The Future of Harb Carvers

[SkierSynergy]

I just got this e-mail from a friend of mine in Alabama. I have climbed and skied with him for years. For someone who loves winter sports, living in Alabama has been a challenge for him. We usually do a 4-5 week ice climbing and skiing trip to Canada each year. In addition, he does a couple of short 3-5 day trips to the NW and he comes out in the summer for an extended ski/climbing vacation at Hood. Since I ski several times a week year-round and he lives in the South, he has always felt at a disadvantage for trying to improve in his skiing. About a year ago, he started to use Harb Carvers to keep in shape between trips. I just received this e-mail from him and I thought it was so interesting that I would just post it unedited. I am an advocate for using Carvers and I do sell them, but I hope people don?t take this as an overt attempt to advertise. There is just a lot of stuff in this e-mail that others may find useful and interesting. I think that it's intriguing enough that I'll post it on Epic also, so please excuse the double posting.

Start of e-mail **********************************************

Hi Jay,

I just got home from a carving session---it started out a bit rough---I was tired from working on a grant proposal that's due in a couple weeks and still have lots to do but the weather was perfect--low 60's with crystal clear sky so I put my work aside and headed out. As inevitably occurs when I'm out on the carvers, my energy level surged and the session got better and better as it went on. I went through some of the exercises we've talked about: "running gates" with courses to work different parts of the turn (those soccer cones are really great for focusing attention on problem areas) ---and working on the weighted release with lifted uphill ski.

I also worked on carving on one foot----taking whole runs----one run on my left foot then one on my right foot?although the early runs took a heavy toll on my rubber tip protectors----I eventually got it together enough to free myself from this crutch. I think that doing this exercise helped me understand the idea behind the ?phantom foot?----if I was carving on my right foot----I initiated my turn by tipping to my little toe edge----no big deal other than some balance adjustments----this is just what I?d do anyway-----BUT----to turn back to the left (I?d release) and then instead of trying to tip to my big toe edge------I tipped my lifted left foot to its little toe edge----and lo and behold ---I turned to the left. For me, another benefit of having this phantom foot in the air is that I was able to ?pull it? back-----It also seemed that by tipping to the LTE while the foot was lifted----I was flexing that leg----and it was easy to shift my left hip forward and pull my right hip back (countering---right???)----this seemed to tighten the radius of the turn and help with balance. The phantom idea is interesting---you are doing things with the lifted phantom foot----but it?s like its not really there ---Does any of this make sense????

Anyway, each time I took a free "run" after doing one of these exercises I noticed some improvement---in terms of balance, body position or higher wheel angles. For a couple of hours I kept repeating the sequence---do an exercise set---then some free runs. I then ended up making what for me was an important breakthrough.....repeatedly completing the "Linked Release Test" on slopes of varying gradients-----from gentle to quite steep. Although I had read the description of what Herald calls the ?Undergraduate Course --- Final Performance Check" I never really paid much attention to it or put myself through this test. I suppose I thought that I was beyond this---after all, I could "carve," handle fairly steep lines, and turn where I wanted to turn. I guess I thought I would be better off just focusing on "advanced issues" like countering, leg flexion, and quick edge changes.... What I did not recognize is that these are the same things that the test evaluates.

Taking the test was really an eye-opener. It unambiguously pointed out every area where my technique was not as strong as I thought it was. I think the test is not only a good assessment/reality check but also a very good exercise that helps consolidate everything covered in the first 125 pages of HH's book. The feedback I got from the carvers was direct, precise, unequivocal, and very helpful in getting me focus on what I needed to do in order to successfully complete the test!

[Speaking of feedback----I was wondering if anyone has looked at wheel wear patterns in diagnostic terms? What, for example, would an uneven rear inside wheel wear pattern indicate i.e., more wear on the right than on the left? What would heavier wear of the inside middle wheel indicate? What should wheel wear patterns look like---when carving correctly/when carving with inefficient/incorrect movements? How might wear patterns be used to help assess alignment problems?]

Although today I reached an important personal milestone, every time I am out carving I either see some improvement or learn something that I should work on ----something that makes me look forward to my next session. I also just have a lot of fun----CARVING IS WHERE IT?S AT!!!! I am surprised how compelling carver sessions are----maybe it is because you get continuous specific feedback about your performance-----and then you have an opportunity make corrective changes based on this feedback --- immediately. It's almost like having your own personal coach. Maybe it's the intrinsic movement value------carving just feels good. Maybe it's just because carving is fun. Whatever the reason I find myself out carving several times a week--- sometimes for three or four hours----sometime twice a day! I suspect that carving probably has considerable value as a ?ski improvement tool. But for me, I say so what---carving is something I do for its own sake -----independent of skiing. In fact, for me, carving is probably something I will do-----instead of skiing!!!!

