ON EDGE tv

[Ballard]

Follow some of Canada's top alpine snowboarders this season as they travel the globe in search of new destinations, adventure, and gold! Featuring coaches and athletes from the Canadian National Alpine Snowboard Team & the Calgary Snowboard Club.

https://youtu.be/hYTwmf3UaRE?hd=1

[tali]

That's great! The teaser is quite inviting Looking forward to see the episodes.
In the meantime, could you give us more details about your team here in writing, too?

[starikashka]

Cool title. I've seen something silmilar in Russia.

[au]

Something really hard to forget

[starikashka]

How do you think Andrey, would "that person" initiate copyright discussion?

[au]

We'll see

[Ballard]

Hi Au and Starihaska. I dont understand the points about copyright, and something similar in Russia? Please tell more.

[tali]

Mark, do not worry, the guys seem to discuss a snowboarding project in Russia (which they both know) with a similar name to yours.
Better, tell us more about your team and what do you like in alpine snowboarding?
Have you or someone else in your team ever tried extremecarving?

[Ballard]

Tali,

This team is a national training center based in Calgary and the Rocky mtns. Heres a link to the team website. http://www.snowboardcoach.ca. Our video seeks to tell the story of the team's journey on/off snow. Im a professional snowboard coach. Have experience in all competitive disciplines, but enjoy the challenges of alpine coaching most.

Our racing objective does not make it practical to "extremecarve" on a regular basis.
Most riders play around with it from time to time. I realize its great way to have fun on a board, and its a fun tool that many younger racers dont have in their toolbox.

Our objective.
We are generally trying to have max edge and power at the apex of the turn, and release the edge as we move out of the fall line, having each turn seamlessly flow into the other.

Now back to packing for Colorado.

[tali]

If you are referring to a eurocarve or vitelli turn...

Nope! The style is called extremecarving and looks like this:
Carved - teaser
La Carvesina
Stoked (Opus 3)
(More about extremecarving vs. eurocarve here)

Best of luck in Colorado!

[Ballard]

Okay, I read the expression, I watched the vids.

All have the biggest edge angle happening out of the fall line, or a "bottom turn".

[tali]

Could it be because the videos were shot in the downhill direction?
And what about here?

[Ballard]

camera angle doesnt change the edge angle. Its just the nature of that kind of turn. Its fun, but has a limited application for our goals in mind.

[fivat]

Do we live on the same planet?

on certain slopes and snow types (generally easy and soft snow).

Wrong. Steep black slopes! Ask the 230 participants of the ExtremeCarving Session. They come from all Europe (and even from other continents) to ride the slopes at Swoard home. The "Barthelemy" black slope is mythical.

The alpine races are never done on black slopes from top to bottom. But mainly on blue and red slopes (like the ones we see in the Olympic Games).

Soft snow is no good for nice extremecarving. The more packed snow (even icy), the better.

but has a limited application

I would rather say that racing has "limited" application! But it can be fun too.

The extremecarving technique (shown here and often referred as "Swoard-EC" over Internet) is based on various elements. One of these elements is the "push-pull" technique (this name was given by Jacques Rilliet, but there are other words used in function of the countries and schools). It has wide application. It applies to "normal" carving, to BX, to riding in muggles, and freeriding in deep powder (with soft boots too). It gives fluidity and smoothness.

Some surfers wrote us to say that our style is close to surfing. The Swiss rotation technique (another element applied by us when extremecarving) may explain the analogies. Extremecarving has become a discipline by itself and is very technical. The boots with softer springs, the flat and softer bindings, etc. etc. directly come from EC requirements.

If you are referring to a eurocarve or vitelli turn...

Nope!

Indeed. Eurocarve is an obsolete term used by the Americans in the nineties about the Europeans who were the first to carve (simply ride on the edge). A Vitelli turn is a front side turn made in counter-rotation: an old and historical move from the nineties too.
We are in 2011.

Patrice Fivat

[vizsyn]

Race-Oriented alpine carving versus extremecarving...

Granted, I am, by my own admission, an alpine novice. This will be my first season on alpine equipment. However, I shall put forth my humble opinions/views ...

Race-carving and extreme carving are both "Alpine snowboarding" in the purest sense. However, they are each distinctively very different disciplines, geared towards very different experiences. Both are extremely technical as well..

