• For more information on how to avoid pop-up ads and still support SkiTalk click HERE.

Wannabeskibum

Out on the slopes
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
440
Location
Boston
not me - my shop is 1, 2
 

MikeW Philly

Getting off the lift
Skier
Joined
Mar 10, 2019
Posts
266
Location
Harleysville, PA
On my second season using CARV. Still pretty happy with the feedback and measurements. I feel it is helping me.

I agree with the subscription being a negative. Happy they have early adopters a free lifetime sub... Will have to see how they handle replacements when it eventually stops working. Hopefully, will not be happening soon.

Review today in Wired:


This is interesting:
"It’s worth noting that the technology won’t teach a total novice to ski, and it works best if you can already make basic parallel turns. The app is currently optimized for the most popular blue and red groomed trails, rather than black-rated and powder, although Carv is hoping to introduce an off-piste mode for the 2022-2023 season."

So I didn’t ski last season and haven’t tried my carv this season. IF we bought back in 2020 we still have access/sub?
 

textrovert

Reelin' in the years
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Aug 21, 2016
Posts
2,237
Location
Bay Area and Incline Village
So I didn’t ski last season and haven’t tried my carv this season. IF we bought back in 2020 we still have access/sub?
You should have unlimited access as a founder member with your 2020 purchase. If you already created an account and linked the units to your account, it should already show in your profile as such. If you never created an account, just see what shows up when you open and link the units. If it does not give lifetime access automatically, send them a note. They are very responsive to questions.
 

RetroSkier

Booting up
Skier
Joined
Jan 18, 2022
Posts
63
Location
Canada
I just downloaded the app, and will just be using Freeski modes for now. I know you need the inserts and membership for more detailed metrics but can you simply use the app with your phone in your pocket to track your speed and turns ?

If so, I should’ve downloaded the app earlier as I’m curious how much my speed has changed since transitioning from straight to shaped skis. I’ve tracked my runs with Fatmap so I can see where I’ve been on the mountain but it doesn’t track speed, turns or technique.

I have found the video tutorials very helpful, some of it is review, a lot of it is new to me.

This bit is just thinking ahead for if/when I get outfitted with newer gear. I think the combination of going to a specialist that can not only do boot fitting but also assess your balance and mount your bindings at the optimal point for you combined with using the Carv system could yield some interesting improvements.

Better yet… use Carv with the gear you’ve used normally and then use Carv with the Personalized ski set up and see if Carv “sees” any improvements. Just thinking that Carv can likely help improve posture/stance to an extent from what I’ve seen but having a specialist properly fit your skis and bindings to give you optimal balance along with fitting your boots might take your skiing even further when combined with Carv. Also thinking that using Carv with your “old” gear first might also give you and the ski specialist a better idea of your style, balance and ?


but that’s just a guess on my part so far.
 

MikeW Philly

Getting off the lift
Skier
Joined
Mar 10, 2019
Posts
266
Location
Harleysville, PA
You should have unlimited access as a founder member with your 2020 purchase. If you already created an account and linked the units to your account, it should already show in your profile as such. If you never created an account, just see what shows up when you open and link the units. If it does not give lifetime access automatically, send them a note. They are very responsive to questions.

Thank you. Had a new phone in that time but got it downloaded and it popped up As a founding member. Might start playing with it again now that my new boots are broken in.
 

SkiSVLikeAgassi

100% proud ski and tennis bum
Skier
Joined
Oct 22, 2020
Posts
162
Location
Sun Valley, Idaho
I've been using Carv now for three days.
I have very tight-fitting race boots, but the inserts went in no problem. It helps they go between the boot and liners, and not under the footbeds (inside the liners).
No fitments issues whatsoever.

Amazing the amount of data Carv collects. I am, however, a little sceptical when it comes to certain categories like "Edge angle," "Edge smoothness," "Edge similarity," etc. How trustworthy or accurate are these numbers? Who knows? No real way to verify them.
Either way, it's certainly fun to analyze/compare and get a readout of your runs and then have something to keep you entertained on the chair. Especially if you're a numbers person and you like to ski alone, like I do.

