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Edges Explained |
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 Posted by sneakerfreaker on Thursday 16th February, 2012 @ 12:17 GMT |
News Category: GONEboarding | Visited 307 times |
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Understanding why you need to tune your ski or snowboard edges
Most people are under the impression that it's all down to being able to slice through ice. This is true, it definitely helps but not necessarily the most important reason. Another common misconception in edges is that the edges must be tuned to the same setup as factory set. The beauty behind tuning your edges yourself is you can customise them to suit your specific style on how you like to slide. |
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Edge Angle Diagram: Click here
For example: Let's say last season you bought your own equipment for the first time and it was a perfect set up allowing you to learn how to link turns with a little forgiveness in your edges. By the end of your holiday you were just getting into carving. When carving you could do with a little more edge hold, your edge to edge response is getting quicker and your now starting to go faster. Does that mean you could do with getting a brand new setup to help you to progress faster? Possibly but you can change the angle of your edges so they are a little more aggressive and more responsive, saving you from out growing your kit too quickly.
Setting your edges to the right angle is the key to making sure you are not only getting the most out of your equipment but it will also help you to progress faster. This does not mean the sharper they are the better you are.
One last thing you need to understand. Even though the edge is one piece of material, it is actually referred too as two different sections:
Edge angles explained
SIDE EDGE-
This is the part of the edge that runs vertically, 90° to the base.
The job of the side edge is to support your stance in an upright position whilst carving.
For example. A racer will have a more aggressive angle, this is due to how far they lean over whilst carving. Eg 86°.
For freestyle or a beginner you will reduce the angle. As they generally won't be leaning over as much you can get away with a reduced edge angle that will not deteriorate as quickly. This is also better for impact protection. eg 89/90°.
BASE EDGE-
This is the part of the edge that runs horizontal on the same plane as the base.
This part of the edge is all about forgiveness when rolling from one edge to another.
For freestyle or beginners you tune the edge up to 2°. This will lift the edge off the snow and make the edge harder to engage. The reason we do this for beginners is so that there is reduced edge catch, allowing the user to gain confidence and progress with reduced injuries. For freestylers the edge is tuned this way to reduce edge catch on rails/boxes and also to reduce edge catch when landing sketchy from jumps.
For more aggressive or racers we only tune the base edge to 0.5°. This will give quicker edge to edge control, allowing more direct response when carving. This can be left as a 0° angle but it's is always better to tune the base edge just a little to freshen up the sharpness and keep the edges smooth.
So that is edge setup in a nutshell, now you can start thinking about how you like to slide. Be it aggressive or forgiving. In the next feature we will explain how and what tools you need to do the basics.
http://www.jibtuning.co.uk/ |
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