BODY POSITION ON THE BOARD
A good Body position on the board is essential for effective and efficient riding. Through out this blog we will lay out the ingredients to stand properly on your board.
- Stance
This starts with the board set up. Our bindings should be a comfortable distance apart. An arms length, so scrunched up fist to elbow along the heel edge of the board between the back binding. Don't go too wide as this can add stress to the body and may result in injury.
Set the bindings up so you’ve got a positive angle on the front foot and a negative on the back. +15 and -15 is a good start. The importance of riding duck is that it allows our body to move freely. When moving the body up and down the hips, knees and ankles will move freely and in unison. Duck stance will also help make switch riding easier. It is always fun to play around with different angles to find something that really works.
- Body Position
LOWER BODY
From the board upwards we start with having the ankles, knees and hips soft and flexed. Stand slightly on the outside of the feet where these can rest and push against the bindings. The knees should be flexed out over the feet and the hips stacked over the knees. A house like shape or triangle shape should be created beneath the waist line. Keep the hips in the middle of the board.
UPPER BODY
Above the waist line it’s essential to engage the core. Stomach, abdominal muscles and lower back must remain strong. The shoulders should be aligned and the arms relaxed. Your arms are your balancing tool, if you get knocked off balance from anything on the mountain the arms will help rebalance you, while keeping you riding in a strong and confident style.
The head position is very important. This should always be in the direction of travel. If you are a regular rider for example this should be always looking over the left shoulder. Too many riders look down the mountain rather than looking through the turn.
The final ingredient is to stay relaxed. If the body becomes tight and tense then the whole of the riding will have that look and feel. Breath, focus and enjoy
Check out our Youtube to edit to get a full video experience.Body position on the board LINK
Verbier Spot Check: Savoleyres.
Verbier Spot Check: Savoleyres
Situated on the opposite side of the valley to the Verbier mountain, Savoleyres has some awesome terrain. Not offering the same steepness as the Verbier mountain but packs a solid punch with user friendly off-piste. A good option on bad weather days. Savoleyres has an abundance of trees and features which really help to maintain the ability to see when the weather is bad.
Check your forecast here VIVID
The slopes meander down both sides of the Savoleyres mountain. On the north facing side the slopes drop down to La Tzoumaz. On the south facing side there are piste and tracks that lead back to Verbier, you can find off-piste routes down to the gondola station or to Marlenaz which is an awesome Swiss style restaurant. Access from the Verbier side is from the lift station next to Chalet Adrian. If you jump on any bus in resort then this will go past the lift station. The gondola itself is in need of a revamp which is due to happen soon. The lift does however hold a certain charm as you feel like you are taken back in time to shredding in the mid 80's
Savoleyres holds some awesome views. The mountains of Verbier always look incredibly steep and gnarly and the valley floor is a real mix rivers, fields, woods and towns which spread out along the Rhone Valley. The beautiful mountain of Pierre Avoi looms over the area and is an incredible sight.
The Mountain has a few places to eat which range from a converted cow shed to a swanky members only restaurant and everything in between.
When riding back to the Verbier side of the mountain be aware of the avalanche danger from the mountains above. If closed please don't ride the track.
If you are looking to explore all the delights on offer in Savoleyres then why not take a guide VIVID
Camps and Clinics for Winter 2020
Camps and Clinics for Winter 2020.It's been an amazing start to the year here in Verbier, Switzerland. We had some awesome snowfalls through out December which has lead to great snow cover all over the mountain. One of the very best ways to ride the superb terrain around Verbier while improving your riding is on one of our camps or clinics.
We have a great selection of freeride camps and clinics running through out the winter.
Here are the five day camp freeride dates:
20th - 24th January
3rd - 7th February
2nd March - 6th March.
Each Camp will last 5 days and the cost is 790CHF per person
This winter we will also be running performance clinics at weekends. The style of the clinic will vary depending on snow conditions but expect powder turns if its on and park laps if its not snowed for a while.
Our first clinic will be running the weekend 25th - 26th January
Our freestyle camps will be running a little later in the winter
Half term session - 17th - 21st February
Spring session - 6th - 10th April
Each camp will last 5 days and the cost is 790CHF per person.
Check out the full run down of camps on our website page:
Keep your eyes peeled on all our social media channels as we have our new Vivid Snowboarding girls camps and clinics dropping shortly. These will be an awesome addition to our already extensive range.