My biggest complaint so far are the rather vague (if not cryptic) suggestions on improving in those areas where you need to improve. For example, I seem to score great on all categories except Balance, and toppling in particular. Well, the tips offered by the app for improving my toppling are laughable and get you nowhere. The linked video is even less helpful, as well produced as it is. Thank you, Carv. In all fairness, I've only used "Freeski Mode" for now and haven't tried the focused drills and challenges specifically designed to help you improve in certain areas.

On the plus side, it was interesting to know I make around 3000 turns per day on average when I ski 9 to 2. I see a replacement hip in my future given I ski every day. Carv has made it all too clear to me that despite expecting a different result on every single one of those turns, the result is pretty much the same every time. (Fun) lunacy at its best...
 

jvskier

Booting up
Skier
Joined
Feb 6, 2022
Posts
4
Location
Seattle, WA, USA
I caved and bought a setup during the holiday sale. My justification was that it would help me get more value from lessons by gamifying practice. So far it has been totally worth it. Even when I'm not doing drills I find myself thinking about my form more often. As someone who switched from snowboarding a few years ago, I know I have work to do to improve my technique and this system helps me focus on that even when freeskiing. I have accumulated enough drills from lessons and other sources that I don't feel the need to rely on the suggestions from Carv so that helps too. And I have confidence from seeing the scores of instructors that the measurements do correlate with improvement.

If you already ski with a group of people better than you, you might not get as much out of it. Unfortunately, I'm in the position of helping other friends get better at skiing. Carv makes it a little easier for me to work on my own skiing when I don't have someone else giving me feedback.

I'm looking forward to see how much they add to the flatland training section of the app as well.

And I wonder if the data could also be useful to master boot fitters diagnosing issues with setup. I know it helped Jens from Stomp-It Tutorials find an issue with his boots because his pressure numbers were way off from expected.
 

Fuller

Semi Local
Skier
Joined
Feb 18, 2016
Posts
1,522
Location
Whitefish or Florida
I was on the chairlift with a couple of guys from my men's group weekly lesson. One guy starts talking about this new technology to help your skiing called CRAVE. He went on to describe the foot sensors, phone apps, etc.

Since I'm the worst skier in the group and the most recent student to join I didn't correct him. I must be getting old...
 

VS_Power

Booting up
Skier
Joined
Mar 31, 2021
Posts
27
Location
Palo Alto, California
Pretty big Carv fan here. I wrote an essay on it in the Carv Facebook group and I thought I'd post it here too if people are curious:

------------------------

How I went from 80s Ski IQ to 140+ in a year.

Less than a year ago I put on skis for the first time, and after a few days of struggling to do any sort of parallel turn I questioned whether this sport was for me. Today I'm consistently scoring in the 140s and I want to share with you how I did it.
BTW these results are not extraordinary as you'll see many others with better results. I'm just sharing how a pretty average dude in his mid 30s did it, and how you could potentially do it even better.

GEAR
If you spent all that money on a Carv you might also be interested in how your gear can increase your score. It makes a big difference in my experience as my score swings 20-30 points depending on what I'm using.
For skis, I recommend narrow SL turn radius skis. I personally use Stockli Laser SCs. The reason I recommend SL (shorter) radius skis is because when using larger radius GS style skis you have to be going a lot faster to generate those higher edge angles.
In comparison, when I use my Stockli Laser GS skis, my scores are 20 points lower because I'm just not good enough to go fast and carve at the same time yet.
Boots are extremely important as well, my scores went up 10 points when I switched to stiff 130 boots that were well fitted.
Poles make a difference too, but not for everyone. I followed online guides when buying poles and bought 120cm poles because I'm 5ft 8 inches tall. But this larger sizing isn't meant for people with higher edge angles, so my arms and poles would be all over the place. I switched to adjustable poles (Scott Aluguide) at 115cm and my arms didn't feel as trapped from there.

