I Purchased CARV

[MissySki]

@MissySki I get low weight release scores as well and am not all that clear on what needs to change. I can do all of the drills they suggest, no change. I tried to see if it is side to side weight release, and it does not seem to be that. I did find a cool Tom Gellie CARV video explaining it as a retraction turn. My g forces are all over the place, but seldom consistently high enough for the score to bumps up. Hmmmm.... I too would love some coaching on those metrics.

I did finally figure out how to select a metric and get feedback on that instead of the skills feedback so will play a bit tomorrow with it.

It’s so annoying because I will have random turns with great weight release, but most are very low and I have no idea what the difference is between the good and bad. My G-force is almost always around 1… I have gotten up between 1.4-1.6 seldomly. The tips and feedback just aren’t clicking there yet. I have also watched some videos and done some of the training with no success. I know at the end of last season I had improved on my weight release, but darned if I can figure out how. Hopefully it’ll get better eventually, but it would be so helpful if someone could look at me and say what I’m not doing or what I need to do more of etc. I just have no clue so it’s tough to even work on it really.

 

[Susan L]

One of my sensors fell off sometime today. Honestly, I don’t think I’m going to replace it. The feeling of thinking I skied so well and looking to see my ski IQ and being disappointed was just… not the headspace I am looking for.

I do like that it was objective evidence of improvement (or lack thereof), but am gonna take this as an opportunity to try without it for a while as I’ve been using it for about 4 seasons now.

I feel the same way. While it is exciting to hear a new best score, there are times that I really enjoyed a run and thought I skied my best, just to have carv tell me otherwise. I ski for fun and exercise, and having an enjoyable time is a priority over trying to beat my last best score. I decided to not bring my sensors out this week and I had a blast skiing freely and enjoying every turn I made without looking for validation from carv. I was also able to enjoy my lift ride and soaked in the views instead of looking at my metrics and thinking what to do once I get off the chair.
Funny thing is my instructor is obsessed with carv, spending every moment thinking about how to increase his skiIQ. I just spoke to his wife and she thought it’s time to leave the sensors behind so he can start enjoying skiing (with her) again.
I did chat with carv about not renewing and was told I’d still get basic tracking and skiIQ! What the subscription gives you is detailed metrics and coaching, which I rarely use.

 

[contesstant]

I feel the same way. While it is exciting to hear a new best score, there are times that I really enjoyed a run and thought I skied my best, just to have carv tell me otherwise. I ski for fun and exercise, and having an enjoyable time is a priority over trying to beat my last best score. I decided to not bring my sensors out this week and I had a blast skiing freely and enjoying every turn I made without looking for validation from carv. I was also able to enjoy my lift ride and soaked in the views instead of looking at my metrics and thinking what to do once I get off the chair.
Funny thing is my instructor is obsessed with carv, spending every moment thinking about how to increase his skiIQ. I just spoke to his wife and she thought it’s time to leave the sensors behind so he can start enjoying skiing (with her) again.
I did chat with carv about not renewing and was told I’d still get basic tracking and skiIQ! What the subscription gives you is detailed metrics and coaching, which I rarely use.

Yes, same thing here. The ONE thing that I get from it that is proving valuable is actual proof that I cannot get the same edge angle on my right ski vs. my left. As in, about 5 degrees less! AND I get less edge angle on bindings with more delta on both sides. So, proof that steeper delta bindings impact my skiing negatively, and that my right leg is not performing the same as my left. I also have less G force on my right leg. Is it my old TPF? Who knows. Should I remove the .5 degree canting on that boot because it doesn't roll up on edge as easily? Those are the thing I am using it for now. Because yeah, I'll have a great run, or a great day, but my scores drop by 5 or 10 points. Why?!! That definitely has a way of deflating an otherwise fun day. I'm sure lesser conditions play a role, but it's still depressing.

 

[MissySki]

I think perhaps some are putting too much emphasis on Carv for their enjoyment, or lack thereof skiing? OR maybe just allowing it to put to much pressure on you? This is a very interesting phenomena to me. Why are people looking to Carv as some sort of validation, one way or another, on their skiing and joy on the mountain is the question.

