The Secrets of Snowboard Carving: Part 1 - The Nine Elements

The first installment of the Secrets Series lays out the techniques and body positions necessary to perform fast, high g-force carves and leave only a pencil track behind.
It's the Snowboarding Carving 101 course. It contains all the basic theoretical cannon and hints at more advanced concepts too. It is suitable for any snowboarder who wants to improve their carving skills and take it to steeper terrain.
Sorry about the trolling in the introduction, respect and love to all carvers and all styles.
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Thanks to @tributeboardshop • Jeremy Jones - Resort...
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@yuraakaz • Extremecarving by Vadi...
and @MajorDredd • 1986 Terry Kidwell-Thi...
for their contributions to this video.
#howtosnowboard
#carvingturn
#snowboardcarving
#snowboard
#snowboarding

[@giovannispinotti]

James, I've been on a hard boot/alpine board for more than 30 years now. I've been chasing that pencil line for all my snowboarding life. Some of the knowledge you share here took me decades to understand, through experimentation, trial and error. This is a video for the ages, fantastic work, there's almost nothing around that thoroughly and correctly explains everything. And for the millions and millions of snowboarders I've seen on the slopes that have never carved a turn in their life, I hope carving gets taught and spread more and more. It's such an amazing feeling.

[@cherrycarves]

I hear you, I also went through those decades of research, experimentation and trial and error. I'm trying to save the next generation the hassle and make carving snowboards easier for them.

[@Prove.]

didnt even watch the video yet, now I gotta watch the whole thing

[@cherrycarves]

@@Prove. Ya, kind of. But at least you don't have to decipher the ancient cryptic texts and try to apply seemingly contradictory information on snow at high speed...

[@won2wonder]

I've been boarding for over 25 years, not alpine gear but the past 2 seasons proper carving finally started clicking for me. I'm sure my form is quite a bit off from the descriptions in this video, but I definitely noticed the board doing much more of the work for me with better control / stability. Going to keep some of this in mind for the next time and think about my form a bit. I could probably do more with putting pressure toward the front.

[@cherrycarves]

@@won2wonder Ya. Pressure the nose in initiation and the tail as you finish. And keep those shoulders level!

[@stuartj2773]

With that cute kitten, that's definitely the best carving tutorial ever

[@cherrycarves]

I hope Smokey also appears in future instalments, my producer is negotiating with his agent now...

[@archangeblandin676]

Now I know, I need to bring my cat to get better.

[@cherrycarves]

@@archangeblandin676 No... You need to bring MY cat.

[@anthonypeterson428]

The lesson is to also be as nimble as a cat when carving! 😻 Great video!

[@shivaandesilva7661]

I’ve watched this countless times, and today, I decided to bring the video with me to the hill. I got to the top, watched parts of the video that focused on the parts I needed the most help with, and tried honing things in. Such an invaluable resource. Thanks for making such a comprehensive but concise breakdown of the different aspects of carving.

[@cherrycarves]

Wow... thanks for calling it concise! I felt it was a little self-indulgent. I was aiming for 20 minutes...

[@ThomyeSurfs]

Excellent tutorial and breakdown. I don't snowboard often, it's actually been 8 yrs but this is my style of carving for sure. As a surfer, this pencil line carving feel like surfing to me and although I have broken down surfing in a similar way as you have with snowboarding, I have never thought to do it for myself in snowboarding so this was eye opening. Thanks so much.

[@iamkeir]

Yesssss!! This is the deep stuff the snowboard world is missing!! Thank you!! 🎉

[@cherrycarves]

Right? I couldn't find any good carving instruction in English on KZbin, that's why I made this.

[@iamkeir]

I broke my phone screen with how hard I pressed the like button 🏆

[@cherrycarves]

@@iamkeir Hahaha

[@mohawkgwai]

@@cherrycarves Coincidentally another channel recently put out some quality tutorials on proper carving too kzbin.info/www/bejne/nqWuf42JYph2eNk Lucky to learn from you both :)

[@mohawkgwai]

@@cherrycarves I started snowboarding seriously in 2019 and was immediately drawn to carving, but didn't try to improve to the level you're describing until this season. Your video and the Justaride channel will be invaluable for learning.