TECHNIQUE
I sometimes struggle because there's so much information out there. If I change one thing, some other thing gets worse. So I try to keep it simple.
I basically focus on two things, then experiment with small adjustments from there based on what Carv tells me.
The first thing I focus on in rolling my feet from side to side. Focusing purely on this helps keep your feet in sync without A-framing and Carv loves it. Once I start trying to push my edge in on my outside foot or doing anything specific with one foot instead of the other, my numbers start to fall. Rolling evenly on both feet is just something simple for me to execute.
The second thing I focus on is getting my inner knee up into my chest. This just makes sure I'm getting high edge angles.
Aside from these two things I try to make small adjustments each run based on my specific Carv feedback.

TERRAIN
The terrain you ride on is extremely important to maximizing your score. Not that maximizing your score is the end goal, but you need to put yourself in the best possible position to improve your carving.
I score in the 140s on the mellowest blue runs. There's a large variety of steepness among blue runs, so I'm specifically talking about the blue runs that are just a hair above green level. Something mellow enough that you can straight line the entire run without extreme fear of death.
I recommend short to mid length blue runs as well. The reason for this is you'll get more feedback from Carv with less noise. Each run gives you a specific tip to improve on, and, experimenting with the changes on a smaller run will give you a better read on the results. Larger runs have too many variables such as bad sections of the run, people getting in your way, etc that will muddy up your perception of the tip.
If you ski Tahoe, the run I prefer is the Timber Creek lift at Kirkwood. It's very mellow.
Finally, make sure to go on days where there are not a lot of people on the run. Even a small number of people on the run can really throw you off your game. I just take days off work when I want to really maximize my score.

SPEED
You don't have to be going fast to get high scores. I'm averaging 20 - 25 mph (per Carv) when I score in the 140s. Maybe you need to go faster to break 150 but this is sufficient for 140s.

TRAINING
I live 4 hours away from snow so it's important for me to improve even when I'm not on the mountain.
Inline skating (rollerblading) was HUGE in improving my scores. My first runs in the new season already beat my records because I was rollerblading a lot.
The movements translate perfectly. You need to be balanced over your skates, weight on outside foot, carving railroad tracks, etc. You can even put your Carv in your skates though I didn't know about this until recently.
I highly recommend using skates with 110mm wheels, which are on the larger side, but help you get and maintain higher speeds so you can actually carve on your skates.
I can't stress how important this part was, it really is extremely similar. Rolling the feet, knee to your chest, etc etc. I've only had 20 actual days on the mountain but since I was practicing so much rollerblading the number is actually a lot more.

FITNESS
I used to squat heavier weight at 5x5 sets/reps but find biking is better instead. High repetitions on the quads plus cardio basically make it a perfect workout for skiing since I find myself after a hard carving run feeling out of breath and tired specifically in my quads.

Anyway, hope this post helps you. Hope we all can hit Grim Ripper in the upcoming seasons!

------------------------

Doubt anyone has read up to here but if you have and you're still interested in Carv, I have a $50 coupon you can have if you DM me. I definitely recommend it!
 

TheWombat

Putting on skis
Skier
Joined
Dec 29, 2020
Posts
65
Location
NC, USA
Definitely looking forward to the video analysis tie in. At present it is limited to taking video with a Smartphone rather than a GoPro which is a shame, but it is still a great step forward. As an intermediate skier I've found Carv to be very beneficial.
 

fatbob

Not responding
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
6,288
Is there anywhere that demos or rents Carvs? I'm kinda curious if nothing else to benchmark/baseline how I naturally ski against all this chat of ski iQs and grim ripping status (under no illusion I'd be a Grim Ripper out the gate).

There seem to be all sorts of claims about massive enhancement of skiing level but I do retain scepticism about whether that's all round or gamified by the variables Carv rewards.
 

Lorenzzo

Be The Snow
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
2,984
Location
UT
I’ve been hearing glowing things from good skiers so I’m on the waitlist for one. If it’s a low snow year maybe it will add some fun and improvement. If it’s a high snow year then it might not make it out of the box.

I’m looking at it as La Nina insurance.
 

Sponsor

Staff online

Top