This year, instead of thinking about opening dates and snow reports I find myself on the lookout for new carving locations. In addition to looking for good roads (type and quality of pavement---little traffic), I have sussed out dozens of industrial/office/church parking lots----looking for the right slope and pavement granularity, the presence of lights for night carving, best days and times for use---(Saturdays/Sundays---or after 6:00 PM or before 6:00 AM best for office parks-----and other hours (9-5) during the day----except on Sundays and some Saturdays being best for churches). I am always looking to add to my stash of covered parking decks----these are especially nice if they have elevators and when it is raining or really hot. Carving on concrete seems pretty interesting ---- and different from asphalt in rolling resistance ---and it often has some interesting wavelike features/ripples that keep your attention. Unfortunately concrete wears wheels rapidly so I tend to let the weather dictate my use of parking decks. All in all, Birmingham is really an ideal place for carving. I have all sorts of carving spots to choose from --- of all types and grades. Remember how surprised you were when you saw the hilly it was in this part of Alabama? And you know what? It?s the same in Tennessee, Northern Georgia, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia--- North Carolina, I bet would be spectacular.


With all these carving opportunities available---I have to say, that unlike previous years, I really don't give skiing a great deal of thought. I am perfectly content to carve! I am even starting to think about do think about ?adventure carving?---great opportunities for first descents!! Think about early morning runs down Whitney Portal Road or down from Tioga Pass, or the many roads that run down to the Mediterranean along the Costa Blanca or the south of France, or along Blue Ridge Parkway. Think about the possibilities for carving expeditions to really remote roads----Peru, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan--the possibilities are mind boggling. Now you are probably just shaking your head----thinking that I?ve completely lost it!!! I can remember how amused you were when I started talking about ?classic boulder problems? or about going to France or California----just to boulder. You argued that bouldering was not "real" climbing?maybe something you did to help your climbing?but it was not really climbing. Well--bouldering has come into its own. In fact a whole industry has developed around it---there are boulder comps all over the world--- (one of the circuits hits Horse Pens)--there are guidebooks, videos, specialized gear, and entire magazines devoted to just to bouldering!!! Many people who boulder probably will never touch a rope. Is it climbing? Maybe not. It may share some common elements with ?real climbing? but bouldering now stands on its own.

I view the relationship between skiing and carving as being very similar to the one between alpine climbing and bouldering?.or maybe like the relationship between surfing and skateboarding. I?d bet that as more and more people discover carving they won?t necessarily view it as only something you do to improve your skiing. While I really don?t feel a great need to see how carving has influenced my skiing----at least not any time soon anyway, I?m sure it probably serves this purpose very well. I?m happy enough go carving, just for the sake of going carving. Carving could evolve just as bouldering or skateboarding have. It may attract people who have no interest in skiing----no interest in: shelling out for lift tickets, waiting in lift lines, being on crowded slopes, risking injury from a collision with an out of control snowboarder, or in dealing with bad snow and the cold and wet weather. Clearly, skiing is much more than this for most people who ski. But for those who are winter-phobic, or live far from the mountains, carving could be an appropriate urban activity that provides an exciting opportunity to experience to the joy of carving.

End of e-mail ***************************************

[Mr. T*]

Very Funny Jay. I think I met your friend from Alabama in Kicking Horse in 2003 when we all took the All-Mountain camp there.

It seems to me your friend got two extra things out of using his carvers beside improving his skills:

- got religion since he now skates in parking lots next to churches;
- does not care anymore about skiing on the mountains.

On the first issue I do not comment and leave it to the sensibility of each individual. On the second, it appears a little like overshooting. However, as a speedskater I do know very well that wheels on the road can be quite a sensation. Get the carvers out of his boots and replace them with skis. We need to bring your friend back to the Mountains before it is too late...

[SkierSynergy]

I received this from a person who bought Harb Carvers from me this Fall. He is an active Masters racer and I met him at Mt. Hood. He sent me the following e-mail and I wanted to share it with you unedited. I talked to him this morning and he had been to two more camps since the e-mail. People at the camps who have skied with him, and coached him, over the years have been amazed at how much he has improved since summer. He is absolutely convinced that the reason is his time on the Harb Carvers. He told me that he has learned more about skiing in the last three months on carvers than the last couple of years on skis. I offered to do some carving with him next summer and he even commented that it would probably do more for him than going to the summer camp he usually does. of course, I recommended getting the best of both worlds at a Harb summer race/carver camp. Here is the e-mail:


Hi Jay,

It's been a while since we've communicated. So, I want to provide an update and, what I think, may be some beneficial feedback.