[@technick007ify]

One tip I would ad is have a friend film your riding. Sometimes you think you are doing it right but when you see yourself on video, you can spot the problems and work on correcting them the next time you go out.

[@cherrycarves]

Very true!

[@OuiTees]

Very true.. I had my buddy film me a couple of weeks ago and I was entirely embarrassed 😅 I looked like a Frankenstein goober! I still look like a goober but, I loosened up and my riding is ten times better lol

[@boxoffluffys]

Mark richard’s 4 times world champion of surfing nickname was the seagull . Carving is from surfing not skating .wave your arms .break at the hip .lean to touch the snow . Do what ever you want .its not style if everyone goes it the same way . Be your self . Don’t let the rule masters rule everything you do .think for your self .no one cares what you look like . 👍

[@technick007ify]

@@boxoffluffys Yes and no... If you are already an expert carver and can easily link pencil line carves on narrow black runs, style it up like you want. If not and want to be able to do it, get in shape, get a proper setup and try to imitate the technique and style of someone who can, had your style later.

[@cherrycarves]

@@technick007ify Well said...

[@kiklop986]

James, your level of knowledge is unparalleled, but your ability to teach it to others is out of this world! I just wanted to drop a huge thanks for your efforts in making this video! I've watched thousands of carving videos, but yours is on another level. This is pure gold. Never seen anything like it before. You absolutely nailed it! P.S. Please add "thank you" button on this video... I guess that many would like to thank you for your efforts and valuable information!

[@cherrycarves]

Thanks for your encouragement. 700 more watch hours before I can start to monetize on KZbin. Money is not the point though, I have bigger goals. Stay tuned!

[@franciswbip]

This is by far the best carving video I have ever come across!! Thank you :)

[@user-ok8rh9vt7y]

This is definitely the best snowboard craving tutorial video on KZbin. From now on, I will check your channel everyday during the snowboard season and hope to see more video from you. Thank for sharing your knowledge. Really appreciate your effort.

[@cherrycarves]

Wicked. Part II coming soon!

[@hugotwenties]

Straight stuff, no BS, complete and clear. Thank you for your time

[@cherrycarves]

No sweat

[@Mountaineer506]

This is absolutely amazing. I cannot wait for the rest of this series. Thank you SO much. I’m sharing this everywhere.

[@cherrycarves]

Sweet!

[@hayhead92]

Thanks for the amazing carving tutorial video James, very well done!!

[@cherrycarves]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@maxuphill]

Outstanding contribution to the community. My respect!

[@cherrycarves]

👍

[@abetownneufeld6057]

Oh baby… can’t wait to take this to my local groomers. Thank you for sharing ❤

[@cherrycarves]

Good luck! Keep those shoulders level!

[@user-ws4vs5xt5f]

Thank you so much for your detailed explanation. All the best

[@cherrycarves]

No sweat. Be safe out there.

[@GaddMX44]

I will definitely be watching this on repeat alot to unpack. I just picked up a dedicated carving board. supper excited to try some of this. Thanks for putting this video out.

[@cherrycarves]

Nice! What's the new board? Is it custom? Specs?

[@colinbarbeau8678]

James, thank you so much for this. I found your channel after watching a video of you with Ryan Knapton and was blown away. Thanks a lot for putting this together, I am very grateful. I truly appreciate the knowledge, time and effort that went into this. All the best.

[@cherrycarves]

Yeah... I started this project over a year ago...

[@longebane]

I started my carve journey with Ryan knaptons videos many years ago, initially being impressed with them as well (I mean, I’m still impressed). Unfortunately, although his riding is great, he’s not a very good teacher and it’s apparent he doesn’t even fully understand the motions he goes through. ie he has recommended sitting in a chair posture for heelside carves, but the reality is that type of squat he shows in the example puts you out of balance (not actually stacked over the edge), whereas his actual riding is starkly different. In THIS video, we actually get to see the mechanics from someone who understands how to accurately express what they are doing, which is a feat on its own

[@PaulJurczak]

@@longebane True, Ryan is not very analytical, but still I've got a lot of good advice from him.

