Individual Review CARV

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Additional details on the recalibrated Ski IQ with the updated app.

We have re-levelled Ski:IQ™ (130 is the new 150...)

• In our quest to deliver the best coaching possible, some of your scores may have decreased with this Ski:IQ update. We have levelled Ski:IQ around a median score of 110 and higher scores are now suitably hard to earn to allow differentiation at the professional level.
• If you are scoring higher than 110, you are an 'above average skier'. Any score above 130 is advanced skiing, representing the top 6% of all runs on Carv, and a score over 150 is a world-class instructor level (top 0.1% of all runs).

What's new with Ski:IQ™

Your ski coach just got even better

getcarv.com

 

[SwedishFish]

Hi, hopefully I can help here.

We recommend Carv inserts going onto the boot board (under the liner). This is so there is a nice solid base beneath it for a good pressure reading.

In box you’ll get some double-sided sticky tape to keep the insert stuck down, and some gaffa tape (sorry, specialist Carv tape ) to keep the cable against the side of your shell.

SwedishFish - you’re right that with the zipfit liner the inserts may be exposed to more wear and tear as you put your foot in and out. However, a few extra bits of double sided tape, and careful use of the gaffa tape will mean it’s probably not a huge issue as you can secure the unit more thoroughly.

The good news is we have a 2 year warranty which will cover you with replacement parts should anything happen.

In my own skiing, I often take my liners out to dry them. My current Carv inserts are going strong after 6 weeks of skiing over the last year.

Let me know if you’ve got any other questions.

I got my Carv inserts for Christmas. Just an update for those who might be curious. I was concerned about using them with ZipFit liners and inserting/removing the liners every ski trip. After two trips, I have no concerns about any additional wear and tear from using removable liners. I removed my boot boards and taped the inserts to the boot boards with 3 wraps of tape (one at the heel, mid foot, and near the ball of foot). Putting my boots on with my liners on first is no harder than before and the inserts seem like they are going to stay in place just fine.

Now I just need to figure out how to improve my “foot roll”.

 

[Noodler]

I got my Carv inserts for Christmas. Just an update for those who might be curious. I was concerned about using them with ZipFit liners and inserting/removing the liners every ski trip. After two trips, I have no concerns about any additional wear and tear from using removable liners. I removed my boot boards and taped the inserts to the boot boards with 3 wraps of tape (one at the heel, mid foot, and near the ball of foot). Putting my boots on with my liners on first is no harder than before and the inserts seem like they are going to stay in place just fine.

Now I just need to figure out how to improve my “foot roll”.

View attachment 119138

What is the definition of "foot roll" in the land of the Carv inserts?

 

[graham418]

What are people using for earpieces? Are you using regular wireless earbuds? Headphones in your helmet? I am using some corded earbuds because thats all I have right now. I worry about losing wireless ones if they come out of my ears when I get too rambunctious

 

[Noodler]

What are people using for earpieces? Are you using regular wireless earbuds? Headphones in your helmet? I am using some corded earbuds because thats all I have right now. I worry about losing wireless ones if they come out of my ears when I get too rambunctious

Here's my run down of some options for headphones for your helmet:
https://www.SkiTalk.com/threads/high-end-helmet-audio.17876/

 

[SwedishFish]

What is the definition of "foot roll" in the land of the Carv inserts?

I have good scores for edge angle, early edging, edge similarity, but my edge smoothness is also not so good (53%) so I’m guessing the two are related and I need to work on how smoothly I roll/transition from edge to edge.

 

[Noodler]

View attachment 119143
I have good scores for edge angle, early edging, edge similarity, but my edge smoothness is also not so good (53%) so I’m guessing the two are related and I need to work on how smoothly I roll/transition from edge to edge.

OK, so this is foot inversion/eversion movement inside of the boot to initiate tipping/edging. This is the very foundation of my skiing and what I can say after many years of working on this is that your boot setup (especially the footbed, bootboard, and cuff angles) MUST be correct for your "foot roll" to work.

I'll say it again (and I know I say it all the time) that skiing is ultimately a sport of balance; over the slope and against the forces we create. Getting your stance alignment correct (in all planes) is a prerequisite to achieving skiing skills and accomplishing the goals with something like the CARV system.

 

[textrovert]

Anyone know what "descent" is in the stats? I initially thought it was vertical, but it's way too high to be vertical. Then I noticed when you click into a single run, it gives max and min elevation and also descent, which is much larger that max - min elevation.

 

[textrovert]

What are people using for earpieces? Are you using regular wireless earbuds? Headphones in your helmet? I am using some corded earbuds because thats all I have right now. I worry about losing wireless ones if they come out of my ears when I get too rambunctious

CARV has a page on headphones in their blog-

Best Headphones for Ski Helmets

So you want real-time audio coaching? You’re going to need to use a great pair of headphones. We've lined up options for every budget. Let's dive in.

getcarv.com

I tried the first "budget" option initially (Anker soundcore spirits). They work well and have long battery life.. But I didn't like 2 things about it - being sealed ear buds they plugged my ears. I couldn't hear anyone speaking and it magnified "internal" sounds like walking thumps, etc. Also it was one more item to put on.

I switched to outdoor tech chips solution. Very happy with it. My helmet luckily had the ear pouches for it. Dropped them in and now I just put on my helmet without having to deal with one additional item (only take out to charge). My hearing is normal too and not blocked.

 

[textrovert]

Here's my run down of some options for headphones for your helmet:
https://www.SkiTalk.com/threads/high-end-helmet-audio.17876/

Great list.