I have a very different experience with it:

1) I love it as a tool to get unedited feedback on whether I'm achieving something or not on each metric or on an individual one when that's the focus. Is that frustrating at times? Absolutely. But it's not any different than when an instructor tells me I'm not doing something right or that I think I am in my skiing. That happens all the time too given that I participate in an adult seasonal program. Maybe I am just a glutton for punishment?

2) I really like the tracking of stats like days, number of turns, distance skied, etc. that are on leaderboards right along with SkiIQ. I don't care about the global leaderboard, but I like to compare with those on my same mountain. I've had random people find me on the mountain from Carv last season... so random but also kind of cool! I spoke to some I never would have if they weren't like... do you use Carv by any chance and are you Melissa? True story... and it wasn't about scores at all, last year I was on top of many of the metrics that were tracked (more were tracked last year than this year for whatever reason) and a few people noticed that.

3) It's super fun to break a scoring record, however, I also tell Carv to get the heck out of dodge when I feel like I'm skiing awesome and she disagrees. Eh who cares? The fun is what matters, and I ski how it feels fun to ski unless I am working on stuff. I know I'm making good smooth turns when I feel good skiing, even though some technical aspect is not what Carv is looking for that doesn't equate to me to feel bad about my skiing. I know I'm a good skier with or without Carv telling me so. Do I want to get better? Of course... but I'm not a bad skier where I am now either. Conditions play a big part too, and I ski on ice so it is what it is that Carv doesn't love all of that. The technology isn't perfect, accepting that is key and knowing that there are some variables much beyond your control is helpful too.

I would challenge others to make your own happiness on the mountain with or without Carv, just like in life. Fun and happiness is always partially a choice, as is becoming so wrapped up in technology that you lose the outdoors connection to skiing. If we wait for the perfect conditions or to be a better skier "some day" etc. to allow ourselves to be happy and have fun skiing... well there is a lot of time wasted in between. Carv doesn't dictate any of this, unless we let it for some reason. It's not that deep, don't overthink it so much. If that is not possible and it is just making you feel bad, definitely better to move on from it because it is definitely not for you and not worth feeling bad about. But if there was a reason you wanted Carv to begin with and it happened to get off track, I would try to reframe what you are using it for and seeing if you can get that out of it without it turning into a drag on the enjoyment aspect or feeling bad about one's skiing just like you would in a lesson. Perhaps that is part of it, maybe only using it for shorter burst for live feedback and making it silent for other parts of the ski day would be a better compromise. After all, we are not usually in full day lessons from bell to bell when we ski, and there could be feedback fatigue with a device that is always on for some.

 

[elemmac]

Maybe I am just a glutton for punishment?

Knowing about your new golf obsession...yes, I think you are.

But really...I love your description of Carv and not letting it dictate your happiness on the mountain. I'm enjoying it for many of the same reasons and have many of the same thoughts. At the same time, I have gotten caught up with the Strava hype in the past, with mountain biking though. Eventually I needed to just turn it off in order to not care about a PR or trying for a QOM. I think that's okay. Everyone needs to recognize their own boundaries. Some people can just mentally "turn it off", others need to ACTUALLY "turn it off".

Personally, I don't think I want to ski with a high SkiIQ all the time either. What I'm realizing is when I just set myself to a flow state, weaving at my own leisurely pace, Carv scores me pretty low. When I just ski....I rarely will do 8 turns that have a consistent shape, deep edge angles, and my turn closure can be pretty abysmal. It always feels like Carv is looking for the perfect "instructor turn"...and while I think the sensors and the app will help me broaden my skillset, I don't want it to define my skiing.

 

[Susan L]

I don’t know. People choose different things for different reasons. I couldn’t care less why others enjoy it more/less than I do. I know why I like/dislike and that’s all that matters to me. What others do/think/etc adds nothing to my life/experience.

 

[MissySki]

I don’t know. People choose different things for different reasons. I couldn’t care less why others enjoy it more/less than I do. I know why I like/dislike and that’s all that matters to me. What others do/think/etc adds nothing to my life/experience.

Funny, I thought the point of a forum was literally to share our individual experiences in hopes of discussion/learning/perhaps gaining different perspectives from others who participate in the same activities. But to each their own.