[@cherrycarves]

@@longebane Glad to help!

[@havenoutdoors584]

Great video James! Wish I could like it twice!

[@noahbyrne2402]

I feel like I need to watch this 3-4 more times to absorb it all Great explanation man…. I am going to try to incorporate as much as I can High level stuff Thank You 🤙🏻🤙🏻

[@cherrycarves]

Just let it play on repeat all night, drive the views up...

[@noahbyrne2402]

@@cherrycarvesreminds me of going to a Jiu Jitsu seminar and listening to a 20 year Black Belt describe all details of his specialty move It’s not theoretical. All of this has been pressure tested in real world environments. I’m fired up to ride tomorrow and see what I can work into my carves

[@christiannelson4007]

Agreed. So good but alot to unpack in one go.

[@cherrycarves]

@@noahbyrne2402 How did it go yesterday?

[@noahbyrne2402]

@@cherrycarves moved my angles up a little, tried to focus on my keeping my shoulders level and keeping the hands out front. Caught a bunch of small mistakes I was making.

[@simegeorge]

Awesome stuff. So refreshing to have yourself and Lars @Justaride-Snowboard-Channel re-open my eyes after 30 years snowboarding to the ways I was originally taught but seemingly "lost" over the last 20+ years of duck footed freestyle - can't wait for part 2 so please keep up the great work :)

[@cherrycarves]

Beautiful. What was old is new again!

[@aridereee]

Best softboot carving video out there! Thanks for this!

[@cherrycarves]

Thanks! It's my magnum opus

[@metalwheelz]

You said "pencil lines". That's exactly how I always described it. It's the only way I could figure out how to explain it to people who thought they were carving - but weren't.

[@cherrycarves]

Right? I call that slarving; part carve, part slide.

[@sugarplumflyjelly]

I describe it as, "when the entire edge passes through the same point in the snow."

[@user-lw1ke4zk6u]

James, I wanted to let you know that this is my first comment on KZbin. I can't adequately convey how grateful I am for this video. I've watched countless videos and tutorials, and none have come any close to the way you explained everything. Thank you so much! I appreciate your wilingnees to share the knowledge that was aquired by you through so many years! Not many people willing to do something like this :). Million times THANK YOU FOR THIS LEGENDARY VIDEO! P.S. I envy folks you`re training ;)

[@cherrycarves]

You're welcome Connie. Love comments like these... Thanks!

[@kitjunya]

Thank you! Holding a tray tip was golden!!

[@cherrycarves]

You're welcome. I didn't invent that drill, just sharing knowledge.

[@Capykiller]

Very nice video, I really appreciate that somebody cares about carving so much to make a video about this topic. Regarding the pencil carve as an ultimate goal I must say that it’s a matter of taste. Especially in very steep terrain Eurocarves are the thing to master the slope. The less steep the slope gets I am keeping my hands out of the snow. One thing I am always doing is avoiding counterrotation. Turning your shoulders and hips the direction where you are going gives you unique stability in the turn. One also has to differentiate between hard- and softboot carving. Riding softboots you’ll never get as much pressure on the heelside edge as with hardboots.

[@optimlab8654]

Спасибо! Очень полезно и круто! 👍👍👍

[@cherrycarves]

Enjoy!

[@ronaldwestra8735]

I snowboard for 35 years already. Learned it old school and still boarding old school. Now with soft boots back to 30 front and 27 back. Took me a long time to understand carving well. This is the best video ever I have seen with such a terrific explanation. Thanks. I immediately subscribed to your channel. Looking forward to more great content. I am now 61 of age and still love snowboarding.

[@cherrycarves]

Thank you. Took me a long time too, most of us had to figure this out on our own, the lucky ones maybe had a friend in hard boots and the Bomber forum. That's why I wanted to put all this in one place for the next generation.

[@sercanfirat5778]

Thank you very much for the effort you put in and sharing all the knowledge, its much appreciated and looking forward to more! Happy and safe riding, cheers!

[@cherrycarves]

Cheers!

