The Secrets of Snowboard Carving Part III: Reflections

If The Secrets Part I was the carving 101 course, this is the 201 level for more advanced, experienced carvers.
Check out carversconnection.com for more detailed information on carving gear and technique, meetups with local carvers, exclusive content, and the best wide softboot freecarving boards on the planet.

[@kiklop986]

James, just wanted to drop a big thanks for creating a legacy for this and all the future generations of snowboard carving aficionados! Your "Secrets" series is pure gold !!!

[@cherrycarves]

Thanks Man!

[@vincentraymond8067]

Don't worry about the form, the style, f... editing! Keep filming and posting your toughs and reflections; we all grow in this together in a way!! :) thanks

[@cherrycarves]

Thanks Vincent. I don't think I'll publish this publicly but it will stay up for a while in its current form, accessible only though carversconnection.com and the snowboardingforum.com. I may do another more organized rant and reuse the video. Some good unpublished stuff in there eh? Probably 30 minutes of never seen before footage.

[@user-bu5jp4yz9c]

James you’re a effin legend - please never take your channel down. Can’t wait for the new board! Alan B

[@cherrycarves]

Nice! You're gonna love it. Expect an email soon.

[@Ras77Pmo]

Hello James, your video was a game changer for me this season. I'm a CASI instructor and been riding duck all my life. After a trip to Japan two years ago I decided that I wanted to do deep carves and add some freestyle moves to it, but I could not find any english material to study that posi posi carve technique. This season, I applied all your tips and I improved so much. The good thing is that it also improved my duck stance carves ! I'm now riding posi/posi every morning on groomers, then switching to duck to freeride or to teach in the afternoon. Hopefully CASI will bring back this technique one day, can't wait to teach it. I'll send you a footage of my progression at the end of the season, I'm sure you'll be proud Thanks again, keep making videos please !!

[@cherrycarves]

Awesome! Tell CASI I'm still waiting for their call. When they're ready to incorporate real carving into their curriculum, I'll be ready to write the new book and train their level fours. And post your video on carversconnection.com, I'll give you some feedback.

[@VISP4RT4NIV]

I normally ride a -6 +6 stance, but I have incorporated things you have taught, and I've been able to carve super deep using those techniques, at least on greens and blues. Just wanted to say thanks for this series

[@cherrycarves]

Right on! That was the idea!

[@ANETOKILLE]

Thanks for sharing, I totally agree, I have been riding for many years and never heard of these techniques, no instructor shared with me when I learned. I am heel carving better just following your tips after a couple of days.

[@cherrycarves]

Of course you are! Tell CASI and the PSIA that I'm ready to write their new carving curriculum. Just waiting for the call...

[@brohammer]

Thanks for your insights James

[@cherrycarves]

How's your progress going Jon?

[@brohammer]

@@cherrycarves Honestly, I have just been taking in a bunch of information about technique and equipment -- I live in San Diego so I don't have a "local" mountain, so dying to go on another boarding trip. Can't wait to get out there and shred with all this new information!

[@cherrycarves]

@@brohammer Get some! Winter is almost over!

[@wezpa]

Thank you so much for sharing your expertise.

[@toddsmith4280]

Thanks for all your insights!

[@cherrycarves]

Thanks Todd!

[@scarlettohara7862]

Was waiting for this one :) Also thank you for the forum

[@lauhanwai]

Thanks for making these videos! Ti in the boards sounds really interesting - have only seen this in skis

[@cherrycarves]

I got my first titanal board in 2008, it made carving so much easier!

[@losonobingo86]

its 2024)))

[@cherrycarves]

@@losonobingo86 Pretty sure...

[@gaetanodaloia9172]

Very inspiring, as usual James. Best wishes for your efforts, you are doing a great work for all of us carvers. Even for us hardboot carvers. Your “hip shift” and “levelled shoulder” insistence improved my technique a lot. Something that i knew years ago, but sort of forget, not having a proper instructor for all this time. If i may ask your opinion on the Swoard snowboard i use, have you ever tested it? Thanks (Guy, Italy, swoard 175 gen 3, intec titanium 52’-57’, upz rc10 virus edition).

[@cherrycarves]

Thanks for your kind words Guy. I haven't tried that board, I understand that Swoard designs are suited to extremecarving or eurocarving, which is not my preferred style. I don't really ride hard boots anymore, maybe once or twice a season only. I sometimes plan to, but then in the morning in the boardroom I end up going with a comfortable favourite...

[@mikeanshit158]

Just called jasey earlier today to order my custom carving board. Jasey is super cool man. I see myself definitely ordering another board from him in the future once my skills improve.

[@cherrycarves]

You won't be disappointed! He makes the best boards.

[@ericperlcarves]

Carve every turn ethos: that's how one progresses on this path. I'm glad I'm not the only one uneasy on first run especially towards the start of the season, despite decades in hardboots. Not caring about why and building muscle memory. I couldn't agree more. In the end, a lot of this movement is not natural which is why I feel like I need to run through my checklist here and there (shoulders level, hand placement, hip rotation and crunch, the latter being the least natural).