 

[MissySki]

Personally, I don't think I want to ski with a high SkiIQ all the time either. What I'm realizing is when I just set myself to a flow state, weaving at my own leisurely pace, Carv scores me pretty low. When I just ski....I rarely will do 8 turns that have a consistent shape, deep edge angles, and my turn closure can be pretty abysmal. It always feels like Carv is looking for the perfect "instructor turn"...and while I think the sensors and the app will help me broaden my skillset, I don't want it to define my skiing.

Exactly this! Sometimes I’m skiing and feel awesome and like I am flowing with the terrain/conditions the mountain is giving me. That is usually when I score lower haha. But I’m okay with that as well because I have no desire to ski a specific way ALL the time. I personally seek to add to my tool bag, not streamline it to one thing only. You should have seen last season where they literally only would score carving for the most part… and the tips would be for carving in thick deep crud or basically any condition and terrain there was lol. No thanks Carv! It is at least looser this year adding turn types. I care about SkiIQ when I am trying to work on something specifically. When I ski around in general I like to hear tips and my SkiIQ when stopping, but for fun and out of interest to see what Carv will give me in any given area versus feeling the need to always try to push a high score. When I’m in lessons that’s the WORST, lots of drills give amazingly bad scores haha but I know it so it doesn’t bother me.

You are such an amazing skier and I always find it beautiful when I ski behind you to watch how you use the terrain and flow down it. Absolutely do not change that all around for Carv!!

 

[elemmac]

You should have seen last season where they literally only would score carving for the most part… and the tips would be for carving in thick deep crud or basically any condition and terrain there was lol. No thanks Carv! It is at least looser this year adding turn types. I care about SkiIQ when I am trying to work on something specifically. When I ski around in general I like to hear tips and my SkiIQ when stopping, but for fun and out of interest to see what Carv will give me in any given area versus feeling the need to always try to push a high score.

I like how they have different type of skiing…that would be frustrating for it to score you in moguls but by the same metrics as carving. I feel like the feedback would be pretty useless.

I like the way you think about using the ratings as a comparison tool to what you just felt, without thinking about trying to get a high score.

You are such an amazing skier and I always find it beautiful when I ski behind you to watch how you use the terrain and flow down it. Absolutely do not change that all around for Carv!!

Thank you, that’s so sweet! I always feel like skiing as a snowboarder has given me a unique look at terrain and how to ski it.

 

[SnowflowerT]

I'm curious, why have you not been using them? For me it's become a habit that they go on when my boots go on, and actually they usually just stay attached to my Booster straps when I'm not skiing unless they need a charge. So I'm wondering how those who don't use them every day they ski decide whether to do so or not and why.

They are also a fixture on my boots, but for me the feedback does get depressing when the conditions turn and I usually turn off my audio at that point or stop tracking and switch to music. If I can continue to learn from the tips I find it motivating, but I don’t feel seen when I feel fortunate just to safely get through the masses, ice, or low vis conditions.

 

[contesstant]

I think those of you who are getting higher scores find it more fun. For someone like myself who has been skiing a lot for the past 12 seasons, and struggling with boot issues, it's depressing to consistently get crap scores. So for now, I'll use it to gather data to help me get my alignment dialed in and see if I can't figure out why I can tip my left ski on edge so much higher than my right. I am THRILLED with my boots this season, so I finally feel like I can get to work on things that I struggle with vs. constantly fighting for balance.

I'll also say that conditions play a big role in scores, and we have not had very good conditions this year. I can count on two fingers how many days of truly good conditions. (SAD!)

 

[Bsheresq]

I did chat with carv about not renewing and was told I’d still get basic tracking and skiIQ! What the subscription gives you is detailed metrics and coaching, which I rarely use.

That is because if you are using their sensors, you are generating data for their AI algorithm, which is how they refine the product from season to season. So not altruism on their behalf.

 

[Bsheresq]

I think those of you who are getting higher scores find it more fun. For someone like myself who has been skiing a lot for the past 12 seasons, and struggling with boot issues, it's depressing to consistently get crap scores. So for now, I'll use it to gather data to help me get my alignment dialed in and see if I can't figure out why I can tip my left ski on edge so much higher than my right. I am THRILLED with my boots this season, so I finally feel like I can get to work on things that I struggle with vs. constantly fighting for balance.