[@lauhanwai]

Many thanks for taking the time out to make this video! I’ve been trying experimenting with a more positive stance and how to manage my weighting the board this year, and this is the most comprehensive tutorial I’ve seen! It’s definitely where I want to go with my riding, had been a diehard duck stance rider wondering about how to avoid juddering out of faster turns.

[@cherrycarves]

Yup. Set up your stance correctly, assume the position and be patient while you wait for the board to come around and slow you down. Easy.

[@selosabe]

Such a wealth of knowledge here! Thank you. James has been coaching me in Revelstoke for the past two seasons so my carving has greatly improved. Transitioning to steep/er terrain has been a humbling experience and go-back to the basics in many instances. I didn’t think it was possible to carve a steep black run on soft boots until I saw James doing it.

[@cherrycarves]

Where were you this morning? Are you riding tomorrow? Should be faster than today was.

[@janisvegis6490]

This is pure gold!!! I can't express enough how much I appreciate you sharing all this knowledge! Really nice explanations and great drills. I've been riding for 20 years now and for the first 5 years I didn't even know that carving is a thing, but I always aimed for "pencil lines" because it just felt right ❤ Could you maybe make a video on the carving gear as well? I come from a small country where my only chance to try out a board is to buy one, so I rely a lot on the information and reviews I can find online. What makes a good carving board? How does different board characteristics impact how the board turns? Any pro tips on selecting the right gear for you? Cheers and happy turns!

[@cherrycarves]

Don't wait for the video, just buy a Coiler Contra. You won't be disappointed. Order now to take delivery for next season.

[@janisvegis6490]

But, but, but how long board I should get for carving? How to choose the sidecut radius? What about bindings? Should I get risers? There are too many questions :/@@cherrycarves

[@cherrycarves]

@@janisvegis6490 Risers are only necessary if your board is too narrow. Talk with Bruce at Coiler Snowboards, he'll steer you right. Tell him I sent you please.

[@victor39]

great video, huge thanks for all the work you put into it! Finally someone who actually teaches snowboarding at it's finest. Can't wait to get back on the slopes to try everything you suggest!

[@cherrycarves]

Nice, thanks.

[@noahmills2884]

Great tips! Going carving today. You've given me some stuff to work on. Thanks.

[@cherrycarves]

Good luck, have fun! I'm already done for the day, it was soft and crowded. Tomorrow should be much better!

[@JohnnyEase]

Nice! I must admit, I just bought an all mountain board (capita mega merc) and am still rocking duck stance. But I am trying to improve my carving skills and have made some progress. I am not quite ready to switch to posi posi (again, started with hard boots back in the day). There are some great tips in there that I can adopt nevertheless. Kind regards from Switzerland

[@cherrycarves]

It's not such a big commitment, I'll change stances in the middle of the day with a pocket tool sometimes. Try posi-posi for a few runs?

[@deschampsjacques6400]

One of my boards is a Capita Mega Mercury 160W 2024. I'm 6' tall/ 200lbs/ expert level. My setup is +15/+6 degrees with a 21'' stance. Note: Capita's reference stance is 23.4'', way too wide for carving. I could probably go +18/+6; but past this, jump turns I often use in steeper terrrains become more difficult. If you want to start using your hips more to carve deeper, I suggest your try these values which are not too radical, while being good in multiples terrains and conditions.

[@cherrycarves]

@@deschampsjacques6400 Yeah, there's a tradeoff between easy jump turns and smooth heelside carves. Get two boards or carry a screwdriver...

[@lukejuras8024]

6:41 Goodbye dreams of duck-foot soft-boot carving! Hello 12/27.

[@cherrycarves]

Yes!

[@user-fk3sm5fs9g]

This is one of the greatest carving tutorials out there!!! Looking forward for part 2...

[@cherrycarves]

Only "one of" the greatest??? Just kidding. But for real, did you make a KZbin account just so you could comment on my video? I see you just joined an hour ago... Now that's a big compliment!

[@jasontalanian8755]

Wow. Great training vid, especially for aspiring to tackle the steeps. Nice mix of vid examples throughout . Thank you. Trying these techniques asap.

