.: EXTREME SKWALER :.

[sabestian]

First, hello to all skwalers here.

I came into possession of Lacroix sk200 with elfgen bindigs. Being a snowboard carver with lots of history and an extremecarver wannabe I had to try a skwal one day.

I weigh at 85kg with gear. 180cm. My skwal is 180cm, stiff as I read somewhere, so should do nicely.

I have no idea on what binding angles to set. I gathered they should be like 85 rear and 0 front? Some ride 0 on both? Or with front on minus? Why? Is there any guidance on cants and lifts? Where to start? My bindings have front toe lift and read heal lift, should I remove them?

What about the stance? Wider the better? Set back? Why not set it to centric and ride that nose more easily...?

What I really don't want is this skwal beat me the ground and stick my head high in the air in glory'

I want to win. Will you help me?

[LeTounEnShort]

Hi sebastian ! and welcome !

First, your bindings lifts are OK (Front toe...). You need no lateral canting.

For angle, front foot : 0°. It's just the best way to ride your board correctly. and rear foot : 0 to 10°. As you feel confortable and precise.

Distance between your feet is normaly 4cm. It should be great for your 180cm. maybe more if you feel better... but start with 4cm.

Now, let's ride your board and tell us your feeling !

Francois

[sabestian]

I will have to wait a little bit for that first ride but hopefully it won't be long. Thanks for your advice!

[skwaloo]

Yes you need no lateral canting.

For front foot, only 0°. It's required to make ONLY front side turns for both side. In skwal, never back side !

And rear foot, you can put any little angle. But to have better guidance accuracy is better to 0 ° at the rear too.

With some practice, in the turns you can press the heel of front foot and lift the heel of back foot to bend the board and make shorter turns.



Takes a lot of fun !

[sabestian]

Wow! This sounds amazing.
I am learning push pull with rotation (extremecarving) on snowboard. I have seen youtube videos of guys using this technique on a skwal, like here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbcj6-q0efM Is this a non-standard technique for a skwal?

[skwaloo]

I think we make push pull more or less, but less than this video.

I find the first thing of Skwal it's feelings before it efficiently. So you have to do with the way it's nice for you.

An example of "standard" technique : ONE video on http://www.skwal.eu/public/index.php/category/Gallery

[Philobédo]

C'est quoi le push pull ? c'est le jeu vertical ? flexion extension selon ta situation dans la courbe?

[sabestian]

Please please please use English! There is almost nothing about skwal technique in English and almost everything about it is written in French already...

[Philobédo]

i just ask to skwaloo what is exactly the thing you call "push pull"; i can't answer you if i don't understand exactly what you mean...

[sabestian]

Now you're talking! Here you go, at the end of the page. Even with videos: http://www.extremecarving.com/tech/tech.html Or, in more detail, explained by Skywalker from Extremecarving.com :

Sequence Push Pull: Before the first push pull turn you ride with deeply bent legs (theoretically you come along low from the preceding), pre-rotate and change edges. On carved turns this is possible without specific discharge). After the edge change dynamic extension takes place and directly afterwards again bending, everything during one single turn (e.g. frontside turn) and on the same edge. IMHO exactly this is where the name derives from. In bent position you now transfer weight to the other side of the board, change edges, and start it again from the beginning. For the change from Frontside to Backside this is: Start as an Egyptian in deep position, pre-rotate and with the freezing of the rotation change edges without special discharge movement. Dynamic extension directly after the edge change.

I think it should be possible on a skwal but extreme carvers say that narrow boards limit rotation and make extremecarving more difficult. Will see!

[obi one]

Now you're talking! Here you go, at the end of the page. Even with videos: http://www.extremecarving.com/tech/tech.html Or, in more detail, explained by Skywalker from Extremecarving.com :

Sequence Push Pull: Before the first push pull turn you ride with deeply bent legs (theoretically you come along low from the preceding), pre-rotate and change edges. On carved turns this is possible without specific discharge). After the edge change dynamic extension takes place and directly afterwards again bending, everything during one single turn (e.g. frontside turn) and on the same edge. IMHO exactly this is where the name derives from. In bent position you now transfer weight to the other side of the board, change edges, and start it again from the beginning. For the change from Frontside to Backside this is: Start as an Egyptian in deep position, pre-rotate and with the freezing of the rotation change edges without special discharge movement. Dynamic extension directly after the edge change.

I think it should be possible on a skwal but extreme carvers say that narrow boards limit rotation and make extremecarving more difficult. Will see!

dear sebastain,

I generally apply the Push Pull in skwalling down the slope, and it is ideal for skwal rides...similar cross uder or cross over thechniques can be applied...in any case push pull works perfectly...

I have some clips I did last year that may be interesting for this technical aspect... go to you tube and search for Obi One skwaler...get the clip skwaliverse and have a look at it...some sequences were just shot thinking to expresse the push pull...

also...extremecarving technique is possible...it is only more difficult but definitely more exciting that with a snowboard (personal opinion obviously)



Obi One

[sabestian]

Hi Obi One, of course I know your videos. I noticed you do not rotate much (you don't counter rotate either), yet you carve like I wish I ever did. That is something to think about.

[obi one]

Hi Obi One, of course I know your videos. I noticed you do not rotate much (you don't counter rotate either), yet you carve like I wish I ever did. That is something to think about.

sebastian,
if you know a litte bit of italian you could download "skwal-tecnica" (document "Livello Avanzato") in www.skwalclubitalia.it and understand why snowboarding (especially ec style) differs significantly from skwal technique exactly in terms of "rotation", "lateral body continuity" and "frontal carving". (english translation of all contents of the skwal club italia web site will be available very soon anyway...). But to put it from my personal perspective, here is what I suggest (I repeat this is solely my technique that I decided to call skwal-technica...other techniques are certainly available and potentially better than mine): in skwal we do not rotate the upper parts of the body to charge/initiate the turn...it is simply not necessary nor useful. Some us would do it for very radical circumstances only...I do it myself in some extreme circumstances.

The explanation on NON-ROTATION is simple: do you relly rotate what you ride a bicycle during a turn (or better whe riding a street bike)?
take into account that skwal is more like riding a street bike than snowboarding ; ) ...(personal opinion again).

About "lateral body continuity", "frontal carving" we may talk another time...

BUT,
but just remember the word "multiple skwarving" (radical+skwal+carving): this is more serious matter as this concept will be a competitor of the concept of "continuous linked laid down turns" (extreme carving) proposed and perfectly carried out by Fivat and Rillet...
why? well the capacity to performing "continuous linked laid down turns" with a skwal is not only possible ...it is also a reality (I am collecting the clips plus some new clips from my side ; ) ). This means that you do not need a wide board to perform these evolutions...this will be removing a strong "cultural" concept and false supremacy that still permeates around the globe...

[sabestian]

What you write is very interesting. I like alternative thinking and I always have been (well, snowboarding is an alternative to popular winter sports, alpine snowboarding is a niche within a niche, not to mention extremecarving in alpine boarding...now, the skwal...that's something different!).

Oh, I'm so eager to read it in English. Unfortunately no Italian but will try to translate it.

[obi one]

What you write is very interesting. I like alternative thinking and I always have been (well, snowboarding is an alternative to popular winter sports, alpine snowboarding is a niche within a niche, not to mention extremecarving in alpine boarding...now, the skwal...that's something different!).

Oh, I'm so eager to read it in English. Unfortunately no Italian but will try to translate it.

the english version would be a christmas present