Cinch / Flow users: Stepping in on hills???

Memascii wrote:
Could you not post a photo or something. I don't think anyone's
really giving you ****, I for one just can't get my head round what
you're doing.


Assuming you are serious:

Stand facing uphill.

Balance on the foot not strapped into a binding. Use the foot strapped
into a binding to dig the heel-side edge into the snow so that the board
won't slide down the hill. Lay board flat on the snow.

Insert free foot and secure binding.

Jump up and turn downhill.


If the hill is very steep:

Face uphill.

Kneel on your knees with the toe-side edge into the snow and the
heel-side edge off the snow.

Insert foot and secure binding.

Dean

Originally Posted by Octessence

Face up hill, with the board parallel to the slope and the front foot
in. Lift the board up and dig your heel into the snow as you would to
make a hole in the ground with your heel.

I understand exactly what you're describing.

Let us all not forget that we are talking relatively flat terrain near the top of the lift, sloped just enough to prevent the board from staying put. My inclination (I haven't tried it yet) is that engaging the downhill/heelside edge won't send me tumbling down the hill backwards.

Hopefully I'll be out again on Friday to give these different techniques a try.

On Tue, 21 Feb 2006 23:12:58 GMT, Nobody wrote:

Memascii wrote:
Could you not post a photo or something. I don't think anyone's
really giving you ****, I for one just can't get my head round what
you're doing.


Assuming you are serious:

I am, at least.

Stand facing uphill.

Balance on the foot not strapped into a binding. Use the foot strapped
into a binding to dig the heel-side edge into the snow so that the board
won't slide down the hill. Lay board flat on the snow.

Is your free foot in front of, or behind the board? And, when facing
uphill with the board flat on the snow (or, in fact, worse, because
the heel edge is dug in), your ankle must be at one hell of an angle.

Pretty much every rider I've seen, especially those using step-ins
(which I used for 5+ years), digs the heel edge in while facing
*downhill* - really easy to stay balanced, no matter what the slope's
like.
--
Champ

On Wed, 22 Feb 2006 09:34:13 +0000, Champ wrote:

Is your free foot in front of, or behind the board?

Behind (heel side).

And, when facing
uphill with the board flat on the snow (or, in fact, worse, because
the heel edge is dug in),

Champ, I'm starting to worry about you. Get a cup of extra hot masala
chai and think this over.

your ankle must be at one hell of an angle.

What causes you to think that? The board is flat on the snow. Are you
thinking the toe-side is pointing toward the sky? Digging the
heel-side into the snow creates a little trench to keep the board from
sliding downhill. After smacking the heel-side edge into the snow to
create the trench the board is set flat on the snow.

Dean

On Tue, 21 Feb 2006 23:37:41 +0000, speede541
wrote:

My inclination (I haven't tried it yet) is that engaging
the downhill/heelside edge won't send me tumbling down the hill
backwards.


If I can balance on my free foot while smacking the board on the
ground to dislodge snow from the binding and to dig the heel-side edge
into the snow, then balance on the foot attached to the board to get
the free foot into the binding, then jump up and turn downhill, I'll
bet that a person who is probably a few decades younger than me will
be able to do the same thing without falling down the mountain.

Dean

Nobody wrote:

If I can balance on my free foot while smacking the board on the
ground to dislodge snow from the binding and to dig the heel-side edge
into the snow, then balance on the foot attached to the board to get
the free foot into the binding, then jump up and turn downhill, I'll
bet that a person who is probably a few decades younger than me will
be able to do the same thing without falling down the mountain.

This kind of thing would only work on the mildest of slopes.

Neil

On Wed, 22 Feb 2006 08:44:49 -0600, Neil Gendzwill
wrote:

This kind of thing would only work on the mildest of slopes.

Yes, the slopes next to a chair lift are usually mild, at least every
place I've been in the US and Canada. On steep terrain I kneel on my
knees. Those with strap bindings sit on their butt. Do you have a
different suggestion?

There are times when getting into and out of a Flow binding can be a
pain, such as when I was in knee-deep, heavy snow. For most people at
most places, entry is much faster than a strap binding and can be done
while standing.

Dean

Nobody wrote:
On Wed, 22 Feb 2006 08:44:49 -0600, Neil Gendzwill
wrote:


This kind of thing would only work on the mildest of slopes.


Yes, the slopes next to a chair lift are usually mild, at least every
place I've been in the US and Canada. On steep terrain I kneel on my
knees. Those with strap bindings sit on their butt. Do you have a
different suggestion?

Nope, just trying to understand what you're saying. Thanks for the
clarification.

Neil

Originally Posted by Octessence

...I mostly used to stand facing uphill and dig my
heel egde in.

Thanks bro, this was the winning technique for me this last time out.

I'd chip-chip-chip my heel edge in (me facing "upslope" -- again, we're talking damn near flat terrain near the top of the lift, or towards the end of a flat transition I just pushed across).

The small amount my heel edge was dug in was just enough to hold my board immobile while I stood on my front foot and slipped my rear foot into the binding.

Doing this, the highback was a bit of a pain to close a time or two, but for the most part, all went well and I didn't spend a single moment sliding bent over & uncontrolled or sitting on my butt in the snow strapping in.

Thanks!

speede541 wrote:
Octessence Wrote:

...I mostly used to stand facing uphill and dig my
heel egde in.


Thanks bro, this was the winning technique for me this last time out.

I'd chip-chip-chip my heel edge in (me facing "upslope" -- again, we're
talking damn near flat terrain near the top of the lift, or towards the
end of a flat transition I just pushed across).

The small amount my heel edge was dug in was just enough to hold my
board immobile while I stood on my front foot and slipped my rear foot
into the binding.

Doing this, the highback was a bit of a pain to close a time or two,
but for the most part, all went well and I didn't spend a single moment
sliding bent over & uncontrolled or sitting on my butt in the snow
strapping in.

Thanks!



Glad it worked for you.

Octes