If you are looking for accommodation options then have a look at our special page Accommodation Options
PERFORMANCE CLINICS - Vivid Snowboarding
PERFORMANCE CLINICS - Vivid Snowboarding clinics are designed for you to get the most out of your time on the hill, these run from first lift to last lift with your instructor. Our 2day format will get stoked and looking at your own performance in a different way.
The aim is to link your the mind, body and board so they working together. This link will take you from being a recreational rider to a more accomplished and confident rider. Giving you the skills to charge everything on the mountain.
We will break down and look at everything from stance width and angel to equipment choice and injected the correct inputs on every aspect of your riding where it is needed.
Small group sizes will ensure that private session feel. Personal rider development is our priority. Whether this is an early season weekend refresher or a mid-winter fixer, this will inject new style and rhythm into your riding.
Sessions will vary depending on the conditions of the day. We will always match the style of riding to what the mountain offers. If it’s a blower powder day then freeriding it is and if its sunny and groomed in the snowpark then park laps are on.
Come join us for the very first performance clinic on the opening weekend 30th November – 1st December 2019. The weekend should be awesome with plenty going on up on the mountain. Check out our Website for more details Performance clinics
Performance clinics - Vivid Snowboarding clinics will run through out the winter so please get in contact for a chat and to learn more.
Keep an eye on weather conditions in Verbier WEATHER FORECAST
POSTURE - Our body position is the most important ingredient.
STANCE
BODY POSITION
VIVID SNOWBOARDING TRICK TIP : FRONTSIDE 180
Vivid Snowboarding trick tip : frontside 180 - Verbier Snowboard School.
One of the most underrated tricks in Snowboarding. A simple trick, done well it can show the true sign of a stylish, accomplished rider.
The basics of the trick are taking off regular and then landing switch. It will be one of the first rotations learnt but will take time, energy and love to perfect.
Once mastered , it’s is great for testing that first rotation of a slightly bigger kicker or trying a spin in the backcountry. The trick can be performed off the toe or heel edge.
THE TIMING
On the run into the kicker you want to keep that central feel on your board. Don’t allow the weight to be too over the front foot or be sitting back over the tail. Think a nice 50% on the front and 50% on the back foot.
Keep the upper body relaxed , aligned , strong core and the eyes focusing on the kicker.
We want to be timing our run in so we have rolled onto the heel edge at point of take off .
Hold the line off the kicker and pop , don’t be too hasty and rotate too early. A frontside 180 is a small rotation so you don’t need to throw the trick too hard on takeoff. Remember to throw the head , shoulders, core at the same time , these movements want to blend together
THE TRICK
Stay relaxed and compact in the air . Push your knees out over your boots to create that all important triangle shape or house with the lower half of the body. Try and make movements that are smooth and stylish.
Grabs can add stability into any trick . The picture below shows the rider grabbing melon which helps with the rotation.
Keep your eye line watching the spot you want to land on. If you open the head up and keep looking around with the rotation then you will over rotate the trick. By locking the eye line on the spot you want to land then you will block the rotation and land on this spot.
Come join us for a freestyle session and master your frontside 180 FREESTYLE SESSION
SUBJEKT HAAKONSEN - Vivid Snowboarding Verbier
SUBJEKT HAAKONSEN - Vivid Snowboarding Verbier
http://www.snowboardermag.com/videos/volcom-presents-subjekt-haakonsen-full-movie/
All time classic snowboard film about Mr Haakonsen , one of the true greats of our sport. The film showcases some the riding of one our true legends. Terje hails from Norway and has been one of the best all round snowboarders out th.
His career started with riding pipe competitions. Terje has almost been untouchable for much of his completion riding. He has one pretty much everything there is to win. He has always strongly been against the Olympics. Terje is a snowboarders snowboarder!
Terje has won all the big snowboarding events from the US open to the Air and style in Innsbruck. You can check out all the action on Subjekt Haakonsen
Check out his Burton snowboards profile here TERJE
If your looking to get into some of the backcountry in Verbier then have a look at all Vivid Snowboarding options VIVID
All our off-piste guides are extremely experienced riders and know the mountain extremely well. Local knowledge is Key!
Keep a look out for everything snowboarding on our blog. We are looking to create a platform that you feel comfortable to read and engage with. The Vivid Snowboarding blog will be something you can trust and gain vital insights into the snowboarding world.
We will cover everything from trick tips, resort reports to equipment guides and conditions all over the world.