[@cherrycarves]

Right? That's how we dooz it!

[@ShannonCoen]

I've been experimenting with these techniques and having a blast. Heelside turns have become so much easier after going posi posi but i'm having to relearn toeside.

[@cherrycarves]

Old habits are hard to break...

[@lauhanwai]

Thanks

[@cherrycarves]

Thank you Joe! Much appreciated!

[@retsz1]

Thanks for the vids, when you say that the technique is the same in crud, are you also referring to bumps? I find myself struggling posi/posi on firm bumps compared to a more closed duck stance.

[@cherrycarves]

No, I don't try to carve moguls. Jump turns are most certainly harder in a posi-posi stance. I meant late day chopped up surface, not a real mogul field that never gets groomed.

[@tankvdv]

Hello! I have registered on the forum! Thank you very much for the opportunity to ask you directly for advice.

[@cherrycarves]

My pleasure!

[@joshthesquash1793]

Legend

[@otto1159]

Can you make a video about good snowboard brands? And what to do, especially how to take weight and height into account. I was very inspired by this series to ride more, but I don't know what to look for when buying a good carving board.

[@cherrycarves]

Yes... I'm about to upload one now actually... It's unlisted, you'll have to go to carvers connection.com to find the link. It's just the footage from yesterday and the day before, I'm gonna work on the voiceover tonight. Bottom line is, the board you want is the board in the video and it's available only at carversconnection.com. Jasey-Jay Anderson agreed to make me 30 boards for delivery in the fall, 18 are sold, 12 remain....

[@otto1159]

Thanks@@cherrycarves

[@harveisterharveister3830]

thanks for your lessons! i'm already achieved speed 32 mph ))))))) try to carve my first year

[@cherrycarves]

Cool. Next season 32mph while carving!

[@acid1747]

Hi james i was watching ur part 1 video on the chairlift and i changed my stance to 12 and 27 and ngl i made some progress today and i can see lines in the snow but its not pencil thin at all poinys yet. will keep working on it thanks. also any thoughts on twin board? capita living outerspace

[@cherrycarves]

Yeah of course, I have opinions on almost everything! You have to make some compromises on directional carving with a twin shape, and massive compromises if you go with twin flex also (true twin tip). So unless you carve switch 50% of the time like @RyanKnapton, I would advise you to get a directional board and make a small compromise on switch carving ability. Likely you're going slower on easier terrain when carving switch anyway.

[@acid1747]

@@cherrycarves Thanks James, I can't ride switch yet and I definitely want to improve carving on one side first. I will pick one up for next season any recommendation for a 170 pound male, 177cm, burton photon wide size shoes? Thanks appreciate it

[@cherrycarves]

@@acid1747 Yeah... Get a JJA from carversconnection.com!

[@Fadesign100]

Nice Outerwear setup on that wall ;)

[@cherrycarves]

Ah! Somebody noticed! skylineouterwear.ca

[@Atrumnoctis]

Thank you for being inspiration this season! I got into carving thanks to your vids 🎉 spent the whole season working on carves and I’m getting there. now I’m trying these 360s. today was thiiiis close to execute it all the way, but … there’s more of the season to achieve it🏂🏂🏂

[@cherrycarves]

Really? 360 carve? Check out the "How to Carve a 360" thread on carversconnection.com, you might find some useful tips!

[@ericperlcarves]

I see couple boards with bindings featuring Intec heel receivers (TDs?). Details ?

[@cherrycarves]

TD3 stepins. Best freecarve binding ever! Available at bomberonline.com

[@ericperlcarves]

@@cherrycarves still on TD2s here... How about the boards?

[@cherrycarves]

@@ericperlcarves Mostly by Coiler, Exegi and Oxess

[@giovannispinotti]

"And I promise you, they're a huge step up from whatever you're trying to carve now". I don't know James, my Rabanser Surf Pro disagrees.

[@cherrycarves]

Okay okay, that's fair; I should have specified soft boot. Still, you and I will have too swap boards for a few laps to know for sure...

[@giovannispinotti]

@@cherrycarves every single snowboarder, every young kid, every soft or hard booter that you or your videos will bring closer to that holy bliss that is the perfect carve, we can't be anything other than totally grateful. Keep spreading the word. The board only matters if it works.

[@kellilovski]

hi，I really like your style，im considering to buy a carving board，is jones freecarver can do the jobs like your style?

[@cherrycarves]

Not even close... Check out the JJAs on carversconnection.com. These are a quite a few steps up from Jones Freecarvers for directional carvers: single purpose and different materials.

[@russbritt4100]

All this is just hardboot carving regurgitated my 2 cents James knows how to carve on hardboots where all this technique really comes from

[@cherrycarves]

Definitely true

[@katebosone9805]

Unbelievable you actually have ski petrol in america.. sounds the opposite of fun

[@cherrycarves]

They're mostly great people and passionate skiers and riders, some of them just like the authority a little too much...

[@lauhanwai]

Thanks

[@cherrycarves]

Double thanks!