Turning STYLE when NOT completely Laid Out

[rcrobar]

Hi J&P

Is the EC technique efficient in situations other than when you are completely low and laid out in an EC turn?

What type of riding style do you use when making big turns, short turns, off piste turns or turns on a piste that is not particularly steep?

Do you use the same technique when using different boards, with soft or hardboot setups, etc?

Thank you
Rob

[nils]

I don't have the experience of J&P, but i can say that since I adopted this technique, it changed my way of riding in every situation. I tried it on different swallowtails i tried last winter, and it went perfectly.. I could even EC some of them ( my 196) when the grommed was good...
Also when i went heliski in april on a very icy situation on the glacier ( mer de glace) where no edge could be really taken, the technique helped me prevent any wrong edge catch..
As Jacques puts it: in some situations where you are loosing balance, its better to accentuate the rotation turn to recover ( seems hard to do) rather than suddenly try a counter rotation that will make things worse...

I now ride with the technique on any kind of situation, moguls ( hate them) groomed, crust, powder etc..

[rilliet]

Hi Rob,

Our EC technique (the push pull turn) is very efficient in any situation, with any board and stance setting.

On the website we only showed it in short edg-to-edge turns and EC turns, but we use it everywere: big turns, short turns, off piste, moguls, etc...

We also use it with our freeride boards and soft boots.

We think, having already tried all the other techniques (counter rotations, extension (or cross over) turns, gesticulating and windshield wiper styles) that this technique is the most efficient in any situation. It gives the best board control in bad snow conditions.

Furthermore, because of its gesture purity and harmony between the rider and his board, it provides the strongest sensations available in snowboarding.

I advise all of you to take the time to try this technique, even if you are not interested in our EC turns, because it will change your life of snowboarder!

You think I exaggerate? Try it, you will see by yourself!

Jacques

[fivat]

The EC technique is the "push pull" technique applied to extreme angulations of the body with the snow.

The "push pull" technique is an advanced turn that requires a proper movement of the legs, while the upper part of the body do rotations as taught in the swiss snowboard schools.
It comes from surfing and skateboarding! Thus it can be used for freecarving, freeriding or anything. The boots may be soft or hard, but in this second case they should not be too stiff!

In difficult conditions (iced snow, moguls or poor visibility), or in deep powder, this technique is really the best along to my experience. And above all:
- the style of the rider is fluid,
- the feeling that one gets is great.

Is there a bad point? Yes, it requires a little bit of work and effort to get this technique
But that is really worth learning it. My life changed when I forgot the "extension turn" that most people use (described in the CERN Web pages).

-Patrice Fivat

[yyzcanuck]

There is only one problem for me with this technique... when I do what the CERN page suggests, "Imagine you are picking up a heavy and fragile crate of beer which is uphill and you are putting it down in the inside of the turn.", I have a difficult time putting down the beer!!!

[bawbawbel]

Why does push-pull feel so good and work so well, from tremendous powder swoops to critical ice control?
I think a scientific investigation with readouts from strain gauges and spring scales would show that foot pressure remains unchanged for a long time throughout the turn, allowing the board to stay at the same bent radius, giving that magnificent in-control and slow motion feeling .
I have found it useful to think of making edge pressure against my momentum, and then relieving it through the rest of the turn.