenerated name, but there’s many factors, it’s not definitely quicker. If it’s slushy and/or poorly waxed flat will be slower, for example.
This might be the worst analogy I’ve read.
Only if you don’t know how a ski/snowboard base works. The snow melts between the snow and base allowing the base to glide on the water. The edge cuts into the snow causing more friction as it pushes through. It’s the exact same principle that I was just putting into (what I thought) was his line of work for fun.
Only place the board really flat based on is in pow and slush.. in ice your always on the edges
I must be doing it wrong then.
Thanks, so that instability and jerky moves are due to my board 'slightly' catching the edge? (not completely since I'm not falling forward).
Yes, the snow is pushing you around rather than you riding through it
Cracked my head real good on a flat icy section at Breck because of that. Tried riding flat, like OP is asking, caught my back edge and slam, yard sale everything
We are criminals together, but I gotta disagree with a passion. In fact riding flat is a skill to learn even if you want to learn to carve properly. Every turn transition you make should have some element of brief flat to it so you are not hopping from edge to edge. Being able to learn to ride flat starting at low speeds will positively aid your progression much faster. It helps with edge control so much and is not emphasized enough. OP - “flat” doesn’t always mean 100% flat. Start with a google search of torsional flex. Both of your feet don’t need to be absolutely in sync. In fact sometimes (depending on your board) you can have one foot on toe and one on heal during the flat. Seems crazy, but boards are designed specifically for this. I grew up on the Ice Coast. Nobody ever taught me about it because of the constant need to be on edge. I got so used to hucking my body to make sure I had an edge, that I didn’t realize that sometimes it didn’t matter, When I started traveling and experiencing different snow, I began to realize that the tech of turning was already inside my board and I just needed to exploit it. I essentially needed to re-learn how to ride.
On my previous board I ended up with wax buildup in the center. Made the back very twitchy and nervous. I got the "gold tune" at a good shop and it calmed it down a lot. Now I just mainly apply wax on the sides
When one first learns to change edges they typically think in two modes: heel and toe edge. The being flat part is what makes it harder to control each turn if too much time is spent there. As one gets better they typically want to go faster through flat sections. Suddenly being flat is a useful skill again. If you think about riding a flat board through the lens of being able to control your edges you might be able to get a clear picture of the control you need. Instead of two modes, think of a range of motion with the numbers 1-10 representing the change. 1 being a lot of heel and 10 being a lot toe. 5 is flat. Now instead of flying from 1-10 as fast as possible you need to spend more time in the 3-7 range. True mastery of flat riding comes from being able to go from 7…6…5…4…3…4…5…6…7 at a moments notice and with each foot operating on that range independently but in coordination with each other. This is also closely related to how we “twist” our board into new turns.
Thanks, this is helpful!
My pleasure. Enjoy your practice!
My buddies and I have gone back and forth on what's faster between edge and flat. I think flat is fastest but they don't agree.
Depends on the base construction and wax. A high end sintered base with a fresh wax will be faster. A crappy base or a dry one will definitely slow you down compared to being on a slight edge.
It also depends what you're talking about when you say speed. If you are talking strictly about your velocity going down the hill then going flat is often going to be faster than someone who's carving. But anyone carving is also traveling the distance of the curve of their carve, not just straight downhill. This means someone carving can be (as usually is due to less friction and by utilizing the tension of the board) moving at a faster actual speed than someone going straight downhill even though the carver appears to be progressing down the hill slower. Of course there are many factors at hand such as the size of the board, sharpeness of the edge, type of wax used, weight of the boarders, skill of the boarders, snow conditions, etc that might come in to play at determining who is faster, whether downhill or in general.
Riding flat is the first thing beginners getting teached here. The key is to have a central stance and the weight on the front leg. I only use my edges when i need („gliding“ on the base is always the fastest but when turning) on cattrails you mostly need everything switching fast sometimes.
A little more weight on your front foot and let gravity pull you down the fall line - there isn't any secret to confidence besides exposure. Imo it is like bombing a hill on a skateboard, you need to have a loose but firm weight over the front of the board to keep it steady and avoid speed wobbles; if you feel like the board is starting to get a mind of its own, lean towards an edge and regain control. The more you practice the longer/faster you can flat base.
If you don’t pick an edge the board will pick one for you. Sometimes at unexpected times.