[@cherrycarves]

You might need some new bindings!

[@ex_anykey2-hc5zb]

Good, but not secretly. From Russia with love 😉

[@cherrycarves]

Maybe not a secret in Russia... I've seen lots of good extremecarving instructional videos in Russian, but someone had to make one in English too!

[@nadiradzemihail]

Let’s ride together in Russia

[@cherrycarves]

@@nadiradzemihail Maybe. How's the snow over there? All of North America is melting out this week. I rode with Andrey @bfreeap a couple of weeks ago, very impressive rider.

[@rashkobatov7736]

Absolutely perfect! Thank you so much for that video! I watched it yesterday and tried to apply myself today using what you explained - the results were immediate! Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[@cherrycarves]

Fantastic! Delighted to hear that!

[@achechino]

This video is so technical and well explained...thanks!

[@cherrycarves]

My pleasure!

[@davidrisi7902]

James this is one of the best contributions to carving I've seen so far. Thank's a lot for sharing! I'll try to incorporate this knowledge in my riding.

[@cherrycarves]

Right on. Let me know how it goes

[@andrewsher1]

Hands down the best Carving Explanation anywhere ever!!!!!

[@cherrycarves]

Thanks!

[@JayDutton]

Awesome vid, thanks for sharing man! That was legit with great tips, I can't wait to get out and try them.

[@cherrycarves]

NIce!

[@nige]

Such valuable insights! Thanks for this! 🍻

[@cherrycarves]

My pleasure

[@MrAwyork]

Thanks. I learned a lot watching this video. Some things I have been doing right and will focus on. Some things I've haven't been doing right and will focus on. Can't wait for part 2.

[@cherrycarves]

Working on it. The snow is so good right now all my energy is being put into turns this week. Next time there's a storm I'll publish something...

[@Melhuse]

Thanks for keeping the art of carving alive 🎉 well done 🤙🏻

[@cherrycarves]

Trying to make some contribution to the world, or at least the snowboard carving world...

[@WeTradeEA]

Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@cherrycarves]

My pleasure!

[@AMinuteorLessN8]

I’ve been looking for a good and thorough carving guide for a few years and I’ve finally found it here!

[@cherrycarves]

Sweet!

[@idiom555]

I appreciate videos like this so much. It is akin to attending a physics lecture without the boredom accompanying one. Many other videos I have seen have been the shortest, most basic explanations and made me believe I was above average in carving. I have always wanted to hit that carve that circles back up the piste, and now I have a lot to work on and try out to hopefully get there :)

[@cherrycarves]

"How to Carve a 360" is coming soon!

[@aubreylieberman]

I watched the fantastic session with the black cat. Next day I put it into practice. Astounding! Thank you so much James.

[@cherrycarves]

It worked for you? Glad to hear it!

[@Ras77Pmo]

The world needed that video… can’t wait for more man 👍🏼👍🏼

[@cherrycarves]

Ya, I noticed that too... More coming soon. Got some very important turns to make first though!

[@Ras77Pmo]

@@cherrycarves The Justride Snowboard Channel made a video about +/+ stance a month ago, that video + yours and I got everything I need to practice low carving this season.. enjoy your turns ! Do you do private lesson at your hill this winter ? See ya !

[@TigerLM]

Really awesome video. Exactly what I needed. Thanks!

[@cherrycarves]

My pleasure!

[@psargaco]

Bloody good video. Well done!

[@varipatisjeff2513]

Thanks James for sharing your knowledge ! Will practire on your different steps as soon as I can. Cheers from France

[@cherrycarves]

Right on! Good luck and have fun, keep those shoulders level!

[@manuelmirabarrigon339]

Excelente!!! Thanks so much for ur time and it is the best explanation of what carving should be. ❤

[@cherrycarves]

My pleasure

[@scubaseppy]

This is so interesting, thanks for taking the time putting this all together.

[@cherrycarves]

Ya Bro, that's what I do!

[@seongjunchoi8681]

I usually not post any comments but you have the best carving skill I ever seen and your tutorial video is the best to learn carving!!! Thank you for your thoughtful videos and please continue teach us!!