 

[graham418]

My helmet does not have pouches. Will have to look at some other options

 

[Noodler]

CARV has a page on headphones in their blog-

Best Headphones for Ski Helmets

So you want real-time audio coaching? You’re going to need to use a great pair of headphones. We've lined up options for every budget. Let's dive in.

getcarv.com

I tried the first "budget" option initially (Anker soundcore spirits). They work well and have long battery life.. But I didn't like 2 things about it - being sealed ear buds they plugged my ears. I couldn't hear anyone speaking and it magnified "internal" sounds like walking thumps, etc. Also it was one more item to put on.

I switched to outdoor tech chips solution. Very happy with it. My helmet luckily had the ear pouches for it. Dropped them in and now I just put on my helmet without having to deal with one additional item (only take out to charge). My hearing is normal too and not blocked.

Only the last 4 items in that headphone round-up are actually truly suitable for ski helmet use. I don't consider earbuds to be optimal in skiing use for a number of reasons.

 

[textrovert]

Only the last 4 items in that headphone round-up are actually truly suitable for ski helmet use. I don't consider earbuds to be optimal in skiing use for a number of reasons.

Agreed. I tried the earbuds and didn't like them at all, for the reasons I mentioned earlier.

 

[Steve]

When I bought my CHIPS I had to buy a new helmet with zippered ear covers. I like them a lot although charging is a pain.

 

[Roundturns]

If anyone is interested in buying my unit, please let me know. I'm awaiting return info and they may not give me a full refund, I'm not sure, plus I may have to pay to ship them to Dublin.

I bought it for $279 early season, they're $349 now. The most I hope to get back is the full amount less shipping, so I could sell them for $250 shipped and be in great shape, so make me an offer.

Since the sensors go under the liner, my foot has not touched them, they look almost new.

Kind of compares in my mind as hitting golf balls with Flight Scope or Trackman ( never used Trackman but have used Flight Scope a number of times) Anyway , when you make a good golf swing and compress the ball , it’s pretty obvious per the result that you did a lot of things correctly. Getting obsessed with swing speed , angle of attack, club path to club face is useful, but also can take the fun out of practice.
Different strokes for different folks, and there are many serious golfers that benefit from the recorded data, benefit from the data, and build a better swing as a result.
To go out and ski and have all these inputs certainly useful, but for me after a short period be tiring.

 

[Noodler]

Kind of compares in my mind as hitting golf balls with Flight Scope or Trackman ( never used Trackman but have used Flight Scope a number of times) Anyway , when you make a good golf swing and compress the ball , it’s pretty obvious per the result that you did a lot of things correctly. Getting obsessed with swing speed , angle of attack, club path to club face is useful, but also can take the fun out of practice.
Different strokes for different folks, and there are many serious golfers that benefit from the recorded data, benefit from the data, and build a better swing as a result.
To go out and ski and have all these inputs certainly useful, but for me after a short period be tiring.

I think there's a lot similar here. I've noticed that golfer's swings will change when you put them on a monitor. Also, similar problems when you video a golfer (or a skier). They either start trying "too hard" or get "performance anxiety". I could see that totally happening with the CARV. I think it might work better as a "set it and forget it" kind of mode, but they would need to allow you to edit the data afterward (remove the "bad shots"/"runs") to fix the averages/conclusions, etc. You can do that with a golf launch monitor, it would be great if you could do that with this skiing monitor.

 

[SwedishFish]

For audio I use the AfterShokz bone conduction headphones. I’ve used them for music for a few seasons and now for Carv. I like that they don’t prevent you from hearing what is going on around you and the audio from them is still really clear. The button for pausing/skipping also works well by just pressing on my helmet’s ear pad.

It did take some time to get use to wearing them under my helmet’s ear pads. For me, the extra pressure of the ear pads pushing on the headphones caused some slight discomfort at first but I’m now use to it.

Overall I really like them and think they are perfect for activities where you still want to hear your surroundings.

 

[Noodler]

For audio I use the AfterShokz bone conduction headphones. I’ve used them for music for a few seasons and now for Carv. I like that they don’t prevent you from hearing what is going on around you and the audio from them is still really clear. The button for pausing/skipping also works well by just pressing on my helmet’s ear pad.

It did take some time to get use to wearing them under my helmet’s ear pads. For me, the extra pressure of the ear pads pushing on the headphones caused some slight discomfort at first but I’m now use to it.

Overall I really like them and think they are perfect for activities where you still want to hear your surroundings.

I use the AfterShokz when I play golf. That's a lot of "stuff" to get inside of your helmet. I don't think it would be possible with how tight my helmets fit.

 

[Aquila]

Interesting to hear what people are liking and not liking about the carv. I won't get a chance to try mine until June but I have fairly high hopes for it, because I have some clear ideas about what needs improving in my skiing e.g. better outside ski weighting - and I struggle to know if I'm doing certain things or not without someone watching me or at least seeing a video of myself. I think the monitor modes could be useful for that.

Basically I plan to use it as a lesson supplement, something to help give me feedback when I'm practicing between lessons.

Planning to use them with the outdoor tech chips, my helmet has the earpad pockets for them so hopefully they work well

 

[SwedishFish]

I use the AfterShokz when I play golf. That's a lot of "stuff" to get inside of your helmet. I don't think it would be possible with how tight my helmets fit.

There isn’t anything in my helmet. Just the headphones themselves under my ear pads. The thin band that connects them is lower on my neck under my gaiter/buff. Maybe they fit everyone all a little differently though. For me they are great.