As you know, my goal with the carvers was to re-train my "old-school" muscles. For 3 years I've been working on eliminating A-framing, as well as an assortment of other maladies left-over from my high school racing days (I'm 51). It seemed, regardless of the new technology, shaped skis, etc., my body just couldn't kick the old habits. It was evident in my tracks. The downhill ski leaving a nice arc while the uphill ski track was simply skidding and wavering around the turn. Talk about downhill dominant!

Last Sept., I relayed to you that I was getting pretting good on the carvers. I could even do some one-legged stunts. I was very excited to think these skills might transfer .... magically... on to my skiing.

Well, the first 3 days out on skis, my old habits reappeared like "junkies" getting their first "fix" in years. Yup, they were back stronger than ever. But I fought them with a vengeance. I tried to force my new "carver" muscle memory/skills on them... to no avail. In fact, I think I skied the worst I've skied in years. My body was fighting with itself. It was chaos. And this began to worry me as I had Master's Training coming up the last week in Nov.

I simply put the carvers away and continued the battle on the hill.. hoping for the best.

Well, Master's Training started at Mammoth on Nov. 29th. We began with technical drills (outriggers, Scholpy drills, no poles hands-on-hips stacked drills, etc.). As we concentrated more and more on body positioning, hands, knees, etc. a funny thing began to happen. The drills felt comfortable and the body feedback was familiar. What? How could this all feel so familiar? Comfortable? And then it dawned on me. This is how I feel on the carvers!!! What's more, I was laying down some solid railroad tracks behind me. Finally, a breakthrough.

It seems like the benefits of the carvers came through the "back door" when I was not forcing anything or even expecting anything. I was just trying to keep an open mind and let things happen. -- And, with proper coaching... it did.

I tell you this, in case you have other customers who are experiencing the same thing.

Here's what I've learned so far:
1.) I just could not force the issue (carver skills) on skis. It caused me to over-think everything instead of being relaxed and fluid
2.) The carver skills did not automatically or "magically" transfer themselves to skiing.
3.) However, with further technical coaching, the skills did transfer - almost unknowingly and rather quickly. And, when they did, I found the body feedback on the carvers... and on skis to be almost exactly the same.

At least that's the way it is for me. The "junkies" have successfully complete rehab. I am now skiing / racing better than ever. My muscles, nervous system and brain are in sync - so now I can concentrate on getting a better line through the gates!

Thank you for all your support and willingness to help by answering questions, making suggestions, etc.

[Jeff Markham]

I'm glad you posted this, since it makes me feel better about my experience.

I'd been working hard on the Carvers all summer and had attended the October Carver Camp. Therefore, I was eagerly anticipating huge performance gains once I got back on skis.

My first day this season was at Snowbird, where I met up with Rich Kremsdorf and some of his friends. Imagine my dismay and embarrassment when I found that I couldn't do *anything* well. I was wedging everywhere I went. It made it all the worse that this was happening right in front of Rich -- a PMTS instructor and hard-core PMTS enthusiast. Was all that Carver time wasted -- even though I had great fun?



So, the next weekend I skiied alone at Alta. To my surprise, I could do no wrong (at least for me). I was easily skiing as well or better than I had at the end of last season. At the end of the day, my calves were rubbed raw at the top of the boot -- the exact same thing that happens when I'm really going at it hard on the Carvers and tipping like crazy.



Since that time, I've noticed an improved ability to carve. Whether I'm seeing improvement or not, I can definitely say that I'm skiing at least as well as at the end of last season and I attribute that to the Carvers.

Had me worried for a while, though...

[Harald]

Although the Harb Carvers develop critical, accurate movements and advance your skiing, it takes a few days to assimilate the transfer from the Carvers to the skis.

The commitment to moving toward the falline with the skis is the same as with the Harb Carvers, but the tendency (because you can cheat on skis) is to go right back to cheating.

Once you get your wits about you and realize you can do the same thing on skis that you did on the Carvers, you will immediately transfer the skills. Some will take longer than others; it depends somewhat on how brave you are.

[bejes]

Harald,
Any more resources on carver exercises? Are you releasing some more info on your website soon?
I have got my medium radius turns pretty good, and now want to get some short turns happening.
Great fun these carvers btw.

[SkierSynergy]

Feel free to check this out. I will be doing some more additions near the first of the year -- just too busy skiing right now -- but even during ski season, I still Carve a few days a month.

Oh, I'll also have a few new products up for sale: upgraded flush axles (especially good for the Slaloms and Pros), street disks to use as gates, quick clips, etc.

http://web.pdx.edu/~petersj/HoodCamp/CarverExercises/CarverExerciseIndex.htm