Frick! I had a nice post here but my darn Mac Mouse "sensed" some sort of movement from my finger and sent me to last page so I lost my response! I hate it when that happens!!!!!
Start over...
So yeah, seat time is key like Kristy said! But all the little pointers along the way will help speed up progression. Kristy is a very fluent carver herself (loved watching you ride in Sledbetties girl)!
Get comfortable with that throttle and learn how distributing your weight affects the sleds motions. Start by just playing around on the trail in a straight line - give it throttle and weight each side of your sled to get a feel for the point at which your ski starts to lift on the opposite side you have weighted. Also, stand with equal pressure on each side but stand forward, then middle, then back of the running boards while throttling. Again, get a feel for the application of power and weighting your sled in different spots. Then take that concept to a soft snowy meadow or lake and this time do each scenario above but try counter steering your bars (steering in opposite direction) as your ski lifts out of the snow. (Steer slight to hard depending on how hard you want to hook it - start of slight though since you've got the room in a meadow and you want to learn to control it with throttle application first.) Stay on the gas but don't pin it - try getting in and out of it constantly to work on keeping the track spin up while keeping over all speed down. Just keep playing around with throttle, weight transfer and counter steering in a mellow area until you feel your self controlling the sleds motions and carving around.
Other random thoughts...
Remember to stand up and stand tall (not hunched over in otherwords).
When you get on the throttle hard, position yourself more forward to counter the pull of the motor (thus resisting falling in the back seat).
You may find standing on one side of the sled or the other will help you out but just good weighting of one side or the other on one foot is often all that I need with the right throttle application. If I'm hooking it super tight - I'll get all my body weight on one side and sometimes with wrong foot forward and a leg out to balance myself and the sled.
Keep your rails cleared off of snow build up! You need good traction on your boards to maintain control.
Focus on being confident - hesitation is often what leads to me getting stuck. But also don't be afraid to get stuck! You gotta learn somehow! Being confident also allows you to go for things that improve your skills.... carve up every little meadow you find and eventually you'll be doing broadies and s-lines..... power through every little ditch and creek bed and eventually you'll be slicing through steep embankments or dropping into ravines and carving right up the other side.... hit every little tiny jump out there and eventually you'll find yourself hitting much bigger ones... just get out and ride and dont worry about who's watching you or who you're holding up. It's all about you and your machine and nothing else.
I am also 120 lbs and love love love to carve. Best bet is set your shocks to a light setting and learn your balance on the sled which will help you. Try the wrong foot forward technique and throttle as you lean and turn the ski's the opposite direction you are wanting to go (countersteer). Not sure what kind of sled you have but set up is very important. Also where your feet are on the running boards, if your handle bars are not set right you could be standing in the wrong spot on the sled which will make the sled not easily controlled. The most important thing is SEAT TIME!!! The more you get out the eaiser it will be for you.
