Goal
- Initiating a carved turn through down-unweighting
- Targeted use of loading and unloading during a turn
- Sporty carving even on gentle terrain and over uneven ground
Where
Moderately steep slope (blue to red run); well-prepared, grippy piste; possibly wave tracks or terrain rolls for special exercises
How
Coming out of a turn, at the moment of maximum pressure, the rider suddenly yields to the strong external forces by quickly bending the ankle and knee joints, creating down-unweighting. This is used to switch edges. Immediately after the edge change, the slow extension of the deeply bent legs begins, initiating turn control. Throughout the entire carving run, the neutral riding stance is maintained.
Methodical progression
- Demonstration of the finished movement and adapted technical explanation
- Stationary exercise: practice vertical movement while standing with the snowboard strapped in; quick down and slow up
- Straight run through a wave track: absorb the waves, meaning low position at the crest of each wave
- One-and-a-half turns: start high – go low and change edges at the same time – then rise slowly again until the end of the turn
- Linking turns together
- Variation of speed, turn radius, and terrain