 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi
I have been snowboarding around six years now and usually have a week or week and a half on the snow each year. I ride regular and have always been very comfortable and competant. I would really like to learn how to ride switch as I feel this would make riding more fun. Bear in mind that I am a fairly big fella and I am 41 so I am not into freestyle but would just like to broaden my riding skills a bit more.
I ride a 159 Skate Banana and I love it but when I try to ride switch it feels realy weird, I think maybe my binding stance may not be quite right and I wondered if changing it to 'duck stance' would be better, my board is out in France at the mo so I can't tell you my current set up but my back foot is definately more turned in towards the center of the board than my lead foot. Any tips ?
Papa
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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A fwd facing rear foot isn't going to particularly help, you may want to try changing it to zero degrees or a duck if you can ride with it - at least while you're learning.
Starting to ride switch, i'd recommend getting comfortable with garlands as step 1. If you're unfamiliar with them, its turning the board on either toe or heel edge through 360 degrees, or 2 180's if you prefer to think of it that way, 180 toe into 180 heel and repeat, that'll get you used to moving from front foot lead to back foot lead and back again, and and initiating turns with your back foot forward. Get used to doing them clockwise and counter-clockwise too.
Once you've got a neat front-to-back-then-back-again going, let the board run switch longer, and longer and pow, welcome to switch riding. Make sure you've got your weight centred properly. I've always found that I have to make a conceious effort to centre my weight on the board when riding switch too - but thats probably more to do with my lazy back bottom riding style.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Papalaz, what he said...
180s on the ground are your first step. Sort your binding angles, try -15 +15 and tweek them till you're comfortable.
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Papalaz, I've spent a bit of time getting better at riding switch this season. My tips would be...
1) Dedicate a morning to riding switch. If you say you will just ride a bit whilst you are out, you won't because it's more fun to just carry on hooning around in 'regular'.
2) If you ride +22 -8 or similar (it sounds like you do, as do I) set your bindings to these angles for switch riding. This will make learning much easier.
3) Start on a very gentle nursery slope. Heel side turns are easy, toe side are harder... just as it was when first learning.
4) After an hour or so of constant switch riding, go and tackle an easy blue.
5) Forget jumps and that at this stage, you just want to be riding with controlled fluid turns.
6) Finally try going from switch to regular from both heel side and toe side.
7) Set your bindings back to your normal stance but carry on riding switch for a couple of runs.
Once you get the this stage, you will be able to go in and out of switch at will. Not only does it look dead cool, swapping in and out switch as you ride a piste, but it creates a lot of opportunities such as getting onto toe side on a long angled flat, to save your shin muscles.
Moving on... 180s off a kicker will be much easier than you imagine and you will be choosing to do some in regular, landing in switch and some the other way round.
It's quite a series of exercises to go through and it's important to get the basics right in your un-natural stance but will prove successful if you dedicate the time, take it slowly and master the new skills that you probably take for granted in normal riding.
I'm 47 and ride a 159 Vapor. You have a few years on me.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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my 2p's worth...
It is a bit weird having such an awseome board as a Libtech SB and not really knowing about duck stances and switch riding.... still a great board to learn switch on as the rocker and the groovy little sidewall will do nothing but help.
I decided to learn switch last season. I approached it from what I think is the best angle... a complete beginner! Just get on the board and learn how to do the whole thing again... always stand up in switch... but carry on riding lifts etc in regular. As you already board you know how to do it and just need to bite-the-bullet and enjoy falling over... the bonus with the Skate Banana is that you won't find that toe edge quite as often as when you started!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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flangesax, is right, the Skate Banana would be a great board for learning switch on.
I'm not sure it will stop you catching edges, if you are going to, but it's a very 'loose' board so should get you riding linked turns in switch much more quickly.
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bar shaker, I did say 'quite as often' 
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Strangely, my biggest problem when starting was that I carved my toe side turns as I wasn't forward enough.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| flangesax wrote: |
| Just get on the board and learn how to do the whole thing again... always stand up in switch... but carry on riding lifts etc in regular. |
I tried to ride a drag lift switch once. With hilarious consequences.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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learning to ride switch is perfect for indoor slopes, busy days and foggy days. I agree you need to dedicate a 'time block' to it though - i remember my 'switch mondays'.....