[@cherrycarves]

Thank you very much. More is coming soon but the mountain is back in condition now and I have some very important turns to make this week...

[@jasons4745]

Awsome detail and thank you for sharing

[@cherrycarves]

My pleasure

[@yomly]

What a video - the algorithm DOES work. Appreciate all the work and passion you've put into this video!

[@cherrycarves]

The algorithm does work. Sometimes.

[@devonlaprath873]

Been waiting for something like this! thank you much.

[@cherrycarves]

Enjoy!

[@DerekRobertsonSomerville]

Aw man, thank you for this! Nobody explains this in any of the tutorials I’ve seen! I’ll be giving it a go tomorrow 🎉

[@cherrycarves]

Right on!

[@marcbuttigieg8355]

Thank you! Currently in japan on my first ever snowboarding trip and I am hooked

[@cherrycarves]

Have fun out there!

[@TouZeBa]

This is gold. Very interesting everything makes sense. Nice one doc !

[@cherrycarves]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@dani.lefebvre]

Great video! Quite clear and concise. There's opinions and information all over KZbin, but this video was actually helpful.

[@cherrycarves]

Nice. Thanks for saying that

[@fotobread]

Thanks for your hard work!

[@cherrycarves]

My pleasure!

[@jerryb63]

Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to provide such a useful arsenal of well explained fundamental points and practices to help the likes of me returning back to a forward stance that I was all I knew back then in the early 90s,trying to recapture some of the addictive feeling I had then when, much through trial and error and from watching a carving VHS, I occasionally managed to ‘properly’ carve once in a while. It all makes sense now seeing it so well explained. It’s great to see somewhat of a resurgence of this style with yourself and Lars from @Justaride sharing your knowledge. Thanks again!!!

[@cherrycarves]

So happy to get comments like these! Carving is so addictive I know... The new Titanal boards do most of the work for you too, those 90's race boards were so unforgiving and dangerous.

[@AA_OnTheEdge]

Amazing lecture!!! The only one available on internet.

[@cherrycarves]

👍

[@brianp9268]

I was really worried this was going to be something else when it started, this video is great. Thanks for taking the time to share this knowledge with everyone.

[@cherrycarves]

Oh that's interesting... What did you expect?

[@brianp9268]

@@cherrycarvesMore of an old school ski instructor style lecture of ‘this is the one correct way to ride’ and ‘your x should be exactly at y degrees…’. This was more like a great college level lecture on carving from someone who deeply understands what they are teaching.

[@cherrycarves]

@@brianp9268 Thanks! I like to do things in my own way. You can tell that from the asymmetrical moustache for example...

[@sviadek]

Thx ! I was looking for this kind of information for some time now and You explaind every thing 100% Great film 💯

[@cherrycarves]

Yup, that's what I do (this week)...

[@rayhslim]

I have finally found my master in search of the perfect pencil lines. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with everyone!

[@cherrycarves]

Happy to help!

[@simpleffective186]

Just the first minute of this video made me reconsider everything i know about snowboarding - you were on point with every word and your carving prooves it. The next day i switched my 12:-12 to 18:-6 and had some of your technique elements in mind. It immediately felt like i found the words and key points to describe a good carve (Although i don't carve nearly as good on a green run as you do on black) . Thank you for this!

[@cherrycarves]

Glad to help! Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@MarkusAndrezak]

Awesome. This video was missing and had to be created. And the right person did it.

[@cherrycarves]

Thanks man!

[@ANETOKILLE]

Thanks for sharing, this is very valuable!

[@cherrycarves]

Indeed it is! I tried to capitalize on the curriculum but had no luck so I just released most of it open source style. Enjoy!

[@MyOsist]

Wow this is a wealth of knowledge. Thanks so much.

[@cherrycarves]

My pleasure! Enjoy!

[@Tao_Miao]

Dude you are a freaking awesome teacher! You solved lots of, basically all the core problems I have trying to learn from other videos! Tipped $5 my man! You the man!

[@cherrycarves]

Thank you very much! Comments like these keep me motivated to keep producing content, which, as I understand it, is one of your goals...

