Keeping Board on Edge
The first thing any trainee has to manage is the correct keeping board on edge or simply the correct edging. When snowboarding, we correctly ride all the time on one of edges (always the upper one to the slope or the inner one to the curve). The only exception is the very short time when we move the load from one edge to another one. Even when riding directly downhill having the board flat on the base, the load must be on one of the edges only. Otherwise we are in the danger that even a small roughness of the snow surface corrupts our balance, we catch an edge and a hard fall follows. Exceptionally dangerous is the situation when we want to overcome a long flat place using a high speed we have got at the preceding steep slope and we do not pay attention to the correct edging.
Most beginners (but not only they) think the load to the toe-side edge is to be done by pressing toes down and the load to the heel-side edge is to be done by lifting toes up. This is the first mistake to be corrected. Off course, it works this way too, but it works badly. It is because very weak lower leg muscles are used against very strong gravitation and centripetal forces. Even minor changes of these forces cause unwanted major changes of the board edging. The result is an imprecise or fitful ride.
The correct edging is based on using of lower legs as levers. That means lower legs permanently push to the front or back sides of boots and thus move the power from the body through the boots next trough the bindings to the board and so standing the board on the edge. The flexibility of materials is the only what plays against the outer forces so the edging is very stabile and even. The ride is smooth and less tiring. The lower leg muscles are used to keep the correct legs’ position inside boots or even for getting some pre-tension of boot and binding materials. That involves the lower legs muscles action to the opposite direction than the original guess had been.
When keeping the toe edge, we lift toes up and push heels down as much as possible. Our shins push to the front side of boots and we must feel the permanent pressure of boots at shins. The angle between the board and the lower leg is as small as possible and doesn’t change visibly during the ride.
When keeping the heel edge, we push toes down and lift heels up as much as possible. Our calves push to the back side of boots and we must feel the permanent pressure of boots at calves. The angle between the board and the lower leg is as big as possible and doesn’t change visibly during the ride.
The edging is changed by the leaning of lower legs to the slope or from the slope in both situations. Obviously this is performed by leaning all the body. The change of the angle between the board and lower legs during the ride is the most important sign of an incorrect edging we can see and should watch.