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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manicpb, I kinda hinted at that but just didn't have the bottle to commit to it
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flangesax, manicpb, thanks for ripping the wee wee.
bar shaker,Richard_Sideways, Thanks for the advice, I will have a go in a couple of weeks when i go out to France.
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You know it makes sense.
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Papalaz, I'm looking to get one - maybe this season... if not then next! Want to flog yours?
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| flangesax wrote: |
| Papalaz, I'm looking to get one - maybe this season... if not then next! Want to flog yours? |
No thanks, I got the gear, I just need to get the idea
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Poster: A snowHead
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Some sound advice on here, the only thing i will add is remember to point past the direction you want to go with your leading hand, it's obviously a beginner trick to initiate the turn and something you won't want to do to as your no longer a beginner. Remember you are a beginner at riding switch so beginner tricks help. After a few runs your body will start to remember how to initiate a turn without pointing, if its starts all going wrong again, start pointing again, it will soon come back. Last piece of advice - get the miles in, practice makes perfect.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Some good tips here, which I'm trying to follow as I learn switch (slowly  ) at the Snow Factor indoor slope. I want to be riding switch and popping 180's in time for January in the Alps. Was thinking that if I ride a shorter board then learning switch should be easier. Anyone got any thoughts on this and any further tips?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I've finally got the switch riding nailed! Started to do some 180's. One thing I've discovered is that it's easier for me to do 180's when riding regular and initiating front side jumps from my toe edge and landing switch. Frontside 180's from my heal edge or flat end up as 90's! I think I get better lift from the toe edge.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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2 tips - largely already noted:
1. Change your binding settings. You likely won't find the sweet spot first time round, so be prepared to make adjustments throughout the day if you need to. Your back foot should certainly be set to 0 or pointing backwards slightly.
2. Ride on your own or with someone who rides slower than you do. I found when I'm charging round with my mates there's little time for fancy stuff, but when with my Mrs I could do entire runs switch and we end up both at the same pace. After a week of doing this, my switch riding was about 80% as strong as my regular.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Great advice in here guys, thanks. Just started trying to teach myself switch last week at the dome in dubai ready for alps visit in Feb. I deliberately set my board at 15,-14 for whistler last year and rode the whole time like that, regular. Now im comfortable with that, its easier to ride switch with the pretty much duck stance. also check you are centered on the board, as if you are set back, it will of course be different. I think some boards are centered an inch or so back??
As stated above, I just committed to riding about half of my 2 hour stint in switch, just breaking up the slowness with the odd regular run. I just started traversing, and pulling turns each way, then reduced the distance between the turns, then linked them slowly. Also threw in quite a bit of helicoptering both ways to get used to that sensation. Next week im going to go a little more flat board down the slope rather than full 180 linked turns.
good luck!
oh, and as for gear and no idea, i have ridden an UnInc since the 3 day i was boarding...who cares!! Whats the point of having crappy gear just cos you suck! I have been VERY into reading up on stuff though so understood all the garb about riding. I have now been riding 3 years, about a weeks worth a year on piste, and double that in a fridge.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Here is another way of looking at at it, is your stance comfortable as is, if yes then perhaps stick with it while you learn switch unless you run into problems.
Of course its going to feel odd to start off with but just remember how odd it felt when you were trying to do your first turns. I run with 5 and 15 and have done since day one and although not ideal for prolonged switch it is fine for jumps and getting me out of trouble.
To get started just apply the same principals as you did when you were first learning. then make it part of every time you are on the hill. I guess I spend at least 5% of every hill day riding switch, and as was suggested earlier, make it a half day or a couple of hours at at time till you get competant.
Still riding my 1999 supermodel.
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I have always ridden duck foot and ride about +15 -12 and find even the slighty uneaven angle to feel a bit constrained in switch.
I dedicated a holiday to switch one year when I spent a week with Polish friends in a Polish ski resort (i.e. a hill with a lift and two runs).
Echo what others say, you need a block of time and don't be tempted to swap in and out as you just won't do the difficult bits in switch which is how you learn.
You will fall over like a beginner. Unlike a beginner you will know why!
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^^ and how to roll so it doesnt hurt like it did the first time round!
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