To me, the objective of alpine racing technique is to navigate a set of slalom gates in the shortest elapsed time possible. In racing, few if any really care what a rider LOOKS like during the run, as long as he/she records the shortest time. A noble, challenging pursuit? YES. Having said that, I find that racing is a rather limiting application, the goal being very singular in purpose... WINNING THE RACE

The physical rigors and technical demands of World Cup/Olympic competition level alpine snowboard racing are in my opinion, simply beyond the physical/psychological capabilities of the vast majority of alpine riders to begin with. While I myself believe in principle that ANY technique can be learned, at least mentally, it's a fact that VERY FEW people possess the rare combination of immense leg strength, supreme athleticism, lightning-quick reflexes, and the sheer courage to be a competition level racer. It takes a special being to charge down a hill, weaving between gates at life-threatening speeds While I myself hold Alpine Racers in the highest regard, the perceived "Elite-ness" of Racing is also perhaps a reason why so many people shun alpine snowboarding as a whole: Unfortunately, many snowboarders(the softboot kind) generally think of an alpine rider as some athlete snob that looks all too much like a skier, who practices a discipline that looks almost exactly like that classic pastime that has been virtually synonymous to competitive skiing: SLALOM GATES! Please note that I am on no way whatsoever "bashing" Alpine Racing, I am absolutely in awe of what a World Cup/Olympic level racer can do, they represent some of the greatest physical achievements possible on a snowboard.

In my modest opinion, the ultimate goal that Jacqcues Rilliet and Patrice Fivat set forth, as they worked alone, virtually unnoticed between 1995-2001 , was to show the snowboard world that there was more to alpine carving than just elite racing. They set out to prove that alpine freecarving is a wonderful, fun spectator sport that IS within the reach of nearly any snowboarder who wishes to enjoy the simple, pure beauty of linking carved turns for it's own sake, without regard to "winning" anything more than perhaps a fellow rider's admiration and respect

Clearly, extremecarving at it's highest level, in this case continuously linking fully laid-out carves, on a steep, icy black diamond slope no less, could be classified as an "elite" endeavor. Yet, with proper technique(and admittedly, proper equipment), it has been proven that extremecarving CAN be learned and performed by many snowboarders, even those not blessed with supreme physical attributes. What can one say about 230+ alpine riders of so many differing nationalities coming together in the spirit of friendship, at the annual SWOARD ECS events? And of a truly international forum community that is so passionate about helping others learn AND promoting the joys of this elegant form of alpine riding? It is a testament unto itself: What these two men believed in so passionately about and worked so hard on(along with Nils Degremont), has undeniably become a major influence in alpine snowboarding as it exists today.

While obviously very technical in it's own right, with perhaps somewhat more-than-average physical fitness requirements as well, I believe that extremecarving technique is well within the reach of the vast majority of snowboarders. In regard to the concepts of "rotation" and push-pull, which are the foundation of extremecarving itself, I have personally found that these concepts are PERFECTLY applicable to everyday riding on variable terrain conditions using softboots and freestyle/freeride equipment. I have been riding since 1996, and while competent on a snowboard, I do not consider myself an expert/elite rider by any means. All these years, I probably looked like any other anonymous rider on the slopes, just another face in the crowd... Yet, last year alone, after applying "rotations" and later "push-pull" principles to my everyday riding using softboots/freeride, I often had fellow riders, some skiers, (and on a few occasions even snow patrol and resort instructors), approach me at resorts, and commenting about how fluid and effortless I looked... I was doing nothing more than just linking carved turns at medium to low speeds, on green and blue slopes! That has been validation for me that "rotations" and "push-pull" is very efficient, very versatile from ice, groomers, and even powder, and it actually LOOKS GOOD, even when one isn't extremecarving at all. GESTURE PURITY indeed!

In a time when the evolution of snowboarding is seemingly all about pushing the limit of how high, how far, and how long a freestyle rider can launch himself ABOVE the snow(with lots of spinning thrown in), it is certainly inspiring to see that alpine snowboarding continues to survive, and even thrive! Alpine racing will always have it's respected place in snowboarding, but it is my belief that the work that Jacques and Patrice have done with the concept of extremecarving will continue play a very big role in the revival of interest in alpine snowboarding. They have shown that a seemingly "elite" sport does not have to be so elite after all, it is there for those who wish to enjoy snowboarding in it's purest essence, ON THE SNOW, not above it...

As Jacques and Patrice would say... CARVE LOW!!!