Skidder or Carver?

[Greg]

I have a neighbor who I guess would be called a wiggler. He's very strong on the mountain too-one of the better skiers you'll see. He claims he can't really feel the difference on his new skis vs his old straight skis. In other words, he never really carves.

Interesting post. So....are you a skidder or a carver?

Skidder here. And proud of it!

 

[severine]

Definitely a skidder. My first season this bothered me a lot, but now I just don't care. I have a bad ankle and foot (same side, luckily) and I have a hard time getting up on edge on that side. I'll never be a skilled carver no matter how hard I try, so instead I'm focusing on just having fun.

 

[MRGisevil]

Definitely a skidder. My first season this bothered me a lot, but now I just don't care. I have a bad ankle and foot (same side, luckily) and I have a hard time getting up on edge on that side. I'll never be a skilled carver no matter how hard I try, so instead I'm focusing on just having fun.

I like that mentality, Sevie. I'm a skidder, if I do carve I'm sure I don't know I'm doing it, lol...

 

[andyzee]

Skidder, got the skid marks to prove it :lol:, working on carving, get lucky every once in awhile.

 

[BeanoNYC]

Don't know. Never seen myself ski. I just go in the direction I want to go in. It's probably not pretty, either way.

 

[wa-loaf]

I do both. I don't know why everyone seems to think it's an either or situation. You can't make GS turns on a groomer without carving. You can't exactly carve through the bumps. Crud you can go either way.

 

[trtaylor]

I'd like to be a carver. But, we'll see if the Hunter 12/14 video tells a different story!

 

[trtaylor]

Interesting post. So....are you a skidder or a carver?

Skidder here. And proud of it!

Hey, Patrick says that isn't WC style! :razz:

 

[sledhaulingmedic]

For the most part, on groomed, I carve. In crud, trees, bumps, it's whatever works, which often is skidding. It's about what works for the conditions.

 

[TwinTips21]

On smooth intermediate slopes I like to carve but on a powder surface or a really steep or shallow pitch I like the skid. It's fun to go down the mountain doing both. Once I get speed up on groomed terrain I'll start to bring back the carve from my racing days.

 

[Warp Daddy]

I slice the groomed pretty well,.

But in crud or cut pow i just let em go and don't focus on anything other than good balance

 

[skibum9995]

I carve almost exclusively. I like to let the skis run and use different amounts of angulation to change the turn shape.

 

[ckofer]

Interesting post. So....are you a skidder or a carver?

Skidder here. And proud of it!

Depends on the conditions. Since I'm working on my bump technique, I've been using less carving technique. Sometimes, however, riding a carve feels so good. The snow has to be be right for this to happen.

 

[riverc0il]

Varies depending upon terrain and conditions and sometimes personal disposition. Generally carve the groomers so I can get to the good stuff or the lift ASAP. I tend to wash turns with my tails more when I am on packed powder in the woods. When skiing powder, neither carve nor skid but rather float. All depends on conditions, terrain, and conditions. Why limit yourself?

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Interesting post. So....are you a skidder or a carver?

Skidder here. And proud of it!

I mostly carve...I carve on groomed, packed powder, crud/spring snow. In Powder I don't skid or carve, just the little weight shift to initiate turns. In the bumps..I skid if they're really icy and carve if it's chalky or more carvable snow..it just depends. Today when I was skiing, I was looking at my skis to see how wide my stance is based on yesterdays discussion about ski form and I have a fairly wide stance..bad for bumps, good for the groomed...Holla

 

[Skier75]

Skidder, got the skid marks to prove it :lol:, working on carving, get lucky every once in awhile.

Yep, that's how I feel too...... I'd like to be more of a carver, gotta keep working on it.

 

[severine]

I like that mentality, Sevie. I'm a skidder, if I do carve I'm sure I don't know I'm doing it, lol...

Gotta have fun. It's not worth it if you're not. I worried a lot during that first season about doing things the "right" way and not picking up bad habits. I've since decided that as long as I have the basics right, what does the rest matter? I'm not going to be a pro, I have no one to impress, so I might as well just have fun. Getting too caught up in the technical stuff was a killjoy for me.

 

[shwilly]

Judging from this weekend, I'm a "point downhill, aim toward the untracked spot, don't hit a rock or tree and jump when you come to a gully" boarder.

At the moment my edges aren't sharp enough to carve hardpack, so my few runs on groomers were a combination of pointing straight down, flailing, and skidding.

I can hold an edge, of course, but I rarely make big, symmetric
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turns if that's what you mean by carving.

 

[Mildcat]

I spend most of my time on groomed trails so I mostly carve.

 

[Zand]

I can carve on low-angled groomed pitches with not-so-good snow. If there's real good packed powder or fresh groomed corduroy, I can carve about anything groomed.