Drift turn

Aims of the lesson: change direction across the fall line

Begin, perform and finish the turn

Inveighing and rolling the board from edge to edge

Terrain: gentle slope ending in a prepared area

Org. form: one by one in the same track

Safety: before you start, check the uphill

You can help less talented students by leading their arms from the inside of the turn.

Technique:

You start the motion from slow traverse sliding this way:

Shift the weight to the front foot and at a time inveighing. Turn shoulders and upper body to the fall line. Flatten the board. This causes the board starts to turn onto the fall line. The board follows the upper body motion a bit delayed. You regulate speed and braking by drifting. On the fall line finish the turn by lowing and bending joints. as you cross the fall line, rise gradually. This makes you finish the turn. Rising is caused especially by stretching the back leg. Then you pose into the stance for traverse ride by pointing the shoulder in direction of your intended turn. And roll the board from flat to uphill edge. You finish the turn this way. You are ready to start the next turn.

It is highly important to shift the weight to the front foot, unweight and weight gradually in short and regular intervals. Doing this, you link the turns. You can control the speed by shortening these intervals and accented unweighting and stressed check from the edge. (unweight by shifting the weight to the front foot.)

When linking the turns, you always start shifting the weight and pointing the upper body in direction of the next turn. Point the upper body and hips to the turn while keeping the basic stance.

Turn to the lip – turn across the fall line

Exercises:

Garlands

It means to link turns. Don’t cross the fall line but travers the slope. The board leaves track that looks like garlands.

Side slipping, weight is on the front foot. Shoulders and the upper body turns to intended direction. It makes the board turn toward the fall line (it doesn’t cross it). Lower and put the same amount of weight on both legs. You get to the traverse position by inveighing and stretching legs. Repeat this process to link garlands.

Turn to the lip

It means to make a turn and stop across the fall line. It is the exercises for beginners. You start traversing. Then you turn the board to the fall line until you cross it.

You make the turn to the lip from traverse stance by pointing shoulders and upper body to the hill gradually.

You continue traversing more and more to the fall line until you get to the turn to the lip. After mastering this, you proceed to the turn across the fall line.

It is very important not to be afraid of higher speed when going downhill (parallel with the fall line).

When you practice ride across the fall line and turn to the lip, you can repeat garlands as well.

How to make garlands by stretching legs – put the weight on the front foot. Turn to the fall line and low at the same time. Right before you cross the fall line, stretch your legs. That gets you to traverse ride.

In following lessons use the ride one by one, go in and out between poles, change terrains, pace, intervals and shorten endings of turns.

Faults:

- Overturning – decrease upper body rotation, weight the front foot faster after you cross the fall line.