"Dmitry" wrote in message news:GI7zb.397180$HS4.3207868@attbi_s01...
First off, thanks Jason, Chet and Arvin for your replies. I didn't get to try the
duckfoot stance yet, but after another day of riding I came to a conclusion that
it was a combination of three things:
1. poor technique (yes, wasn't forward enough)
2. incorrect highback angle plus incorrect binding placement (too much heel overhang)
3. number 1 exaggregated by a very stiff board

I was riding Ok with both bindings tight by the end of the day, at about +21/+6
degrees.


Cool, sounds good.

Now, because you guys are such a helpful bunch I'll ask for some more
advice, this time it's about board choice.

I found out yesterday that the weight I've gained idling between kiteboarding
and snowboarding seasons (was 165) is completely gone, and now I'm only
150 lbs and looks like it will drop even more. The Palmer Carbon Circle 158
I have now is such a handfull for me that I'm getting tired pretty fast on the
slopes and have to rest a lot and/or get sloppy, which is not something this
board allows doing

So the quesion is: do I hang on and try to wrestle with this board and improve
my technique, or give myself some slack and get something softer (or shorter)?
This Palmer was quite appropriate when I lived in California last season with
its huge fast mountains that were perfect for straight bombing, but now that I'm
in Seattle there's more of the bumpy stuff to deal with..

I'm mostly concerned with my skill growth. Will forcing myself to fight a
marginally too stiff a board be likely to iron out bad habits and improve skill?

I was faced with a similar decision with my Salomon Definition 156 as
it are marginally too stiff for general freeriding. It was great on
big, wide open runs where I could blast down the mountain, but I was a
little hampered in tight spaces like while riding through the trees.
For me, I still could ride through the trees without stopping, it just
wasn't as effortless as I would have liked (felt more like a slalom
racing skimming by race flags). So I decided to move to what I'm told
is bit softer and more responsive board.

Since you are still learning how to snowboard, I would say that you
need a softer board that fits your riding style even more than me. So
yea, change your board.

--Arvin