[@mmg781]

Beautiful description of the carve! I’ve intuitively arrived at the same motion over 20 years of riding, right down to the binding angles. I look forward to applying some of the intention you’ve laid out here to improve my carve. Thank you!!! Old school carving is the way!

[@cherrycarves]

Some of us never changed our stance or style...

[@flikkierides1321]

Hello James!! Long time rider, new channel viewer. Thanks for the time and effort that you put into this. I used to ride plates and ski boots way back, then soft set up since my kids started to ride. The past two years I have been working back up to the carve and and am very stoked to have stumbled onto your video. Great content and instruction.

[@cherrycarves]

Nice! I set up my daughter posi-posi and she works on the drills all the time. It's working. Some stranger stopped to watch her ride the other day and called her "the carving master". She's eight...

[@flikkierides1321]

@@cherrycarves That's awesome. 👍

[@dominikmarkoc2664]

Very good explanation. Thank you!

[@cherrycarves]

My pleasure...

[@slav_96]

The best conceptual explanation of carving I've ever seen

[@cherrycarves]

Thank you!

[@jahawu]

Damn....This is SUCH a good video mate. Thank you so much!

[@cherrycarves]

Enjoy!

[@ArianvanPutten]

This is the best video I've seen in a while. It's so good!

[@cherrycarves]

Wow, thank you

[@ArianvanPutten]

@@cherrycarves I'll explain why. I've been picking up carving the past seasons. Got myself a nice hard boot board. But the community in Europe is all very heavily German speaking and I've found a hard time finding English speaking content and Communities. There are some carving events in Switzerland this year but they're too expensive for me to attend. So I've kind of been self taught. Your video unfortunately came 1 day after my return from the mountains but it was exactly what I needed. Someone explaining me in plain English the ideas, tips and tricks that got me stuck. Actually so motivated now that I'm planning to head back to the snow again before the end of the season

[@johnsteiner4165]

Epic bro. Thanks for sharing. Winter waves are waiting

[@cherrycarves]

Go get 'em!

[@claudiovw]

Someone who truly understands the body mechanics involved/required for a perfect carve. Thank you for putting this tutorial together! I will definitely pay attention to what I’m doing when I’m back out this weekend and see if I can sharpen up my heelside turn.

[@cherrycarves]

Keep your shoulders level!

[@peterkendall1687]

James, great video. Can I ask two questions. 1) I understand that on a heelside turn both knees are driving forward, but what should happen on a toeside turn? Should both knees drive backward, or should the front knee drive backward and the back knee forward so they almost meet? 2) you don’t mention pulling your toes up on a heelside turn. Is that because you think you don’t need to, or would you also advocate doing that along with everything else? Thanks Peter, an admirer from London.

[@cherrycarves]

@peterkendall1687 I think about dropping my knees towards the snow on toeside, but yes, it is a little to the rear. I don't think about lifting my toes but that's a good cue to get riders to angulate the board higher on heelside. I sometimes like to think about relaxing my toes on heelside turns and engaging them on toeside.

[@peterkendall1687]

Understood and thanks for getting back to me.

[@user-yu2zg9fg9o]

Holy shit this is the video the people need! Love the gimmick/flare flat callout approach. Thank you sir!

[@carlosvidal1843]

Great video and thanks for sharing it. I will be working on carving this season

[@cherrycarves]

Do it!

[@onexsculler]

Best vid on pure carving on soft boats OR hard boots I’ve seen!

[@cherrycarves]

1xsculler? You're just watching this now??? The season is almost over at Crystal!

[@jkjlgoui]

Thanks for this amazing video!

[@cherrycarves]

My pleasure!

[@sugarplumflyjelly]

Great video, so refreshing. Way back in 1993, when coaching alpine, I had aspiring carvers/racers carry and keep forward and level a bamboo pole. In retrospect, it was a bit draconian (failure was punishing), but it worked. The knee-touch is an excellent idea.

[@cherrycarves]

Yeah, I didn't invent the tray drill, it was taught to me by a hardboot instructor circa 1993. The string was my wife's idea, I was gonna "borrow" a tray from the cafeteria for the demo... I did invent the hand-to-knee drill though; this one is great for tuning up aspiring carvers.