I'll also say that conditions play a big role in scores, and we have not had very good conditions this year. I can count on two fingers how many days of truly good conditions. (SAD!)

I agree with this because I have more than a few days out there now and I am getting a bit frustrated, although I have been struggling with my boots as well so hoping that provides at least a partial explanation. I was able to max out the parallel pathway and make decent progress on short turns, but I am stuck on carving! I’ve scored up to Level 19 on Turning without Skidding but on all the other skills I am a lowly Level 4! I‘m clearly missing something but not sure what it is and I’m getting frustrated trying to figure it out, as nothing seems to be working. But I’ve only had a couple of days where I’ve felt copacetic and comfortable with my equipment, so I finally went to a well reviewed bootfitter in SLC and got new boots so I’m really hoping this helps, as he told me that my existing boots (that I bought last year from a non-mountain town bootfitter) were a full size too big! It’s been a very humbling season so far, since my highest score this year is 121 compared to 137 last year (downgraded to 123 this year). Cautiously optimistic to see what this week brings.

 

[OrDreamer]

I am considering getting Carv so I understand what it's telling my guests. When I looked at one guest's report Carv showed their best turns were on steeper terrain where we were concentrating on round turns. I thought they were looking particularly strong there. Interesting that Carv agreed.

And maybe, just maybe, I think it might be fun/challenging/humbling to see what it says about my skiing

If u do end up getting it (first of all I have a 50 usd discount I can share) but another fun thing might be to let other guests who don’t have it to try it (I can give u a week long code so they will have their own account and not mess up your data

 

[OrDreamer]

And there's my issue...I don't see a map on anyone else's segments. I only see "Sunday River, US" and "10:46 AM" at the top, there's no map.

Even when u go to their specific high score run ? I see everyone’s map when I click “view segment “

 

[OrDreamer]

Don't think I posted about this but forgive me if i have. I tried wearing ear buds but didn't like them, so I just had my phone in my pocket and I can (mostly) hear it. Last week I was on the gondola at Tremblant with a friend and some other people. We were all chatting when one of the other people said is that an announcement I'm hearing or what? My friend twigged and said no, it's Carv talking. This of course led to a whole discussion about Carv - quite fun.

I hated ear buds so this year when I upgraded my helmet I also started using Sena

 

[snoWYmonkey]

I had a fun conversation with a colleague who scores in the mid-170s today and he feels that the metrics are actually very accurate which was cool to hear. He also thought that this year's updates make it harder to cheat the system by doing little short turns on flat Terrain. Also good to know.

 

[Ermit]

It's fun to see Deb Armstrong using Carv -- her latest video has given me something to think about. I'd love to improve my scores to mid-130's like the gentleman in her video. It looks like he's a long-time skier who started on straight skis. My edge similarity is typically one of my highest metrics, but my g-force is ... definitely not.

 

[MissySki]

It's fun to see Deb Armstrong using Carv -- her latest video has given me something to think about. I'd love to improve my scores to mid-130's like the gentleman in her video. It looks like he's a long-time skier who started on straight skis. My edge similarity is typically one of my highest metrics, but my g-force is ... definitely not.

I saw this yesterday, very cool to watch!

Now I want to see her take a mid 130s skier to the 140s since that's where I am and also g-force is a major issue for me... My edge similarity is always very good, so that does not seem to be connected to my g-force issue as she told this student in his case where he had an issue with it.

 

[WaterGirl]

I used Carv again for a few days.... for those who have a woman's voice, I don't know if I would want to hear the coaching from a woman - rather I have the man with the slight British accent..... he says excellent score "best skier on the mountain" ......

I tried the live coaching. I realized "it" was trying to tell me the same thing 5 different ways which wasn't increasing my score. I do like the videos, not sure about the advice. I did try my back country set up on the mountain, and scored 9s point lower, which I thought wasn't bad b/c I don't push it on my back country set up and I was only skiing blue/blacks. I have yet to get on my carving skis..... will see if I can improve my scores. Still happy with most of the feed back regarding parallel and turn shapes etc. But I can now see how the "live coaching" can be depressive. I had to turn him off after 6 runs.