DLC Blog

Torsional-flex: How a snowboard turns

If you ask most snowboarders how they turn they’ll probably give you a response like, “I don’t know man, I just do.” Sometimes our bodies know how to do things that our minds have no idea about. The creation of torsional flex in a snowboard while ripping down a mountain is usually one of those things.

Now, what is torsional flex and how does it help a snowboarder turn? Because it is a very difficult concept to articulate in writing, I need you to help me out a little bit. If you’re reading this, I’d like you to go into the kitchen or restroom and grab a wet towel or rag. Go on. I’ll wait.

Now that you’ve got this wet rag or towel in front of you, I’d like you to wring out all of the water. Don’t get too close to your computer though, we don’t want to break anything. Look at the motion that you’re making when you wring out the towel. One hand rotates in one direction, while the other rotates in the opposite direction. Now, sitting in your chair, straighten your legs and hold them shoulder width apart. Imagine that there’s a snowboard strapped to your feet. Do the same motion with your feet that you did with your hands when you wrung out the towel. The toes on one foot should be pointing straight out, while the toes on the other foot should be getting closer to your shin. If there was a snowboard actually strapped to your feet, it would be torsionally flexing right now.

When a snowboarder does this motion (either consciously or unconsciously) and creates torsional flex in his/her snowboard, it causes the board to pivot so that if it wasn’t pointing down the hill, it is now. The only thing left to do is sit back and enjoy the ride.

Here are some links related to snowboarding:
The History of Snowboarding: A 30 Year Timeline
Snowboarding History
Husky Winter Sports (A great place to go if interested in Ski or Snowboard Lessons)

The first image in this blog was taken from www.hammersnowboards.com

Michael Lambert
Student Assistant

Posted by Michael at September 18, 2006 03:22 PM in .