[@davidgrondin3767]

Wow lot's of content. Have to check it a couple of times between ride days and add new thnigs. Thanks a lot. Watched it, took notes, changed my stance, ready for tomorow !!

[@cherrycarves]

Sweet! Let me know how it goes?

[@davidgrondin3767]

Very different in the beginning but on the last run it was so fun and rewarding. First time posi/posi since 1992, but not as strange as I was thinking. I sure have lot's of improvements to do but I'm already better than the kind'of carving I was trying to do before. Cheers! @@cherrycarves

[@cherrycarves]

@@davidgrondin3767 Wow! So psyched to hear that! I've been pushing posi-posi on softboot carvers for decades but somehow it's only this week that people are finally listening...

[@SoftwareEngineerDoes]

Great tips, I'm gonna try them! Thx!!

[@cherrycarves]

Do it! Lots of people are finding success with these tips this week.

[@AlvinFan1976]

This is exactly what i was looking for. Everything I felt was wrong about my early lessons coming to this. Thank you sir.

[@cherrycarves]

My pleasure! Love these comments! So happy to help!

[@russbritt4100]

One of snowboards best of the best ..... go get em James

[@cherrycarves]

Thanks Russ. Rumour is we might not make it to Montucky after all.

[@joeschmitz8916]

Best carving instructional video on KZbin! No one out there is giving this kind of detailed information. Thank you James and see ya soon!

[@cherrycarves]

Thanks Joe! See you soon!

[@cherrycarves]

Oh yeah, been meaning to ask you: are you goofy or regular?

[@joeschmitz8916]

goofy@@cherrycarves

[@cherrycarves]

@@joeschmitz8916 So perfect! We can swap boards then and you can also try my custom lifted and canted bindings. I'm curious to get your feedback on those, no one else does this as far as I know but I like the feel.

[@joeschmitz8916]

awesome! thank you@@cherrycarves

[@opelfrost]

this used to be the type of video i enjoyed on KZbin no fancy editing, just pure liquid gold in terms of information

[@cherrycarves]

You didn't think my editing was fancy? Well, good thing I'm better at snowboarding than editing...

[@opelfrost]

@@cherrycarves well to be fair, there's no post editing 😂. you done a lot of thinking about the content you want to present before the recording

[@cherrycarves]

@@opelfrost Yup. But we added clips of other riders and text... I'm proud of it. It was my first real attempt. And my last. My newer videos have way less editing...

[@raindancegraphics6077]

Killer tutorial, James! Well done, Professor 👊

[@cherrycarves]

👊

[@violakarl6900]

been riding for 21 years, but sadly never got into carving.. I'm very excited to start my journey to the pencil line! Seeing you ride in those clips is just satisfying to watch and a huge motivation! I had good teachers for bein a kid learning back then, but I gotta step it up. Thank for this knowledge!

[@cherrycarves]

Awesome! Thanks for the comment!

[@OnBoardwithBrad]

I love this video! Thank you for this!!

[@cherrycarves]

Cool man. I wanna see some carving in your next vid!

[@OnBoardwithBrad]

You got it! Next vid's for you!! (Posi Posi)!!!@@cherrycarves

[@cherrycarves]

@@OnBoardwithBrad 👍

[@charlieking1357]

Thank you for video and knowledge!! I learned from one of the original carvers (Enos) but he is retired now and in Florida for the winters!! I need someone with his knowledge, and I found him!! Thank you!!

[@cherrycarves]

My pleasure

[@guangyinjima370]

James! I love your explanation of transition at 14:30 into the video! Both board and center of mass must follow Newton's law of momentum, so they tend to travel along their old trajectory respectively. You putted in such a crystal clear way to show us how to leverage the G force!

[@cherrycarves]

Easy to describe but very hard to master...

[@juanluisesteban7394]

Awesome breakdown of technique

[@cherrycarves]

👍

[@natec7398]

Nothing like old school carving with soul 🤙🏼

[@cherrycarves]

word...