Help for New Slalomers! (please read)

[wombat boarder]

went out today, set up a couple of runs of about 10 cones (jolly short) around a bend in a carpark. the cones where spaced out about a metre apart. quite fun, but was very annoying to have to move the cones when a car came, security guards didnt like it too much either.
was a solo skate, so wasnt that great, esp. as it was pretty flat carpak and reeally windy so speed was very hard.
did a few good runs- the cones mostly just fly away when i hit em, which is good.
not quite hooked yet, but ill have to eye ut a better spot...

[Momona Boe]

how about proper ways to treat skin for making suits?


Great idea on the course layouts!

It makes a HUGE difference after you go to one race/event. I got my first board and just ran straight cones and had no idea what I was doing. Then after my first race I learned the hard way that everything I was doing was wrong - from course layout to equipment

Don't get me wrong, I'm still terrible, but now I know much more

[Sal Pic]

That's funny, we used that box for a show poster.

[Sal Pic]

Oh and a VERY informative thread, some friends and I are lookin into this slalom thing (all we need is the hill, boards, cones, skill..)

[Concrete Kong]

really good post. im interrested in starting slalom and i have a flexdex 30" slalom board and tracker rts/x coming in the mail would this be a good first board or will it flex to much i only weigh 120?

[EBasil]

It will work fine, Kong. Set it up with some grippy wheels and you can toggle that one board back and forth from funhog cruiser to slalom board, just by changing the wedging under the trucks. At your weight it's not going to be a noodle, by any means.

[jimb]

this winter with my oldstuff, i put a pseudo slalom board,




i redrilled my oldschool blank deck to have a longer wheelbase



buff down to 110m my cheap 5.0 truck
and put some s9 wheel and a spacer because i didn't cut the axe of the truck



and now that i love slalom i order a real slalom board

[telecaster]

Three days of rain... CRAP!!!... so, since I'm purging my machine of old files I thought I'd copy and paste some of the random thoughts I've had on the subject of slaloming these past 2-1/2 years while I've tried to advance my own state of mediocrity.....



"The biggest mistake I see most new riders make is biasing their weight
towards either the front foot which usually causes rear wheel slide-outs
or favoring the back, like they're in the habit of kick turning...Hard to start a turn with the FRONT wheels when you can't articulate the front of the deck."

"I hear so many riders talk about traction as though it's a commodity
unto itself...hmmm...being able to "feel" I'm at the edge of traction is more important to me than all out grip"

"I think riding THEE line for the SPEED YOU'RE carrying is the most important part of maintaining traction, given that you're at least riding
a competent setup...
Yes...of course the equipment helps if you're using it effectively with good balance and riding within or at most, on the safe side of YOUR limits...Throwing caution to the wind while slaloming is tons-O-fun..........
.....................while it lasts..... "

"If you're a new slalom rider, the turning of your upper body needs to be supported by keeping an equal balance of weight on both feet and learning to, simultaneously steer deeply with the front foot and then, push against the bigger arc your rear truck is scribing with the rear foot.
This is the deal your head needs to make with your body...
I try to picture a fish swimming under my deck and my feet are on it's back....It's that sinuous, even rhythm your looking for at a pace you can control when you're first learning."

"Foot postions are pretty personal to each riders style... I personally
keep my feet "inside" the trucks. Maybe putting the rear foot "over"
the back truck holes if the course is straightish and I need more advantage over the rear truck to pump harder to accelerate..."


"Be disciplined and try not to establish any bad habits when you first start slaloming.
Then it's just a matter of speeding that good technique
up as you get stronger and learning how to cope with the course you're riding....."

"Timing yourself through a dedicated course while only changing
1 ONE 1 thing at a time is really the only way to find what works best for you..."


Slalom skateboarding....at the very least, it's a great activity!!


Hope someone finds something useful in the above to help them along.

Tod

[SFUFetus]

this thread initiated me to go to a local slalom comp, I wouldn't have gone otherwise, thanks!

[laserblast]

there's some kind of slalom contest here this summer, I have a motion ts-30 with gullwing sl2002 and cambrias, ( its my least used board ) and I'll be buying some trackers rtx next week that hopefully will turn better than the gullwings...
good idea ?

[Basch]

slalom contest? Were?

[laserblast]

slalom contest? Were?

at "oerend hard " , there's going to be snakerun speed, boardercross, best trick downhill, best trick on the banks, best trick on the jumpramp, catamaran downhill, and for the first time a slalom contest in the downhill...

en dat allemaal in oldenzaal...

[bara]

Lazer, you'd want a Tracker RTX up front, but not necessarily one in back, an RTS would work better in back. But if you bought 2 RTX's, at least try it out...dont forget steep wedges...as for your GL2002's.....yeah...a brick will turn better than those...but you may want to try this. Wedge up an RTX up front and keep it loose...and put a GL2002 in the rear, flat, and kinda tight....run the kingpin nuts all the way to the TOP of the kinpin (nearest the hanger, not the baseplate)...that truck should be nice and dead for you which will give you a better ride.........seriously

[laserblast]

ok thanks bara, I'll try that ! because that will save me some money instead of buying 2 trucks !
and the rtx/rts thing, I meant to buy them both, I just forgot the front and back truck had a different name...

[SweetCatarina]

I beg to differ on Joes comment in March that slalom doesn't translate well in video. For some great slalom video from last years Seismic Nationals in Colorado click on the link below & scroll down to "Movies from 2005." This should get ya'll stoked-- the music & skating is great!

http://www.ncdsa.com/contest_registr...?ContestID=243

[Joe & Nick]

I beg to differ on Joes comment in March that slalom doesn't translate well in video. For some great slalom video from last years Seismic Nationals in Colorado click on the link below & scroll down to "Movies from 2005." This should get ya'll stoked-- the music & skating is great!

http://www.ncdsa.com/contest_registr...?ContestID=243

Gary made a boom and skated down the course with the skaters while wearing a 10 foot pole. It made a difference.

[Jam]

Nice thread and idea!!!

The course setting would be cool.... and I always think it is a great thing to just simply organize sessions once in a while... nothing too complicated, just for fun and experience...

I think maybe a technique thread would be good too (?)

[Alpha06]

I set up a bunch of beer bottles and spaced them 10 feet apart on a very small slope. On my first try I smashed into a beer bottle and the glass exploded all over the place (no beer)

I got the hang of it but something tells me that a 38" board isn't meant for slalom at all.

Anyways, if I buy a set of $300 slalom trucks, will they be good for flat land cruising?

[bpz]

If you want to "cruise" without ever having to push with your foot, then yes - they will.

[Crappysurfer]

what about smoekys?