By Kurt Hoy

March 1, 1999

Because of its speed and efficiency, the carved turn is fundamental to Alpine riding. While any board can carve, Alpine boards are designed to do specifically that.The differences between a carved and skidded turn are many, but can be largely defined by the board's angle in the snow. When a board is tipped on edge, its design (namely sidecut and flex) facilitates the carve-the tail of the board theoretically passes through the exact same spot on the snow as the nose. At lower angles, a board is more likely to skid, the tail pivoting around the nose or front foot. A carve is much faster than a skid because the board always moves in the direction it's pointed, the edge tracking cleanly through the snow rather than scraping along the top (creating friction) and sliding sideways. To get the feeling of a carve, traverse a moderate (blue) groomed slope. Gradually lean into the hill and concentrate on not making any extraneous movements, such as rotating the upper body or kicking out the back leg (both result in skidding). As you lean and lever against your boots, the board will tip onto edge and its sidecut will take hold-turning you across, and slightly up, the hill. To verify whether a carve actually occurred, look back at the track that was left in the snow behind your board. A carve leaves a single thin line from the edge of the board; the wider or more fanned-out the track appears, the more you skidded. When you've got the concept of carving during a traverse down, practice linking carved turns together on a flat (green) run. Be aware that in addition to going faster, carving round turns will take you across the slope laterally, requiring more space than a skid. Once you feel the acceleration and smooth dynamics of a carved turn-what your board was truly designed to do-you'll be on your way to a whole new world of snowboarding-Alpine.

-K.H.